Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, at the outset I would like to say I am going to support this motion. I spoke in my Member’s statement about the need for conservation and, in my view, it needs to be the basis of any resolution to this particular disagreement. It should be the only reason that we are discussing this particular issue. The caribou herd, in my view, is in distress and in order to preserve it from extinction there needs to be a solution that considers conservation.

I think we’ve managed to get to a place where we have groups on two different sides and the sides can’t agree. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I have to ask the Minister, if it’s a very successful and popular process, I would suggest that’s probably not the case for the residents of the Yellowknives in Dettah and Ndilo. So could I ask the Minister for clarification: do we have residents within the Yellowknife area who are happy with the process and happy with the outcome? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one question. When we discussed the business plans, the information that was provided to committee was that the Government of the Northwest Territories was revising the homeless framework. I think that it was supposed to be done sometime within the next six to eight months, but I am not sure when it was intended to be done. I wonder if the Minister could advise what the revising of this framework means and when we can expect a revised framework. Thank you.

Thanks for the information. I guess it leads me to then ask whether or not this is an increase that we can continue to expect. Our actuals in 2008-09 were about the same, $12 million. We then estimated quite a bit less in 2009-10 and now we’ve gone back up in 2010-11. So is $12 million or almost $13 million a better number in terms of our ongoing expenditures or is this a bit of an anomaly? I know it’s hard to predict how many kids we are going to have to send out, but is this an indication of a trend, I guess, that we’re going to continue to see?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 4, 2010, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 8, 2010;

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to February 8, 2010, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall...

I guess the Minister and I will have to agree to disagree. I think that the office of an ombudsman is known to be impartial and known to be independent. I don’t think that MLAs and Ministers and department people are going to be impartial and independent from any dispute in which they are involved. There is nothing that allows an individual to appeal a particular decision unless there is actually an appeal board. If the appeal board turns them down, they have nowhere to go accept the court. So I reiterate again that an office is needed.

I would like to ask the Minister... He says that he is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement, it was about 20 months ago, May of 2008 actually, when I asked the Minister of Justice questions in regard to an ombudsman’s office and whether or not the department would consider establishing one. The answer from the Minister at that time was that they needed to do some consultation with community, renters, tenants, department, Members and so on. I’d like to ask the Minister, at this point, what progress has been made in the last 20 months towards the establishment of an ombudsman’s office. Thank you.

I have spoken in my general comments about the need for Stanton to be redeveloped, redesigned, refurbished. I think the Minister knows as well as anybody, it’s a 20-year-old building and we need to get planning sooner rather than later. It’s our only territorial hospital. When can we expect that there will be money for the hospital for the Stanton hospital to do the development of a master development plan? Thank you.

That is the business plan, Mr. Chairman, and if the Minister needs to get back to me, that is fine.

I am not quite sure that I understood what I heard. There is a trio of departments that are looking at this particular framework, but what information is the Minister going to give me? I am looking for a revised framework. If it is not being revised, then that is fine, then tell me that. But when will we get this revised framework, if it is indeed being revised? Thank you.