Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Minister for that response, but I think he kind of made my point for me. We have a strategy. We have a plan. We have a committee. We don’t have one body, one organization, which takes everything that we are doing in terms of energy and puts it under one roof, which, as I said in my statement, directs the traffic. I think that’s something that’s necessary. I’d like to know from the Minister what sorts of Cabinet discussions have taken place in regard to the possibility of establishing something like an energy secretariat. Thank you.

I’m almost done. Mr. Speaker, we need that leader, that secretariat, so we have a common goal, so we can work cooperatively and in a coordinated manner to achieve that goal. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after considering the budget address for awhile, I note that the 2010-11 budget does not include a coordinated NWT energy plan, and I’m disappointed in that. I may begin to sound like a broken record, and I apologize if I’m boring you, but I figure it bears repeating and I will keep harping away in the hope of a positive response eventually.

I can’t deny that this government has plans to pour, quite literally, millions of dollars into energy initiatives and projects. We heard the Finance Minister say last week that over four years we will spend $60 million...

Thanks to the Minister. You didn’t mention Aven Manor here in Yellowknife and it also is a long-term care facility, I presume. I’m somewhat concerned, I guess, that the territorial dementia facility is a very specialized facility. It is long-term care, yes, but it requires… Patients in there have very particular needs and they can’t be accommodated in just any long-term care facility. So I’m a little bit concerned that the dementia centre has been included in the definition of long-term care facilities.

My other question has to do with the success or failure; I presume its success to date. But...

Point taken. I understand totally. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions here. The first one relates to, again, the Foundation for Change document proposal and the changes that are being worked through. About a year ago, we dealt with a very difficult issue of board reform. I am just wondering if the Minister has any idea at this point how the Foundation for Change planning will impact or will coordinate with any possible changes in terms of board reform. Thank you.

I have another question on this page relative to the other recoveries and the reciprocal billing for Nunavut, basically. In reviewing the Stanton Territorial Hospital annual report, I was struck that in some areas, many of the areas, up to 25 percent of their provision of services, the cost of the provision of those services is for Nunavut patients and for servicing Nunavut communities. It varies, depending upon the area, anywhere from 10 to 25 percent, from what I could figure out. It really struck me that we are probably being paid back for the actual physician costs and for the actual cost...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 4, 2010, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on 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 the 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...

I accept the Minister’s response, but again, that plan, the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee does not look beyond the Government of the Northwest Territories. If we’re going to have anything that is going to get us to a good place, we need to involve all the residents of the Territories, not just this government and its employees. Again, there is no one body which is looking at all of the things that we do in terms of energy and putting it under one roof. The Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, for instance, I don’t believe is involved in an education campaign to try and get...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Premier in relation to a number of the Strategic Initiatives committees. I spoke in my Member’s statement about my concern for the lack of accomplishments of a number of these committees and the lack of reporting from those committees back to Regular Members. So my first question to the Premier is to try to get some information about one of the Strategic Initiatives committees which is near and dear to the Regular Members’ hearts and where we haven’t seen any accomplishments that I’m aware of. So I’d like to ask the Premier if he could...