Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talk about the infrastructure in our small communities and I specifically spoke about the potholes and Fort Good Hope’s chipsealing program that the government has eliminated. I want to ask the Minister of MACA, in light of all the initiatives we have done to empower our communities to make their own decisions and the limited amount of funding the communities have to compete with other priorities, is MACA looking at other options within the municipality in the NWT Federation of Municipalities or even the Government of Canada to look at how we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the delegation of youth at the Tree of Peace conference: Sheena Kochon from Colville Lake, Gloria Gaudet from the community of Deline, Freda Kelly from Gahcho Kue Dene Fort Good Hope community, and Myles Erb, one of the Canol trekkers from Norman Wells.

I also want to recognize Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew and her husband Leon, and to congratulate Ethel on her achievement of being a Hall of Famer in education.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister, with the support of technical and training to the communities, has the Minister entered any discussions with a company called Easy Street that can look at repairs to the chipsealed roads that are already done in the communities that have done main street chipsealing?

With the amount of responsibilities that we give to the communities, there needs to be the matching dollars to go with the responsibility. I want to ask the Minister if there are any discussions, either with his Cabinet or his own staff, to look at other additional support funding such as the ones that he’s listed off. We appreciate it, but there are ones we could look at within the life of this government to see if funding like this could be discussed at a federal-provincial level to look at chipsealing programs and dust control in our communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Four years ago, it was reported in the Globe and Mail newspaper, the Federation of Municipalities of Canada reported that we needed at least $123 billion to repair or replace municipal infrastructure in Canada. It’s beyond our wildest imagination as to where or how Canada will ever find those resources in today’s economy let alone the Northwest Territories communities. We have gas tax initiatives, community planning and infrastructure funding, and in some places, the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund. However, this is not enough and will never be enough if we really...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to the orders of the day, item 5.

---Unanimous consent granted

As the Department of Executive, when they’re looking at taking care of the people in the Northwest Territories and the services in the smaller communities, I want to ask the Premier if it makes sense that this department take the initiative to look at this, or is he quite satisfied by having the departments go line by line to see if it makes sense and if we could actually afford a nurse in Colville Lake or have the RCMP present in Colville Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to speak for the small communities I represent in the Sahtu.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Colville Lake, like Tsiigehtchic, Gameti, Sachs Harbour and some other smaller communities in the North, is in desperate need of fair services in their community. Mr. Speaker, I was reading a note this morning from Colville Lake from last year, and these elders were talking about fair access to nurses in health care centres. These two elders stated that when they went to the hospital, because these other people in the community that are trained mainly as the CHRs are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Members for all speaking up and saying what you have to say; and also for the Minister’s consideration to the new Assembly once we get there.

I want to say that this motion came from a time when my family was out at Old Fort Point in the bush. When I came back to Tulita, the first person that came to me said to me that we have to do something with the young kids and their drinking. It’s getting scary and out of hand.

I know, as Mrs. Groenewegen has stated, that not all people have lived or grown up on the land and sometimes it’s very difficult, so I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS alcohol abuse has taken a heavy toll in all Northwest Territories communities;

AND WHEREAS alcohol consumption and drug use has increased among young people;

AND WHEREAS NWT Liquor Commission net revenues will increase to $24 million in fiscal year 2011-2012 from $22 million in fiscal year 2008-2009;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories has only one alcohol and drug treatment centre;

AND WHEREAS there is no detoxification centre or relapse centre in the territory;

AND WHEREAS the Department of Health and Social Services strategic action plan, “A Foundation for Change...