Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak on the administration of the Student Financial Assistance program. Although I believe that the SFA in the NWT is one of, if not the best in Canada, there are still some problems with the administration of the program. Inuvik, Hay River, Norman Wells and Fort Smith are some of the larger regional centres in the NWT outside of Yellowknife, yet there are no offices in these communities that have decision-making authority. Everything has to go through an office in Yellowknife that is far removed from the regions.

Mr. Speaker, just...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister spoke of dedicated staff across the Northwest Territories. I'm sure there are not dedicated staff or positions here in Yellowknife that could move across the Northwest Territories. So my final question to the Minister, with this particular constituent that I'm dealing with, the Minister says we can't overrule the decision. So will he look into this constituent's concern and make a good business decision, or is this a final decision? Thank you.

I have been hearing many complaints from people about the highway, and having the opportunity to travel that highway since 1984, this is the worst that I have ever seen it. It is worse than a goat trail. Many experienced drivers have told me that they travel this highway all the time. This is the worst they have ever seen it, because of the condition.

There have been a few accidents on the highway because of the condition of the road. I read with some interest the article that was in the paper regarding 12 kilometres left to pave on Highway No. 3. We would like to have 12 kilometres of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is National Students Against Impaired Driving Day.

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In over 600 high schools across Canada, including the NWT, students are actively engaged in spreading a message that calls for a healthy and responsible outlook towards this serious social issue. Regrettably, impaired driving continues to be a serious and chronic problem in the Northwest Territories and in other parts of Canada. Despite years of intensive public education, more severe penalties and increased law enforcement, the offence of impaired driving remains the most common crime in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this legislation was in place historically. When we redrafted the municipal legislation that was adopted in the 14th Assembly, somehow it was omitted; this change was not included. This has been there for some time. Since the 70s, most of the municipal taxation authorities have had this option of transferring unpaid charges to property taxes. We have not, as a department, received any complaints about this whole exercise of being able to transfer property taxes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Ms. Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs; Sheila Bassi-Kellet, director of corporate affairs for Municipal and Community Affairs; and Mara Heder, our legal counsel.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we did increase our budget. I will certainly commit to keeping it at the level where we have invested. We have a budget authority of roughly $70,000 a year. We’ve now raised that up to roughly $250,000, and we will continue to stay at that level. As we apply dust control over the next couple of years, I think we will see improvements in those areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now our focus is to do a lot of the work that is required along the highway: the drainage, the road widening, the realignment. Those things are all required on this road. We also have to replace most of the culverts that are along the Highway No. 8 system. This year, I think we replaced 60 culverts and reconstructed roughly 93 kilometres of that whole road system. We have not included a chipsealing program for that highway as yet. Maybe that’s something we will look at as part of the legacy program, or some of the socioeconomic impacts of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we recognize the need for more work to be done on Highway No. 8. Highway No. 8 is roughly 262 kilometres long, and the majority of it is requiring reconstruction to handle the traffic volumes, but also because of the age of the highway. We’ve had a very tough summer. We’ve had a lot of moisture and a lot of rain. It’s created havoc on a lot of our roads, not only on Highway No. 8. Highway No. 1 and Highway No. 7 are also experiencing the same conditions. We have done the preliminary engineering on the Highway No. 8 system. We have looked at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize a constituent of mine, and chairman of the WCB, Mr. Denny Rodgers. We welcome him to the Assembly. His daughter is one of our Pages today.

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