This is page numbers 127 - 154 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was housing.

Topics

Return To Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 138

The Speaker

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Supplementary To Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Titus Allooloo Amittuq

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Doesn't the Minister agree that there is a real need. Social workers are very, very important, they are child welfare people, and they are very important in the community. One of my communities is lacking a social worker. Doesn't she agree that she has to address that one particular community of Hall Beach to accommodate a social worker? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Further Return To Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's not just the community of Hall Beach, especially with social workers. In this case, the same goes for Broughton Island. Our worker there had her own home so anybody who is going to replace her, we may have to locate another house because our worker there who quit owned her own house. So these are the types of things that the regional superintendents will be looking into, to identify what the real needs are. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Question 95-12(5): Staff Housing For Social Workers
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 138

The Speaker

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. He's been pretty quiet there but I couldn't help noticing it. My question is with regard to a change in policy. I received a letter from this Minister, Madam Speaker, with regard to community recreation facilities, and I believe this policy has changed now so that what used to be 40 per cent to 60 per cent contributions by the communities has now been reduced to 1 per cent to 10 per cent contributions. I would like to ask the Minister when this change took place and which communities have more to benefit by this reduction.

The Speaker

Thank you. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Silas Arngna'naaq Kivallivik

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't know the answer to the question off by heart so I will have to take the question as notice. Thank you.

The Speaker

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation a question. During January and part of this month, many Yellowknife residents have been concerned because of loss of power and claim that the huge bills they have to pay for getting their pipes thawed is because of the loss of heating in their houses. So I would like to ask the Minister, are these breakdowns that take place at the coldest time of the year because of the huge demand on the power supply or because of some preventable thing that the Power Corporation could be doing so that accidents like this don't occur and cause great expenses for the citizens of Yellowknife?

Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

The Speaker

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Ms. Cournoyea.

Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Speaker. To my knowledge, the power outages that were experienced over the cold period of time were not related to the over usage of the power. There were some outages that were related to ravens flying into the telephone lines and a number of other issues but not because of over usage of the power supply. Thank you.

Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

The Speaker

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Supplementary To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

I would like to ask the Minister -- since everything we do we try to judge whether it is effective and whether it is getting better -- whether the Power Corporation keeps a list of its performances, if you like, over the years to show the degree to which communities have a continuous, steady supply of power and are not subject to outages as much as they were in the past. In other words, do they have a system to see if they are getting better because communities are not cut off from power for any length of time.

Supplementary To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Ms. Cournoyea.

Further Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput

Madam Speaker, I believe since the Power Corporation was taken over by the Northwest Territories from the federal Crown, that has been one of the main objectives, to secure regular, uninterrupted power for communities. As a result, the Power Corporation has done an evaluation of all the communities, their needs and is also trying to detail projected needs to the best of their ability, and as the Member may be aware, in many instances, the request of communities sometimes would want to have a new power plant, rather than a renovated power plant. But many times, the renovation is opposed because in many of the communities, since communities have grown, the power plant is in the wrong place. However, there is a ten year projection on what the proposed or anticipated requirements of communities are. These plans are put to the Public Utilities Board and as the Power Corporation can supply all the information for legitimizing the installation of these new plants or renovated plants, they are doing so as quickly as possible. I believe one of the main objectives is to secure and provide consistent power to communities. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

The Speaker

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Supplementary To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

One has to confirm then that the Power Corporation, since it became a northern-owned Power Corporation, has resulted in a better level of service in communities, including Yellowknife, have fewer outages since we took it over, than we had under the previous regime.

Supplementary To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

The Speaker

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Power Corporation.

Further Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput

Madam Speaker, to my knowledge, certainly our community visits and the information that has been secured by the Power Corporation, indicate there have been fewer power outages and more consistent service to the customers. But I cannot say that totally, unequivocally for every community in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Question 97-12(5): Causes Of Power Outages In Yellowknife
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 139

The Speaker

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I have a question I would like to direct to the Minister of Finance and it deals with the dreaded payroll tax. It has been about eight months now since the payroll tax was introduced to northerners in an attempt to get money from people who work in the north, not necessarily northerners themselves, but people who earn their money in the north. As a consequence, when filling out this huge net that the government has done in order to catch those dollars, many northerners are being affected to different degrees. Given that it has been several months since the tax was introduced, many suggestions have come forward to the Minister on how to improve this tax regime; suggestions from ultimate removal to raising the ceiling. The Minister said he needed time to do this. I wonder if, in eight months, they have managed to glean enough evidence to see how this system is working in order to be able to fine tune it? Has eight months been enough?

The Speaker

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Return To Question 98-12(5): Effectiveness Of Administration Of Payroll Tax
Question 98-12(5): Effectiveness Of Administration Of Payroll Tax
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

Page 140

John Pollard Hay River

Madam Speaker, I think I would have to report it is going fairly well, as far as we are concerned administratively. I don't get nearly as many complaints about the taxes as I used to. Some people were quite surprised to see that there is an enclosure in their tax returns this year where they can get a credit back. We have been analysing the tax. The federal government has now agreed to pay, as everyone knows. There is just one outstanding issue and that is with the Dene Nation. I reported that to the House last year. So I think it is working well. Some of the employers have not reported because they are only supposed to report once a year. So it will be at the 12 month stage where we will be able to analyze it, in its entirety. So we will need another four or five months yet, Madam Speaker, to do the analysis. Thank you.

Return To Question 98-12(5): Effectiveness Of Administration Of Payroll Tax
Question 98-12(5): Effectiveness Of Administration Of Payroll Tax
Revert Back To Item 5: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Whitford.