Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for the record, will the Minister and her colleague in housing commit to working with myself, the community of Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok in my Nunakput riding, to work together to try to see if we could get long-term facilities? Would she commit to that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The next steps are working with our housing Minister and Health Minister in regard to getting elders facilities in both Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok, which we need. Like I said before, flying to Inuvik is over $1,000 to go see one of your loved ones. The only time you'll get to go there is if you are going there for medical. It really hurts and impacts families deeply when they are sending an elder to Inuvik for long-term care. We need to fix this problem. We could find money for anything when it comes to bigger projects and stuff like that, but something like this, working with the Inuvialuit...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am glad that Minister Green brought this up, with elders aging in care in their home communities. Elders' facilities in Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok and keeping our elders home, Mr. Speaker: our elders have these facilities in Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk. These are small communities that would not take much to care for elders, but here in our six-bed long-term care facility, we would not have to send them to Inuvik to be away from the family, which is so tough on our elders right now. Our elders in our communities are very active. Our elders work to keep our culture...

Thank you, Madam Chair. No. Having introduced Committee Report 10-19(2) earlier today, I have no additional comments to the bill at this time. I would just like to thank committee for all the hard work that they have done and my committee staff in their efforts in reviewing this piece of legislation. Individual Members may have additional comments, as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Public Utilities Act to:

prohibit a public utility from disconnecting a residential customer's electricity service during the period of October 1 to April 30 or when the temperature is forecast to be below 0 degrees Celsius because an amount payable is overdue;

require a public utility to reconnect a residential customer's service, which was disconnected during the period of May 1 to September 30...

I thank the Minister for that, for reaching out to Mr. Okheena. I really think the demographic size of a community or distance from Inuvik to Ulukhaktok or Ulukhaktok to Sachs Harbour or to Paulatuk or Tuktoyaktuk, it shouldn't matter. It shouldn't matter for the money that we are spending. These elders were here first, born and raised. We have to take care of our elders. Money shouldn't be the main issue. I know we are stretched like a rubber band, but the thing is: my elders deserve this. My elders need to stay home. Our families need to be kept together because you know it as well as I do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I brought up my Member's statement in regard to elders staying home. You know as well as I do: we take care of our own, and we take care of our elders. I want to know: what care facilities are currently available in our communities of Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok right now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No. Just for myself, it's a big thing because everything flows down the Mackenzie and ends up right in Tuktoyaktuk, so I just want to make sure that any of the sites and our bilateral agreements are making sure that all information is shared and passed along to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in regard to information that is coming. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to the water strategy action plan, with the up-river sites for checking them for contaminates and what's coming, flowing down the river, how many of those sites do we have open now, and are still half of them shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that again. I would like to see if the Minister is able to commit to a tour this summer and not only that, but making sure that local people are hired to do the jobs and not bring in outsiders because outsiders, that's the problem that we've been having in my riding. I need local hire and local contractors to get those contracts so we're providing jobs for the community and it's done locally on a timely and cost-effective manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.