Robert C. McLeod

Mr. Speaker, we provide capital funding to the communities. We also provide gas tax funding to the communities. The seven communities in question that are mentioned in the report, between them they have $17 million in their capital infrastructure dollars and their gas tax money. They would be able to fund it. There is some concern from some of the other communities about a central dispatch not being in their community. They are just afraid that it would have the same effect as if you had to call the RCMP sometimes. They do forward you on to Yellowknife. So there is a concern with that too. But...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, safety is always one of our biggest concerns as a Cabinet. The Member makes a good point. We all here have communities that would potentially benefit from a 911 service. I have said on a few occasions that the communities have it within their power and they have the means to provide the service to their residents if they decide it is a priority for their community. I have also said that there are a couple of communities that are working on trying to enhance their emergency services before they take the next step into planning and implementing 911. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s 873-1111 and 873-2222. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not aware of the particular situation the Member is speaking of, but I will commit to the Member that I will look into it. If a contract has been signed with a contractor, then he would be asked to honour that contract and if he doesn’t, then other alternate arrangements will be made and if there are some costs to be borne, they would be borne by the contractor. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a concern that I’ve had raised to me personally by some contractors on the delivery of the contracting and how he thought if they had the contracts out sooner, they’d get a better delivery time. This is a discussion that I’ll commit to the Member that I will have with the department and we’ll see if we can work it out so it’s all in line with the capital process that we go through in the fall time so the contracts and materials can be let a lot sooner than they are now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As many of us live in small communities, we see how in times of emergency the communities usually respond very quickly and usually have good results because of it. There is always the planning and that, and sometimes you don’t worry so much about the planning, but action that needs to be taken. So they take it upon themselves to do that. But I will commit to the Member that I will speak to the appropriate departments and see what is being done about an overall action plan for emergency services and rescue. Thank you.

I said we will continue to work with the communities and see what kinds of plans come up. We are always willing to work with the communities. I think sometimes there is always the question of…Well, there is always the big question of funding. When we do work with them, they think we are going to bring our cheque book when we’ve already given them all the money we’ve got, so we have nothing left in the bank, the MACA bank anyway. So we will continue to follow up on this and work with the communities and see if there is some kind of action plan that is being put together. Thank you.

I don’t think I gave the impression of small towns versus big communities. I have been hearing that argument a lot. I have no intention of saying anything of the sort. We are the Government of the Northwest Territories and that includes all 33 communities and not just seven. There are opportunities there that see 911 as a priority, to use the money that is given to them by this government to enhance their emergency services. That includes 911 and, Mr. Speaker, that would be a decision that they have to make.

I have already said I have heard from a couple of communities that are not going to...

The money that we flow to the communities is part of their capital formula funding and is part of the gas tax money. We flow that to the communities. Questions were raised to me by other Members of the Assembly on infrastructure in their communities and I tell them that we flow the capital infrastructure money if projects they speak of meet the criteria. I think money that we flow to the city, the money that we flow to the seven communities that are the ones that were mentioned in the report comes close to $17 million and if those communities want to use that money to implement a 911 service...