Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 22-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to the Minister. Yes, I understand that. I was looking to get a cost per year, so we’ve got a good, healthy balance and I’m really pleased to hear that we are expanding recycling and that we’re expanding into e-waste, because I think that is one area where there’s a good potential for us to divert a great deal from the landfill and basically help our environment.

The other question I wanted to ask here has to do with contaminated sites and remediation. I’m trying to understand, and I know my colleagues asked a number of questions yesterday when we were talking about lands and sites and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a number of comments that I want to make. I want to start off, as did Mr. Yakeleya, by commenting on the increase in the number of single window service centres. I think it is an excellent program. The fact that we are expanding to cover 18 of our communities is excellent progress. I think we will have succeeded when we can get a single window service centre in every one of our communities.

I would also like to mention, in terms of devolution, I think kudos need to go to the staff who have worked above and beyond, I think, in the last probably year, but I noted...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to ask a couple of questions with regard to recycling. I see on page 17 waste reduction has an expense of $100,000, yet in the text it says this program is largely funded through the Environment Fund, so we get revenue… I forget what the revenue amount is, $350,000 or something back under revenues. Could I get the total cost of the program, so the gross cost, and then the net cost to us as a government for running this recycling program? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate the clarification and the explanation. My last question goes to reporting and I don’t believe we have mandatory reporting for every individual who hunts caribou in whatever herd. So in order for us to maintain an accurate read on the number of animals and in order for us in the future to get an accurate read on the number of animals and to do decent projections, will the Minister consider requiring reporting from everybody who hunts caribou? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I look forward to receiving that information on who is doing the review. The Minister indicates that we’re going to get something in the May/June session, and I appreciate that.

I guess I would like to ask the Minister, if the department has the review completed prior to that, would he circulate the review to Members, particularly the Standing Committee on Social Programs electronically prior to May/June?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. As I have for the last several years I need to ask the Minister when there can be any expectation, if any at all, that caribou outfitters will get some tags so that they can revive their business, maybe revive their business, bring it out of hibernation or mothballs? Is there any hope that in the ’14-15 winter that they will be able to get tags for caribou? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I got a little confused there. The Minister started off saying that they were doing a review and then I think he said that they will do a review, so I’d like a little clarification.

Is the review underway, and if so, who is undertaking that review for the department? Is it an internal review or is it somebody external that is doing the review for the department?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Alternative Energy Program, I note that it’s reduced considerably from ’13-14 to ’14-15 and yet I see some new programs added towards the bottom of that page, so have we split this program up into a number of them, or have we just dropped a whole bunch in the Alternative Energy Program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We spend huge dollars on our Education department, almost 25 percent of our total $1.6 billion budget, and of the money appropriated for Education, Culture and Employment, $26.6 million is allocated to ensure our schools follow the ECE Inclusive Schooling Directive.

All classrooms are not created equal. Some have one or more special needs children who require a personal classroom assistant in addition to the classroom teacher for them to be able to be included in a regular classroom. That extra staffing requirement is funded by ECE through funds allocated to the...