Robert Hawkins

Well, Mr. Speaker, I did inquire with that office regarding the cost of how much it would be to heat and power that empty Commissioner’s house that will be sitting empty between four and five years. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Public Works have the figures that it would cost the government to have that house sit empty for those four to five years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to use my Member’s statement to acknowledge the passing of Jack Adderley in December. Jack was 86 and had lived in Yellowknife for 52 years. He was well known for many things, especially his humour. One of the lasting efforts that Jack left our community was the 1972 partnership with Jack Sigvaldson, commonly known as Sig, when the two of them launched their own newspaper, a local rag called the Yellowknifer. I’m sure many of you may have heard of it before.

The first cutting-edge newspaper was designed on the desk of a kitchen table and the dark room was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be voting for this excellent motion here today. I want to thank Mr. Menicoche for bringing it forward. Mr. Menicoche, I think, truly hits upon a nerve that should be a value that we wear on our chest every single day here. I mean, this Assembly quite often talks about its respect for elders and our seniors, and this motion replies to that call for action. It says that we should be helping people age in place. Aging in place is a philosophy out there to ensure that aging people are allowed to stay as independent as possible with the support of those around you, and...

Okay. I’ll take as a yes, we do on good faith.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m wondering if the Minister can give me some information on broadband infrastructure support. What does that actually mean in terms of is that equipment that we’re putting into the communities? Are we buying satellites, things of that nature, and is he able to give me some examples as to where we would see if it is infrastructure for that fact? Where we would see it? Thank you.

Although I’m confident, I sense a little bit of humour in the Minister’s answer. The way he said it, does he mean that it’s only prescribed to hunters and trappers or is it prescribed only for hunting and trapping? I’m just trying to get a clarification. If a hunter or trapper decides to, say, farm honey, as a matter of fact, would they qualify for the program? I just give that as an example.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick follow-up on the Community Harvesters Assistance Program. Although if you read the description, it is contributed to local wildlife committees which have been recognized about harvesting resources. Is this program specifically and only targeted to harvesting animals? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I suspect under the Municipal Towns and Villages Act they have the ability to create a hotel tax, but that’s not exactly what they would like. They would rather see it as an across-the-board, fair, even policy created by the Finance Minister and, if anything, allow it to be targeted at tourism initiatives, that it could be a tax targeted with a special purpose.

Mr. Speaker, is there apprehension from the Department of Finance to creating a territorial tax from doing this type of initiative or do they just not want to do the work? Because as I understand it, tourism wants it and the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the need for a hotel tax which is being called upon by the Hotel Association asking the Minister of Finance to create such an initiative that could help support tourism initiatives in the Northwest Territories. What is the hesitation of the Department of Finance from simply creating a hotel tax that could be targeted to help support the tourism industry?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

---Defeated