Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, will be supporting this motion. It was quite some time ago I talked to Mr. Yakeleya about this issue about trying to find new ways to help communities. I talked to Norman about saying, well, what if we bumped up the subsidy rate to $800, would that help? We had a bit of a discussion on that and there was some free-flowing talk about does that work, will that suit their needs. You know, we’re not 100 percent sure, but there are many ways out there to help folks. That’s kind of why I support this motion, is because it looks at different dynamics...

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Public Works and Services monitor the percentage difference between contract bids and contract payments and, if so, what is an acceptable percentage if things are over? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister today commit in this House that he would go out to some type of public consultation to engage our engineers and architects on coming up with sustainable design principles for all our public government infrastructures so the percentage of cost overruns are minimized? For a note to that, Alaska has 15 percent as an acceptable overrun. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there’s a solution to this obvious problem. We could engage our public, we could engage our professionals about true, real designs for our northern location. I’m tired about hearing about cost overruns, about one project delaying or possibly cancelling out another because of the skyrocketing costs. I think the future and expansive growth of our Northwest Territories requires smart design, and with community involvement we could solve this problem together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Twenty-five dollars, according to my Sahtu colleague. The thing is, I’m not sure he’s right, but the point is if we could make things more competitive, maybe we can also help those costs from being spilt down on people and we can also help encourage them to have healthier lifestyles, Mr. Speaker. Conservation versus consumption, it’s great. Conservation is the right idea; change your light bulbs, those things all help. I’ve gone to Arctic Energy Alliance and I borrowed their metre, I plugged it in the wall, I tested my TV for a couple days, my computer to find out ways I could be more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Mrs. Groenewegen for bringing this forward. I am in full support of it. That is why I asked her if I could second this motion. To me, this motion really speaks to the principle of the people we take care of. That would be our youth, our children, the people at risk. They could be our seniors. They could be anyone.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we are duty bound as Members here to find ways and take every step that we consider reasonably possible to protect those from the predators that prey upon those people at risk I talked about earlier. Mrs...

Mr. Speaker, I think I heard the Minister say yes, but I’ll let him re-clarify. Mr. Speaker, specifically to schools, health clinics, and seniors’ facilities, has the department ever done a historical cost overrun overview by doing a 360 degree design evaluation to ensure that bad designs are re-evaluated and that they haven’t turned into maintenance nightmares? Further, are we building our buildings for the 1,500-year life expectancy, or are we just designing them to be maintained for the rest of their life? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a few brief comments. I would like to say I am impressed and quite pleased with the Greenhouse Gas Strategy that is coming forward. I am very pleased to see some of the initiatives that I was asking for last year finally coming to life: hybrid vehicle credits, wood pellets and wood stoves. Those are very important things. I think we still have a long ways to go in this particular area. I think we still tend to focus in on the individual rather than the bigger problems, which are industry and the transportation sector. But I think we are certainly...

Mr. Speaker, if I can refer without reading them, I have two NWT Housing Corp letters, one from the president and one from the director of policy and programs, instructing the Yellowknife Housing Authority to accommodate this constituent as soon as any facility becomes available that is absolutely suitable. Mr. Speaker, we have an eight-plex next door right out her front window, Mr. Speaker, or side window, sorry. The fact is it’s there and now they have obstructed her entering this building because she has a cat. Are they afraid of a little cat, for goodness sakes, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, I spoke about my constituent, Ms. Carmen Tees, who is in the gallery today who is suffering from MS, as well as depression, austio arthritis, sleep apnea, and she’s shut in most of the year. She is not allowed to move into the new apartment building that is barrier free because she has a cat. Mr. Speaker, I have two small points to make. The Yellowknife Housing Authority has made a no pet policy for this building and that is a human rights breach. Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation position of whether...