Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. I guess that I would ask that the department consider that. You could certainly hold applications until a certain date and then process them after a certain date so people would have an opportunity to make sure that they got their application in. I am somewhat concerned that there are communities, and not only Yellowknife, that are spending money on ground ambulance and highway rescue beyond what the department is giving them back, and they are doing that ground ambulance and highway rescue outside of their community boundaries.

I wondered whether or not the department is...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to see if I could get an explanation here. We have youth corps and youth contribution programs and I’ve been advised earlier that youth corps tends to be a territorial focus and the youth contributions a regional focus. We have almost as much money here in regional operations for youth corps as we do under sport, recreation and youth. Could I get some examples of what the $500,000 for youth corps funding is used for?

Thanks for that confirmation. If there are fewer applications and even if we only have three for this current fiscal year at $40,000, we’re still under the $200,000 that is available. I’m wondering whether or not the department has considered paying actuals to the communities that do encounter expenses beyond their communities. Yellowknife, for instance, does spend money for ground ambulance and highway rescue outside the city boundaries; down on the Ingraham Trail, for instance. I’d like to know whether or not the department has ever considered paying actuals to a maximum sum. I could see...

One other question on this page in regard to the Healthy Choices Initiative, I understand it supports after school physical activity programs, which I think is great and my understanding is also that it was quite well used last year. But I am somewhat concerned, and I’ve mentioned this before at other departments, that we have programs related to healthy activities for children and youth in several departments and I wonder whether or not we have the proper coordination of these programs. You know, MACA is spending $615,000 here and Health spends $400,000 elsewhere. My understanding is that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m struggling with the Minister’s evasion of my question and he’s taking it quite literally that I’m talking only about the Wildlife Act. I’m asking what percentage of lands within the total area of the NWT is liable to be open and accessible for economic development. If some 50 percent or 45 or 55 percent of our lands are being withheld for conservation or environmental protection or whatever, Protected Areas Strategy, what effect does the Minister feel this is going to have on our ability to be a growing and economically vibrant Territory?

Thanks, Ms. Gareau. No, I think if it’s the same information that we got during business plans, I have it already. So if it’s changed, then, yes, I’d like it. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear the answer to the question there. I’d like to know if the GNWT has a policy or has any kind of an idea in their mind... Does GNWT, as a government or as a Cabinet, have a percentage of land that they intend to keep open and accessible for economic development? Thank you.

Okay, I need to know where the O and M expenses are in here and I have no idea. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you’ve already heard, today is the beginning of Education Week so I’m going to tell an education story. For two years in a row now I’ve been privileged to be a judge at the Yellowknife Regional Learning Fair. Two Fridays ago I was at Mildred Hall School hard at work doing just that. The Yellowknife Regional Learning Fair was a gathering of students ranging from grade 4 to grade 8. Each of the students at the regional fair was a winner in their own right from the learning fair competition held at their own school, and now they were competing for the regional title in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions here. First of all, I mentioned last year that we seem to have an awful lot of youth contributions. I have suggested that the department needed to look at them and see whether or not they can be combined. I have great difficulty in looking at these and seeing how some of them are different from others. The youth centre is one, that is pretty self-explanatory, but I fail to see the difference between the youth contributions and the youth corps.

The other thing that concerns me is we also have contributions to youth corps and youth...