Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 45-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-15, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 45-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have to make a comment here. I think almost invariably every year we see leasehold improvements or spending of some sort on the Lahm Ridge Tower, and albeit I appreciate that this is restructuring of a business services division or strategic and business services division within ECE, and I think it was overdue, and I think the restructuring is positive, I have to comment on the fact that we’ve probably spent more on this building in the last 10 years than the building is worth, so albeit I approve this expense, I had to make a comment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I just need to try and suggest that we are starting with small communities. This program is intended to start in September of 2014 in 29 small communities, so I don’t know where the Minister is bringing forward the red herring of the large communities.

There’s no point in starting a program if we don’t have qualified staff. I know that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment recognizes that we need qualified staff, but this motion is intending to make sure that a program does not go forward in any particular community if they don’t have the qualified...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, March 7, 2014, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories take the steps necessary to ensure widespread access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs); and further, that the government work with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the NWT Association of Communities, the NWT fire marshal’s office and the NWT fire chiefs, and the RCMP to ensure access to defibrillators across the NWT by...

That’s good. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I don’t want to be here all day, but I was hoping you’d give us a bit of an indication of some changes upcoming.

The situation we’re in indicates that major change is called for. For a long time I’ve thought that the Department of Health and Social Services is too big. It’s a huge monster. It’s like a massive cargo ship in the ocean and it’s very difficult for it to make change.

I’d like to suggest to the Minister – this is something I’ve thought about for quite some time and it would be reverting to something we had a number of Assemblies ago – that social services...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question which came from a constituent, and I don’t believe it was addressed. It certainly wasn’t addressed at the public hearing when I was there. The question is this: Do the changes in the act and the act in general apply to quad vehicles?

Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t really hear an answer to my question. I’m going more to we are in a dire situation right now. There are a lot of things that have been pointed out in the report which have not been done over the last 10 to 15 years, from the sounds of things.

My question to the Minister, again, is: How did we end up in this situation. How did we get from there to here?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the Minister for his comments, and to the deputy minister. It would be interesting to know what this negative amount in our reserve is going to cost us. I mean, the Minister is constantly reminding us that we need to not spend more money because we’re in a short-term borrowing situation. We have to borrow periodically during the year and the number of times that we have to borrow, apparently, is getting to be more and more frequent. There’s a cost to doing this and I would be interested in knowing that cost.

The other thing, if it’s not too much work, I would be...

The Minister’s response indicates either genuine concern or an attempt to douse the flames. I sincerely hope it is the former. I look forward to working with the Minister to enact some real and positive change for the children and families of the NWT who use the child and family services system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.