Wendy Bisaro

It’s difficult to ask questions under this new process, but I am given to understand there was a fairly large reduction in the amount of money that is earmarked for the upgrades in this particular capital budget year compared to last year. I guess I just would like clarification from the Minister or from the deputy minister that the reference was made to putting things back in, in terms of technical upgrades once the master development plan is done. I would like to know if what is going to go back in is a minimal amount of money or a fairly large amount of money; i.e., $500,000 versus several...

I don’t believe I heard an estimate of when this might come back to us — if it’s three months, three years or 30 years. I would appreciate if the Minister of Health would give me a bit better idea of when we might see this project back in the capital estimates.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to ask a question relative to the Stanton hospital master plan. The capital budget for 2008–2009 indicated funding for the Stanton master plan, and I don’t see it in the 2009–2010 Capital Estimates. I wonder if I can get an explanation as to why.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t speak for all Members, but I am going to guess that I don’t believe there is a Member on this side of the House who would object to a change in this policy that is going to assist seniors who cannot live on their own. So I would ask whether or not the Minister could commit to bringing something forward to Members, to committee, before we break this session.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are difficulties in this and that there are people who will take advantage of a situation, but when a senior can stay in their own home instead of having to go into a public health institution, an elder care facility or a long term care facility, it’s a significant saving to the GNWT. I didn’t hear the Minister tell me when this is going to happen. I understand they are working diligently, but I feel that this is a matter that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. I would like to again ask the Minister when we can expect this policy change.

It’s my pleasure to welcome the group of students who are up there behind me. They are a grade 6 class from William McDonald School, from the riding of Frame Lake, and they are accompanied by their teacher, Amy Switzer.

These students have been studying Canadian government and have been working with the Federal Election Student Vote Program. They will be voting tomorrow. Word is that if all the kids in Canada voted, we’d know who the Prime Minister would be. I’d like to just mention their names, and these are in no particular order: Clayton Ashlie, Craig Pike, Isaiah Martin, Nicolas Berube...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 9, 2008, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to October 15, 2008, 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 transact...

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I do have to take a bit of an exception, I guess, to waiting for Regular Members. I appreciate that you want to run the policy by Regular Members, but I think this is a situation where seniors are being penalized because they wish to stay in their own homes. They are either disabled, or they are elderly and they need someone to care for them. I feel really strongly that this is a situation that shouldn’t be left for six, eight, ten or 12 months until it comes back to Regular Members and has been vetted by us.

I’d like to ask the Minister if there is any...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment today.

Several times over the last year Members have indicated to the Minister that Income Security changes are required. The one area in particular I’d like to reference is the method of calculation of income for seniors who are living on their own but who may be attended in their own home by a family member because they are unable, physically, to live on their own.

The current policy penalizes the senior’s Income Security payment because the family member’s income is also included in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was mentioned by the Premier in his sessional statement and it has been mentioned by the Finance Minister several times that a revision of NWT boards and agencies is under consideration. We have over 700 boards and agencies in the NWT for a population of only 43,000 people or so. That’s the size of a small city elsewhere. We have far more boards than are necessary, and I believe we can experience considerable savings to the budget’s bottom line as a result of consolidation of these boards.

There are many options that are available to us. The community services board...