Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the question again. I think it is fair to say that I have had some very preliminary discussions with at least a couple of our Cabinet colleagues about this, but we all know that there is a lengthy legislative agenda that we would like to accomplish together as part of this 18th Assembly. I am not responsible for that, but I am happy to work with them and Regular Members to try to move forward with that. There are other professions, even medical professions, that are not currently regulated; occupational therapy, physios, and so on. There are a number of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have Ms. Laura Jeffrey, who is the legislative counsel for this bill, and she is sitting to my left. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. First off, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Development for its review of the bill. Bill 30, the Health Statutes Amendment Act (Cremation Services), is a private Member's bill which proposes amendments to the Public Health Act and to the Vital Statistics Act.

Together, the minor amendments in Bill 30 will allow greater certainty for cremations to be performed here in the NWT, reducing costs and wait times for bereaved families, and further diversify the domestic service economy. Specifically, amendments to the Public Health Act will create the ability to...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again to the Minister for acknowledging her long legislative todo list. I am just wondering if she can tell me: the legislation that governs real estate transactions, when was that last reviewed, if ever? Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. I appreciate that very much. I acknowledged her reference to getting consumer protection information out earlier in my statement today and thank her again for this in the House, but I am wondering if her officials have researched other jurisdictions to determine how the real estate sector is regulated and what, if any, changes might be made here, in the Northwest Territories.

Merci, Monsieur le President. In the winter sitting, I raised some issues regarding consumer protection under our legislation. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, who has responsibility for this area, committed to improving public information on consumer protection, and MACA has recently produced a pamphlet. I thank her for that.

Since then, I have also become aware of concerns regarding our regulation of the real estate sales sector. Our Real Estate Agents Licensing Act regulates the real estate business to some extent, but this is mainly in regard to the licensing and procedural...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'll keep this very brief. I just wish to thank my colleagues who serve on the committee; the MLA for Yellowknife Centre, MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, MLA for Thebacha, and MLA for Nahendeh. There are no recommendations in the report. A number of things, though, that we've already started to carry out, including improving our committee web pages here at the Assembly. We conduct much more of our business as standing committees in public, and I think it's fair to say that we'll continue to work to improve our public engagement and transparency for the remainder of this Assembly...

Thanks to the Minister for that answer. As I pointed out in my statement, our current legislation regulating real estate transaction deals with regard to ethics are under sort of a catchall section prohibiting "anything that dishonestly influences, discourages, or induces a trade." Real estate transactions, as I mentioned, are amongst the most complex and significant investments many people ever make. Does the Minister agree it is time to review how we regulate the real estate sector to more specifically address ethical issues and practices such as dual agency?

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, as she has responsibility for consumer protection. I just want to add to my Member's statement that I am not aware of any widespread problems with the real estate sector in Yellowknife or the NWT and that I personally used their services to my complete satisfaction in the past. My statement outlined the situation in multiple representation or dual agency in brokering of real estate transactions. As I pointed out, our legislation is very weak when it comes to the regulation of buying and selling...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to table the following document. It is a letter dated September 12th, 2017, from the Department of Lands, Government of the Northwest Territories to the Nunavut Impact Review Board, regarding the Grays Bay Road and Port Project proposal. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.