Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although not a constituent, it’s my great pleasure today to recognize an old colleague -- and I don’t mean old in age, but a colleague I worked with quite a long time ago at Sir John Franklin School -- Mr. Ed Jeske. With Ed up there is Vivian Squires, who will soon be the new executive director for the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society.

Thanks to the deputy minister, or president, for that information. I’m glad that the Shelter Review Policy has been mentioned. I guess I need to say, first of all, that it’s a little unfortunate that the rent scale review is taking so long. I can understand why it’s being tied in with the Shelter Review Policy, but it is unfortunate that it’s something that Members have been asking for for probably three years now and it’s still not ready to come.

The Shelter Review Policy I fully support. I think it’s something which is long overdue and I think we have many policies with regard to housing that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I definitely don’t want to threaten anybody, but we’re called leaders and I would hope we would be leading in this particular aspect of not driving with our cell phones in use. Thanks for the information on the amendments.

To the Minister, I guess I’m just wondering, knowing that the legislation is coming forward sometime and will be passed sometime in the next four or six months, any idea when the legislation will take effect? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. The more we can do to publicize the negative aspect of driving and using cell phones and texting, the better. I’d like to know from the Minister if he knows at this point -- I understand it’s a little bit preliminary for this campaign -- whether or not the department is working in conjunction with any other groups that also work to get people to not drive distractedly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure, as well, to recognize members of the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and the Aboriginal Languages Board, and particularly a Frame Lake constituent, Dora Grandejambe, whose heart may be in Good Hope but she’s here now. I’d also like to recognize Nadine Koe, a friend who I worked very hard with on Arctic Winter Games in 2008. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I guess if the Minister is going to contact MLAs, I hope that he would publish how many MLAs or how many do not take the pledge. I’d like to know from the Minister -- I mentioned in my statement that there are some amendments coming forward -- whether or not the Minister at this point can provide more information about what those amendments will be. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As always, I’m trying to keep the issue of drivers using cell phones, and the fact that they shouldn’t be, front and centre in people’s minds. It’s definitely not something we should be doing. I’m looking for a bit more information from the Minister of Transportation in regard to the pledge campaign that is now part of the Drive Alive program. So I’d like to ask the Minister if he could elaborate a little bit on the Leave the Phone Alone pledge campaign, what the department is doing to put the campaign in place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In January I read a GNWT press release that indicated that 2011 is the National Year of Road Safety. As part of the press release, our Minister of Transportation stated that the NWT traffic collision statistics are on a 20-year downward trend. That’s good news, but society is still plagued by people who drive with their judgment impaired or distracted by alcohol, by eating, through inattention to the roads, by kids in the back seat, and my pet peeve, talking on cell phones or texting with them.

The Department of Transportation has run a safe driving campaign for a number...

Thanks to the Minister. It’s kind of unfortunate. The information I saw was almost a year ago now and yet we have not taken any action. So it’s a little disappointing.

On another note, I do want to ask a question with regard to the territorial Nominee Program. My understanding is that it’s a three-year pilot project. I think I got that information from a document somewhere and I wondered at this point whether or not the department has done any kind of an evaluation of the success of the program. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. Two or three Members recently met with the Mine Training Society. They are totally desirous of having the opportunity to provide training for P2 candidates. They agree with the diamond mining companies that we need to have more candidates take the training and they’re funding, yes, it’s only Aboriginal, but, Mr. Minister, what I’m trying to say is, will you consider putting some money into the Mine Training Society Training Program so that P2s would have an opportunity to get a seat there? Thank you.