Jane Groenewegen

Mr. Speaker, would the Premier concur that when we are setting up jobs or activities that are now conducted by the federal government and we are setting up for the Northwest Territories, that it may be simpler to hire people to where they are going, as opposed to trying to move people from where they’re already established and have their children schooled? Is this a window of opportunity now that when we are recruiting people, to have them actually go to where those jobs will be? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome the Avalon team here today. They are very involved in Mr. Bromley’s riding. They’re also very involved and going to be very involved in my riding.

I’d also like to recognize my constituency assistant, Ms. Wendy Morgan.

As Hay River’s motto goes, we are open for business. If you came to Hay River today, when the economy has been a little slow in the last few years, you probably wouldn’t see as much vacancy and things that have been built on speculation for that very reason. But as a part of that inventory, I’d like to ask the Premier, could the government also find a way to ascertain people in the community. We know that 75 percent of all growth within the business sector comes from existing businesses expanding. Could part of that inventory also include canvassing who would be willing to develop...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now that we’ve been all nice and happy about devolution, now comes the hard questions.

Hay River. It’s a great place. It’s open for business. We have room in our schools, we have developed land of every kind of every classification. We have industrial, commercial, residential. We have businesses in Hay River that could take on a lot more business by increasing their overhead by $1. They have the staff, they have the infrastructure, they just need more business.

During this last budget session, we saw jobs come to Hay River, a few that were actually decentralized and a few...

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Blake, for that question. I just want to get the committee’s concurrence here because I know what Mr. Blake said, that we’ve gone from the $5 million on this page to really debating the whole Inuvik-Tuk highway. Mr. Blake has indicated he’s just following suit because other people have decided that this is the go/no-go, this is the lynch pin on this project, so this is the appropriate place to have this discussion. I just want to get committee’s concurrence that everybody is still cool with this. It’s not specifically related to the $5 million, the questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

Just before we proceed, I’d like to recognize in the visitors gallery today a former Premier of the Northwest Territories, Nellie Cournoyea; a former colleague, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Range Lake, Ms. Sandy Lee; and, of course, our federal Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq; and Mayor Gruben from Tuktoyaktuk as well. Welcome.

---Applause

Back, then, folks, to page 5, 2012-2013 Supplementary Appropriation No. 3, (Infrastructure Expenditures). Transportation, capital investment expenditures, highways, special warrants, $1.028 million.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Neudorf.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister Miltenberger.