Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister as well. I guess I would encourage the Minister to consider there may be cases where sending a patient south might actually speed things up and, if that is the case, I would encourage the Minister to consider doing that. I understand it’s probably unlikely, but we have to keep all doors open, in my mind.

The Minister mentioned something about wait times are about changing the system. If we have wait times as long as a year for one particular speciality, I’m sure there are others that happen to be longer. I would like to ask the Minister what we as...

Thanks to the Minister. I would appreciate knowing whether or not we do have certain standards which are out there which we should attempt to adhere to. I do remember a conversation from a couple of years ago on the federal scene that we were trying to reduce wait times for patients. I’d be interested in seeing standards, if there are any.

The concern for my constituent, in October of 2008 he was advised that it was a one-year wait to see an orthopaedic specialist. I wonder if the Minister could tell me what kind of a wait it is at this particular time now that we’re in March of 2010.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I understand that things are being negotiated and so on, but I guess I am concerned, as I mentioned in my statement, that we are entering into this project. We are, at this point, backstopping the project without any sort of financial safeguards. I think the Premier mentioned yesterday, in response to a question from Mr. Abernethy, that some part of this project is coming up to this government for approval in the near future. Could I get an explanation of what he meant by that? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that explanation. It doesn’t really help me much. It’s going to be an awfully long time before we get any money back, but I guess I have to assume that eventually we will get back our $13 million.

I mentioned in my statement that one of the bullets on a presentation that we received some time last year was that there needs to be the GNWT to backstop this project for construction. I’d like to ask the Minister to explain what that means. Are we providing a financial guarantee to the Taltson Expansion Project? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we consider the difficulties encountered by the Deh Cho Bridge Project and the resulting financial implications for this government, my mind cannot help but jump to another large project that this government is involved in. Of course, I speak of the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project. I, too, will weigh in on this subject today.

We MLAs have had quite a few briefings and updates on the Taltson project over the last two years that I’ve been here. As I cleaned up my office last week I found a few of those update documents. Interesting reading, they were. As mentioned by Mr...

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to both Ministers for that and I appreciate the estimate of the O and M costs. If it so happens that sometime down the road that the expenses for the bridge are more than the revenues that we take in, how will that debt be handled by this government? Who is going to cover the excess expenditures in any particular fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My first question I’d like to go back to a comment I made in my opening comments in regard to the revenue and expenditures for this project and in listening to the conversation I’ve been able to glean some figures, which are more up to date than the 2008 figures that we were given earlier. My question is I would like to see a list of revenues and expenditures based on 2010 numbers as opposed to based on 2008 numbers and I’ve managed to gather that our revenue is going to be approximately $4 million from tolls, give or take, $3 million from the operations of the ice road...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I talked about a lack of response to a constituent’s concern. At issue for my constituent was the very long time that he would have had to wait to see a specialist doctor. In the end he never did see a specialist; his injury healed itself, fortunately. But that does not address the problem of long wait times that NWT residents are faced with. The original reason for his e-mail was the problem of a long wait time, and that was in October of 2008. So my question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I understand that we...

One last question, I guess. I understand that we currently have a Deh Cho Bridge Fund and I mentioned in my remarks that I think we ought to keep the project costs for this particular project separate from the costs of sort of regular Department of Transportation costs. I wonder if the Minister of Transportation could advise whether or not that is something he would consider and if he would commit to do that. Thank you.

Thanks for that. My next question has to do with I believe a stated commitment by at least one or both Ministers to ensure that, I think I heard in remarks earlier today that we will ensure that future governments will not be able to enter into large projects or agreements on large projects towards the end of any Assembly’s term. I just wondered if either the Premier or, I guess the Premier, could advise how he intends to make sure that that doesn’t happen. Thank you.