Shane Thompson

I thank the Minister for that answer. In my Member's statement, you heard me say that the interest rate is coming out at 15 per cent, and it seems to be very high. Was the community consulted or engaged in coming up with this rate?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you heard me talk about the taxation issue in Fort Liard, and I have questions for the Minister of Finance. My first question: as a department, how did they come up with the mill rate for the Community of Fort Liard? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday, March 19, I had the opportunity to attend a public meeting in Fort Liard that was being put on by the Departments of Lands, Municipal and Community Affairs, and Finances. The topic was about land and taxes.

I would have to say, overall, it was a good meeting. The staff did a great job of getting the information out to the people who were present. However, it did raise a number of concerns about how land taxes were collected for the Hamlet of Fort Liard.

Unfortunately, a number of individuals were told not to pay their taxes. This has caused a big mess for those...

I thank the Minister for that answer. When looking at the requirements of all these positions, you need a Master's of Social Work degree. We are looking at 49 positions, so that has a huge impact on it. It also has caused a huge issue for staff presently in these counselling positions who have years of experience, know the youth, but they don't have a Master's degree. Then I'm hearing rumors through the grapevine that, you know, that they're not even going to be looking at these positions here. So, can the Minister ensure that these people are getting a fair opportunity to do the job? I'm not...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the last budget process, we talked about new positions called the children and youth council position, and we are very excited about it. However, there seems to be some confusion about a person's qualifications. Can the Minister briefly describe what qualifications these positions need to do the job? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Al Browning came into this world like a sheep on July 10, 1963, and departed like a lion on March 19, 2018, much too soon for all of us to comprehend or believe. He has left a great void in the lives of those who loved him deeply.

Allan is the second oldest child of Rose and Tommy Browning. He is a descendant of a great family who has a rich history around Fort Simpson and the Deh Cho. The Browning family is part of northern history, and his grandfather ran a sawmill that provided much of the lumber for the community's early infrastructure. Allan and the great members of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer because we can reassure our staff out there and the people that are doing a great job. I mean, I know in my riding and my colleague's riding from Deh Cho, we have two really good people out there that are doing a great job and doing really good work with our youth, and so I appreciate that. Can the Minister explain, though, we have a Master's degree for both the supervisor and the counsellor's position. What's the difference? I would have assumed that, you know, you'd have a social work degree and then you'd have the Master's degree...

I thank the Minister for that answer. It's great to hear all these things. Good things are happening, but can he please explain how they come up with the requirement of having a Master's degree for these positions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Ted Grant, owner of Simpson Air. In the fall of 2017, he received the Senator's Sesquicentennial Medal. Ted volunteered his time with coaching hockey and generously donates to kids' sports teams in the community. He has also showed his dedication by promoting tourism to the Nahanni Park.

Ted has been a long-time resident of Fort Simpson, dating back to his days as an RCMP officer in the community in the 1970s. His favourite thing about Fort Simpson is that he does not have to live in the city, where everything is hectic, and, in Fort Simpson, it...

I thank the Minister for the long answer, and well-detailed, and I appreciate that. I guess I might have missed that email, but again, I guess I love way we say, well, we sent a letter, and that's consulting people. How did we engage the residents of the Northwest Territories who were impacted by this decision? Because NWT Lands has a huge impact on, not only in the small communities that I represent, but their cabins. So how did you engage the people of the Northwest Territories?