Wendy Bisaro

I don’t want to sound too sceptical, but we have been talking about a number of acts, the Property Assessment and Taxation Act, for some time. I certainly hope this brief profiling of a position is going to allow you to move forward on some of the three or four acts affecting municipalities that you haven’t been able to get to. I’ve only mentioned two; I know there are two or three others that don’t come to mind at the moment. It seems to me that our municipalities deserve to have up-to-date legislation that governs them. In my mind, there ought to be a higher priority for the department on...

I appreciate that that’s the rationale and all well and good. This is the first year for this program, so is there going to be any kind of analysis after ’15-16 to determine whether or not – not that whether or not the money was spent, I’m sure it’ll be spent – it’s doing what it’s intended to do? Is volunteerism increasing? Because my gut feeling is that we are losing volunteers throughout the territory and I think we’ve been losing volunteers since the federal money for the Volunteer NWT disappeared. I don’t think we’ve had the same level of volunteerism since that federal money disappeared...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple questions here. I’d like to know, first of all, there’s some legislation, I believe, that the department is working on and preparing amendments and/or new acts. One of them I hear is the Cities, Towns and Villages Act and I think the other one is the Property Assessment and Taxation Act. I guess I would just like to know, in general, what legislation is being reviewed. Is there any legislation going to come forward before the end of the 17th, and/or if not, what are the plans of the department for bringing forward legislation in the 18th?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have some questions here on 383, but it also applies to 384 so I hope I can refer to both of these pages.

Two issues specifically. The first one has to do with the Arctic Winter Games 2018 Host Society contribution. I’m not against the contribution, but I am really trying, and having great difficulty, in understanding why the money is being given out so early. This is 2015 and even if it goes in 2016 that’s two years in advance of the actual operations of the Games itself and it’s not my recollection for previous Games. So, can I get an explanation, please? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I wait anxiously for that information on timing.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Where is it within MACA? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. That’s unfortunate because on February 6th the Minister said to Mr. Dolynny that the final report is expected this winter. Now I just heard the Minister say that we’re not going to get it within this Assembly, so that’s disturbing. It’s more than two years that we’ve been waiting for this pharmaceutical strategy. I can appreciate the difficulties with getting expertise to deal with it, but that seems like a very long time.

The Program Review Office has been involved somehow in developing this strategy and assisting the department. I’d like to know from the Minister what...

Thanks to the Minister. I will provide that info. I am struggling to understand why MACA would have responsibility for municipal lands. I thought all Commissioner’s lands had been turned over to the Lands department. Does this mean that our communities are applying for lands in two places? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I’m just wondering why the decrease in the contribution to A Brilliant North. This is increasing the capacity in our community staffings and it’s gone down $100,000, which is not a heck of a lot of money, but I’m sure, over a number of communities, would have a very large impact. We went up quite a bit in ’14-15 but now we’ve gone down $100,000. Can I get a reason? Thank you.