Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just have to say to the Premier that I have previously asked the question of whether or not there are funds available from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and was advised that there’s not. So I’m very happy to hear that there is some and that they can be discussed and I take his commitment with thanks.

Thanks to the Premier. I would have to disagree with his description that it’s a scenario. It’s, unfortunately, not at all a figment of anybody’s imagination. It’s real. There is a very likely huge collapse of sewer infrastructure in the very near future.

I mentioned in my statement that Yellowknife is the only NWT community that does not receive water and sewer funding through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. I’d like to know from the Premier whether or not there would be any consideration to changing that formula for a period of years to allow some of that funding to flow...

The GNWT can correct this unfairness and assist Northland at the same time. We can redistribute the water and sewer funding to include the City of Yellowknife for the life of the replacement project, three to five years. That funding can be used to offset the $18 million project costs.

Northland owners are not looking for a free ride, just some funding help. Without that help these 258 families will in all likelihood walk away from their homes and at least half of them will leave the North because they have no place to live.

Low-cost housing is necessary in Yellowknife and is badly needed. I...

I certainly would hope that we would go local and that sending somebody outside would be a recourse of last resort. In terms of training that our HR staff get, I know they are certainly trained in many areas, but in the area of accommodation of workers returning to work after injury or illness, I would like to know what kind of training our HR staff get. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are addressed to the Minister for Human Resources. In my Member’s statement I talked about the duty of employers, and particularly the GNWT, to accommodate and reintegrate employees, who have been off the job, as quickly as possible. Some of my anecdotal evidence indicates that that doesn’t necessarily happen within the confines of our GNWT employees. So I’d like to ask the Minister what policies and procedures exist. What timelines do we identify in policy and procedures to integrate, reintegrate or accommodate employees who have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I am glad to hear that we are expanding our view on both persons with disabilities and accommodating people who need to be reintegrated into the workforce after a time away. I would like to ask the Minister, I mentioned in my statement I think it’s important for staff to be trained. I also think it’s important that workers know what things are out there for them, that they need to know our policies and procedures. So what kind of training do GNWT workers get in the area of accommodation and reintegration? Thank you.

I guess I’d like to know if we are working with statements from physicians, if I have been injured on the job and my physician says that I need an assessment to determine whether I can go back to work, when an assessment is required is it standard policy or practice for the GNWT to go to local resources first before we go outside to get these sorts of assessments done? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members will know that the NWT recently observed Mental Health Week. There should be no debate because it is well documented and well known that a person out of work is subject to many negative forces. Injured or laid-off workers are without income and often without purpose. They have to deal with financial stress, loss of self-esteem and feelings of aloneness, any and all of which cause a downturn in an individual’s mental health. Such circumstances lead to mental distress for the worker and, at its worst, depression or other mental illness. That’s why it’s imperative...

I’ll try to be a little more definite. If a decision were made tomorrow, how much time is required for the department to put in place implementation? There’s got to be changes, I would imagine, within the bureaucracy that are going to be required to put in place whatever changes are determined to get them into effect. How much time is required from when a decision is made to when things can be immediately implemented after that? How many months? How many days? How many years?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a few more questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services relative to the supplementary health benefits proposed changes. I did ask about the timeline for consultation and implementation and mentioned the implantation date. I will try my question again and ask the Minister on what is the implementation date of September 1st based. Thank you.