Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the issue of oil tanks and the way that we should come up with a rebate program to help people with that expensive cost to replace them and certainly making sure that a good upkeep is kept on those tanks before an environmental problem comes. As I said in my Member’s statement today, an environmental problem with a leaky oil tank could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Speaker, my first question to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources is: does the Minister agree that helping people make responsible...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re all too familiar with the devastating effects of oil spills and millions of dollars that are needed to clean them up. An oil spill does not have to be as big as the Gulf of Mexico or, certainly, the Exxon Valdez to have serious financial and long-lasting environmental implications. Mr. Speaker, similar small scale catastrophes happen in our own backyard. Anyone who has experienced a fuel spill as a result of a leaky oil tank knows exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m aware of a recent resident who has paid over $200,000 to excavate contaminated soil in their very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t hear the Minister would make sure that he sent out an e-mail or an information blast to departments who do manage this file. I mean, the point I’m trying to make is the information I got even from his department seems confusing and perhaps wrong, and he’s cleared it up for the record and I appreciate that. I just want to make sure that that information gets out to all the departments to make sure they’re hiring in the same manner the Minister has described today, because if that confusion is out there, people will be missing opportunities that they rightly...

Thank you. Well, I’ve been to the Minister’s office and it’s the process as I described before just earlier here today. So maybe the Minister can clarify for the record that summer students hired in the priority 1, 2 and 3 are priority over casuals whether they’re P1s, P2s or P3s. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no guarantee that new tanks have a full life. What I am hearing in the public from people as well as industry folks who change these tanks is that the new tanks don’t seem to last very long, as I said earlier, due to low sulphur and quality of steel as being problems. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit today to this House that he will engage this issue immediately and see if he can have something we can bring back and discuss and review maybe by this fall? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in the last few months even my colleague Mr. Abernethy has raised the issue of public awareness about tank safety. I give him credit for that, Mr. Speaker. Well, it is time for this government to take words a little further and let’s start putting them to action. Would the Minister be interested in the idea or concept of developing a rebate program that could meet this need to help protect our citizens, protect our environment and show them that we care as a government and we do play a role in their lives? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few people that I would like to recognize. The first would be Chuck and Muriel Tolley. Mr. Tolley is being recognized for his accomplishments in education today. I should say, as well, that the Tolley name is a strong spirit in the North so if you mention the Tolley name to anyone here, the first thing they will think is volunteering in community spirit. That speaks well of their family. As well at this time I would like to continue to recognize Anne Enge and her family being here for this special day. Her accomplishments were spoken of very well by Ms. Lee. Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues, for allowing this to continue. Mr. Speaker, I would like to weigh in on this driver’s licence plate issue quickly, especially because it is such an important topic and it has been raised today in various perspectives.

Mr. Speaker, a number of my constituents are concerned about the $10 fee. To the Minister that may not be a big deal, but as I understand it, there are 18,000 passenger vehicles on the road today and that is just the passenger vehicles, mind you. Of course, people are now forced to pay the $10 fee. It shouldn’t be described as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister started to ask my last question, which is simply and ultimately the obvious question, which is when can we see something? I think that is an important factor for the public trying to follow this issue, because there are a lot of people in the public who would like to see this go forward. I think the timing couldn’t be better, especially on the sad news that another university is no longer in existence. We could fill that gap.

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Education have anything he can offer and share to Members, be its vision, be it timelines and...

Mr. Speaker, if I understand it, our college presently offers university courses, but it is not necessarily university based. It works in partnership with other universities. I will let the Minister correct in the record if that is not quite accurate. Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear what the progress milestones are that we could achieve. Are there any types of roadblocks stopping the potential of an Arctic university emerging here in the Northwest Territories? As I said in my Member’s statement, education is the best gift we can offer any future generation. Certainly, I would like to see us...