Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he would commit to considering the surgery schedule for NWT residents from outside of the capital that would allow them, if necessary, to have their lab work done the same week as they’re having their surgery done, to prevent that travel, and if he would also investigate if somehow we could enhance the transmission of requisitions and results from lab procedures between health authorities.

May I suggest that getting a doctor to go to Hay River would also be inexpensive? I mean it would be expensive and cost prohibitive; sorry.

I was in Alaska once and had a medical test done, which was then beamed to a doctor at his house in Texas and who responded right back on what the answer was. I mean, we are only 100 miles away between Hay River and Yellowknife. Surely there’s a way that, okay, the guy doing the surgery, the doctor doing the surgery on the Monday morning wants certain tests done and lab work done. Why can those requisitions for lab work not be sent to Hay River, have the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this the first day of sitting I, too, would like to pay my respects to the milestone of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. I have an affection and affinity for the monarchy, through my ancestry on my father’s side. My father, Robert Ostler, immigrated to Canada in 1947 after seven years in the British Army during the Second World War.

I grew up in a home with strong British ties and traditions. I remember as a child that no gifts were opened on Christmas Day until our family gathered in front of the black and white TV to hear the Christmas address from Queen Elizabeth...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to share a few reflections of a Hay River elder and matriarch who passed away this week.

Bertha McBryan was very much a part of the fabric of Hay River. She was predeceased by her husband, Red, less than six months ago. I’m told that Red first laid eyes on Bertha when she was a young operator of a water taxi here in Yellowknife. Eight children and a lifetime later, the mark that she left on Hay River, the North and her family is truly amazing.

Bertha was a survivor. It had been about 25 years ago that her heart was failing and a “do not resuscitate”...

We do greatly appreciate all of those efforts that the Minister refers to in what they have been able to do. This is not an easy business and strangely, after all these years, it’s still in a lot of ways a fledgling business, but we do hope that the other prospects for the waste material will come to fruition, that this will add additional revenue potential to this company and that we can do something in the short term. They’re not asking for a handout. They’re asking for a postponement or an abatement of the stumpage fees and it is six jobs. The work that they’re involved in in cutting...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct my questions to the government today on behalf of the Patterson Sawmill in Hay River. This sawmill has been in existence for a number of years. It is not a huge company. It is a family-based business. They employ six full-time people. They have the ups and downs with issues with the size of the allowable timber cut being reduced, operating costs and, of course, the market price for the product that they harvest.

Pattersons want to stay in business. They’re the only business of this type in the Northwest Territories. We’re in the middle of a forest here...

The time frame within which this company can go out on roads that are suitable for winter travel to get to the timber that they can harvest is very time sensitive. The clock is ticking. If they do not get in and out and harvest this product within a certain time frame, the option will be to close the sawmill. Tomorrow morning I will be receiving a briefing from a Hay River businessman that hopes to have a business opportunity developed that would make use of waste for biomass for a pellet and briquette mill in Hay River as well. This could potentially enhance the business enterprise of the...

I’m aware of the construction of the North Slave Correctional Centre and the anticipation that there may be a need for expanded services in the future and the ability to add on a pod. However, may I suggest, in Hay River there is lots of land, lots of affordable land, lots of affordable construction prices per square foot and I would like the Minister to confirm that all potential locations in the event of more spaces being required will be analyzed very carefully and that Hay River would be in the running for such an expansion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister of Justice for his statement today on the Corrections Northern Recruit Training Program and I’m happy to see this happening in Hay River for the next intake.

With the new justice bill in Ottawa, Bill C-10, that will increase the number of mandatory sentences, incarcerations. I could have sworn on the radio this morning I heard the Justice Minister say that if this came about, they would have to build an addition on to the North Slave Correctional Centre. We’re talking here about disparity in the distribution of wealth. I want to talk about...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As everyone can see, we’re having a theme day today on the issue of poverty in the Northwest Territories and the need for this government to organize its efforts across government to address the issue of poverty. I find this topic difficult to quantify and define. When we think of poverty, there’s really no clear definition. It’s a very relevant term. Do we assess poverty in terms of monetary attainment? Are people who have more, more content than people who have less? How much is enough to live a dignified existence? What are the factors that contribute to people...