R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of Human Resources. Earlier today he said that we must ensure our youth get the education experience they need to become the NWT’s next generation of leaders. My questions are on the summer student hiring. I brought this up earlier during the main estimates. I didn’t quite have all the numbers in front of me, but I have the numbers now. Hay River regional centre, our population is about 50 per cent higher than that of Fort Smith; yet Smith hires about 50 per cent more summer students, 43 in Smith compared to 29 in Hay River...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to commemorate the grand opening of the Hay River Regional Health Centre which happened this past June 11th. I have to thank the well over 100 people who showed up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to attend the event and christen the new $59 million facility. It’s a beautiful, spacious, bright building and it bodes well for our communities’ future wellness. It’s one of the very first things you see as you drive into town and it makes a great first impression. The public administrator Mike Maher and CEO Erin Griffiths were excellent hosts and put...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the answers. Nothing further right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. it’s a little more complicated than just figuring outthan what that one number, that one big number. Are there other issues, seniority, any of these other kind of things that need to be worked out along with the final number? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just have a few general comments in reply to the budget address and I’ll save my specifics for when we debate the main estimates. This budget process has been quite a unique experience. We have an unprecedented number of first-term MLAs, elected during a time when commodity prices were falling to ten-year lows, investment in the territory was waning, and no new mining projects were on the horizon. The Department of Finance told us that we need to find $150 million in savings, and because the previous Assembly saw fit to extend its term, we were forced to compress a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How well do we pay our judges compared to other jurisdictions in Canada? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a document that was tabled yesterday by the Minister of Justice and it hasn’t really received much press so I’d just maybe like to ask the Minister about it. It’s the Report of the Northwest Territories Judicial Remuneration Commission. I was looking at it and I guess it’s like negotiations with judges for judicial remuneration, and I see that they got about $1000 a month raise. I’d like to ask the Minister is this correct? That’s it for now. Thank you.

We will consider the document after a short break. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.