Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, just like my colleague from Range Lake had pointed out, exorbitant power fees, my concern and the concern of people is this, simply clearly, we can build it for any price, sure, but can we afford it and what kind of rate riders are going to be on this? So, Mr. Speaker, has that analysis been started, and when can we expect that analysis to be public to find out what the increased costs to the bottom line of Northerners' power bills will be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, she is the one saying we're working together so there must be some information she can supply this House or this Member in particular. Mr. Speaker, I ask again, would the Minister prove that the fire marshal is comfortable and confident that those two locations are safe and Yellowknifers are -- and these individuals are not put at risk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to return to the homeless encampments. To be clear, I didn't say unhoused - the homeless encampment.

Mr. Speaker, the one downtown and near Sir John and the one set up right underneath the transmission lines that come from Snare into the City of Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker -- those big lines, yes. Mr. Speaker, they continue to have fires there. They continue to have jerry cans there, and it continues to be a -- well, we'll say a mess. I think that's about the safest parliamentary word I will use today, Mr. Speaker. But the Minister knows what I am talking about.

So...

Mr. Speaker, it's difficult to feed your kids with trust, and it's hard to heat your home on hope, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, real tangible items would be to accelerate the MRAs. Mr. Speaker, real tangible ideas would be to accelerate maybe a junior investment program. Mr. Speaker, those are the types of acceleration processes I am asking for. Is there ways to accelerate that type of action to get better results or I should say any results. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Gahcho Kue announcement yesterday is a clear signal, if not a message, that our mining sector is in trouble. Once the backbone of the NWT economy, Mr. Speaker, it is under enormous strain everyone can agree upon. This deeply troubling news for people like me, I see this strain may not be the right word, Mr. Speaker. There may be a different word to look at this particular case, more so is our economy is turning into a nonexistence. Once a strong resource economy is fading away. Further erosion of our NWT economy is I fear what is next.

This government doesn't seem to recognize...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister speak to how long this practice has been ongoing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that. To me, it's about the three Ps. I like the project. I like the partners. I am afraid of the payments, Mr. Speaker. When will there be a clear and transparent business case put before the public so we know what the realities will be and what the offsets if we do get any support from government -- federal government so we can see what the actual payment might be before we have a go/no-go on this particular initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be directed to the Minister responsible for strategic infrastructure, and it's in particular to the Taltson briefing we had the other day.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the briefing, and I certainly am a fan of the overall concept of the project. One of the things mentioned by the witnesses about the fears or concerns that we must protect to make sure we don't mortgage or children and grandchildren, etcetera, and I think he was quite correct in that observation. So my question in particular to the Minister is that when will a business case actually be built...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister dovetailed perfectly into my next question. I was driving by the museum the other day and saw the old stove type barrelling smoke, Mr. Speaker, unregulated I am sure, Mr. Speaker, and the Minister said fire marshal. Mr. Speaker, when has the fire marshal officially given their stamp of approval that these two encampments are safe? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know I am not the only person who's asked this question. I know my colleague from Range Lake has asked this question about where this software is. Did the Minister just say in some way -- and I will allow her to clarify -- is the public service saying no? Are they refusing to do it? Are they refusing to take directions? Can the Minister at the very least commit in this House that she'll have this so-called analysis produced before the end of the second quarter of this current year. Thank you.