Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to note the tone of frustration wasn't intended at the Minister directly. I was kind of -- justice Minister. I was just hoping, and I think MLA -- my MLA colleague was hoping for a simple yes, we'll attend, not this long government answer.

Mr. Speaker, on the same topic, my question for the -- general topic, that is, Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister respectfully is intended is this: Businesses are forced to deal with the cost of vandalism, shoplifting, etcetera, this is a cost passed on to the public. It's incurred the situation of hiring security...

Mr. Speaker, I have a whole set of questions, but I am not going to get to them. I am going to keep repeating the same question. MLA Testart has asked twice. I've asked once. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to ask it a fourth time.

Mr. Minister of Justice, I am asking, MLA Testart's asking you, would you please organize a community town hall meeting so people can speak about their vulnerability and have ideas and options through your department in partnership with the RCMP so we can feel empowered and feel safe in our community again. Would you be willing to do that at our request? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to start off with some interesting words: Confusion, anger, fear, frustration, hopelessness reinforced by the feelings of abandonment and vulnerability. Again, Mr. Speaker, the weight when someone tells me they feel vulnerable and abandoned by the process in the world we live in.

Mr. Speaker, many people know Yellowknife will never be the Old Yellowknife of old days but, Mr. Speaker, with my colleague from Range Lake, we wanted to hear the stories of up to 70 people. People showed up who are not regular people who come to these types of community events. They...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hope the Minister of health will provide something to my last answer -- to the question I provided -- sorry, in her last answer because I wish to come back on the same general topic and with respect to speech and language pathology.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister was very clear that we don't have enough staff, the staff shortage. I understand that; I am a realist. But that said, when you have family members who are in trouble and need supports, can the Minister allow or support families who choose to get services in speech and language pathology locally or through...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many parents will say they're worried other regions are more important than their children in this region, Mr. Speaker. I hope that isn't the case.

Mr. Speaker, my next question is built around service response time.

Mr. Speaker, when someone puts in an application and gets the support measures in place saying this child needs help, is there a service standard that we are tied to in some type of legal or regulatory framework that says in other words this child must be seen within 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, etcetera? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, if I was in the city administration, I go to the cupboard and I open it up, the cupboard of land is bare, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if they ask for too much, they say, oh, well you don't need that land, so no, we deny it. So, Mr. Speaker, what is the department of ECC planning to transfer this spring to the City of Yellowknife to ensure that they can keep the opportunities of maximized tax base and a growing economy here in Yellowknife?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in speaking to my friends and contemporaries at city hall, they are telling me about the challenges. They still don't have any land, and there seems to be a land grid lock. And they often ask me, is there a policy with ECC to not transfer land, and I'd like to get that clarified, because the city wants to maximize its tax base with opportunities.

So, Mr. Speaker, with the Minister of ECC, I'd like to clarify, is there any type of policy that obstructs transfer of land that has been identified for their needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my last question is really built around the cost. Is the Minister able to give us a sense of how much it's costing and where the money's coming from because it's -- if it's -- it's not free and it's not costing the ratepayers, it must be costing somewhere -- coming from somewhere, and as such we must have a general idea how much this is going to cost. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be to the Minister of strategic infrastructure, including the long name that comes after that. No one seems to be able to remember it.

Mr. Speaker, knowing that we're moving forward on the Clean Design initiative in Fort Simpson, which I think is a fantastic problem being involved and confronted with real tangible guaranteeable solutions, Mr. Speaker, does the Minister intend to expand this potential solution to other areas, such as Yellowknife and other large communities and regions, such as maybe Inuvik and Hay River. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I will take whatever the Minister can provide, including that analysis I was asking about. Mr. Speaker, that said, Mr. Speaker, what is the department's strategy if there are no people to provide this particular service? Can the Minister broaden the particular support mechanism by allowing parents to access services privately, either locally or through Alberta? Thank you.