Tom Beaulieu

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I wish to speak about the students at Aurora College and the support they get from the Government of the Northwest Territories. Our students are our future and this government must do all it can to support the students. The success of the students is essential. Many of the students are mature students and have costs associated with family and children.

Currently, a family of three that needs child care services to attend school receives about $1,700 to $1,900 per month, if supported by Aboriginal organizations through the ASETS...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I will move that Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, during the review of the subsidies or assistance and so on, would the Minister be prepared to look at increasing the income threshold that allows people to apply for child care subsidy? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I spoke of students at Aurora College and specifically the Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith; students from Res and Lutselk'e having some issues with childcare subsidies. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions on that.

Mr. Speaker, would the Minister agree to complete an assessment or an examination of the child care subsidy for effectiveness? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize the Pages from the Deninu School in Fort Resolution: Kathleen Fordy and Breanna Mandeville, and their chaperone Ramona Fordy. I don’t think she’s in the House. Thank you.

I’m not trying to suggest how something of this magnitude should be managed, but I’m wondering if the department did a cash flow of the original budget, original cost of the bridge, if that was cash flowed from the beginning to the end of the project was supposed to be intended to come to an end, I guess, so to speak. I’m wondering if the budget was turned into a cash flow during the construction stage. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I have some questions on the Deh Cho Bridge for the Minister of DOT. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if the entire management structure for the Deh Cho Bridge is the sole responsibility of DOT or is there any management outside of DOT for the Deh Cho Bridge? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I thought the main objective or primary purpose would be to keep the GNWT dollars in the NWT. I thought the level playing field was a result of trying to do that. Will the Minister go back to the small communities, maybe not every small community, not a full consultation process, but to some of the small communities to hear first hand from the small community contractors what the issues are with the BIP? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Business Incentive Policy as it’s applied in the local preference adjustment. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI questions on this.

Will the Minister go back to the department to see if the current BIP is working in the small communities in the sense that the small communities are getting the majority of the contracts within the small communities? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to discuss the simplification of the Business Incentive Policy. Today the current Business Incentive Policy local preference has a local percentage of 5 percent. This is not enough for the small communities. For example, in Fort Resolution a local contractor lost a contract to another business by just over $100 and that contractor brought workers from out of the community.

I think the GNWT should change the Business Incentive Policy to a single 15 percent local preference calculation. This will make it very simple and it will give the small communities...