Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, there was huge consultation done prior to 2012 when the Safety Advisory Committee had their draft out, their re-draft and their third re-draft. So I really don’t understand what the Minister expects to learn by consulting again.

Since January 2012 to now, October 2014, there’s been ample time to do the consultation that he’s referencing. There’s been ample time to talk to the people in the industry and to get their concerns and hear them and deal with them.

So I’d like to know from the Minister, what is he expecting to learn by now doing further consultation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission. I want to mention a couple of things to set the background here.

Our Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are over 22 years old and some four years ago, in September of 2010, the WSCC Safety Advisory Committee started to do revisions on these very outdated Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. These regulations govern workers everywhere in the NWT, and after a lot of work, an initial draft was completed and distributed for consultation and there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’ve heard already today and earlier this week, this is Small Business Week across Canada and in the NWT. A small business in Canada is defined as having from five to 100 employees. Today I want to specifically acknowledge Small Business Day this Saturday, October 25th.

Small business owners represent the best of the Canadian spirit. They’re entrepreneurs, innovators, job creators and an integral part of our communities, large and small. From coast to coast to coast, Canadian small businesses help drive local economies and keep our communities strong. Small...

That’s fine. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to continue consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, continuing on with Health and Social Services and then, time permitting, Justice and Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to continue consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, with the Department of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, in terms of funding, I know it certainly has been an issue for the board when they discuss this plan that they need to get a guarantee of use of their new facility in order to get the backing that they need from the bank, and it’s my understanding that the Avens board of governors, board of directors, can find mortgaging, can find funding for the facility, but they need to get a guarantee from the government that they will actually use the facility once it’s built.

So I would like to ask the Minister, why is it that I haven’t yet heard that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask some questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services around the infrastructure needs for seniors in the NWT. I mentioned some statistics in my statement, and the numbers of seniors that will be increasing are really quite scary, particularly here in the city of Yellowknife where we can expect the number of seniors to triple in the next 10 or 15 years. Yet it seems to me that Health and Social Services is ignoring the results of their own studies and the recommendations from their own reports. We see very...

I’m very concerned that the badly needed Avens expansion and renovations will not get the government support it needs to begin construction in earnest next year.

The government needs to find a way to support the Avens project. It’s imperative that they assist them to find the necessary funding so that Avens can advance their vision for seniors and their expansion project. Thank you.