Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to make a few comments and I want to specifically focus on the Tourism Act under the licensing on the renewal of it being automatically renewed. I want to ask the Minister if that's a concern by the communities or the regions in terms of a licence that's being automatically renewed without any type of scrutiny or type of process that may not sit well with some of the members in the communities or the regions in terms of some of these people, these licensees, may automatically be renewed without any type of process to provide to the government in terms...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister’s comments on to the cost of the space heaters. I’m asking the Minister, can he look at Colville Lake, Deline, Tulita, Fort Good Hope, even Norman Wells, in terms of saying we would look at these independent homeowners? Seniors are very proud and we would like to put in based on the amounts that we have, put in these pilot project space heaters in the communities to look at these elders and say yes, we are supporting you and we are supporting independent living. I’d like to see that type of commitment from this government. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my quick Member’s statement, I forgot to mention the elders in terms of the extreme makeover I was talking about. I wanted to ask the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, we have about an hour and 25 minutes in terms of his portfolio. Would he consider looking at the elders in the Northwest Territories and speaking also for my region in terms of what I talked about a monitor of those heaters that they put into independent homes for the elders to reduce the cost of living to the elders’ homes. Can the Minister provide me with some information as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had mentioned this to the previous Minister of ENR and unfortunately the situation couldn’t be dealt with at that time. However, Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the Minister that the trip was truly an experience that the Premier and I had with the youth from the Sahtu region and I ask the Minister if he would consider looking at this as a national or a territorial leadership walk. I think that’s a real good initiative to encourage our leaders, encourage our youth, to spend one week on the land and just talk about life’s important issues that they face, and...

Yes, Mr. Chairman. In terms of the tourism officer again and hiring on the additional worker in the area of the management of the park area that I hope we will see something shortly in the Sahtu region in terms of someone in our own backyard so we have that type of training, benefit. I have a person in my mind right now. Because we can't name names here, I'm going to keep it with myself and I'll send a note over to the Minister. Thanks again, Mr. Chairman, for your leniency in terms of committee's rules here. I'm going to ask the Minister when we can expect a designated person that would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to direct my questions to the honourable Minister Brendan Bell, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister in terms of could he provide this House and the people in the Sahtu who are listening on the status of the Dodo Canol Heritage Trail issue in terms of it being a national-territorial historical park? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The tourism officers, are they going to be placed, are they already placed, already targeted, are they switching job titles from existing officers in their regional office in terms of having these tours and officers? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there’s a TV program that’s called Extreme Makeover that’s about fixing homes requiring major renovations for families in need. The show sends the members of the household on a vacation while their homes are being fixed. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think this House can use a northern version of Extreme Makeover, Mr. Speaker. The makeover crew will be the Regular MLAs. We’ll find the money and we’ll send Cabinet on a little vacation, maybe to Disneyland or to Bern Brown’s Fishing Lodge in Colville Lake, just like they do to the residents of the house on the Extreme...

I've looked forward to speaking with the Department of ENR and the Minister has to work closely with that department in terms of this bill here. To this bill here, Mr. Chairman, my last question is, would the Tourism Act bill here give, provide, instruct, regulate a sort of a meeting with the outfitters and the people in our region in terms of drafting up some sort of an access and benefit agreement? Right now it's on a gentleman's acknowledgment. It's good for us, so we better go into the communities and talk with them. It's good for our business. They don't want anything to happen in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is probably going to be my last comments to the Minister. I would like to ask the Minister, if not today, sometime in the next couple of days, about tourism dollars and the Sahtu region and the number of outfitters. I wonder about the amount of dollars they have brought into the Government of the Northwest Territories and into our region, as opposed to other outfitters that have commercial licences at Great Bear Lake. I am really interested. I think, Mr. Bell, tourism is going to be a key initiative in the future. It’s going to be a real key ingredient in terms...