Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Debates of June 2nd, 2006
This is page numbers 77 - 114 of the Hansard for the 15th 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 public.
Topics
Further Return To Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
Supplementary To Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister then inform the deputy that has to again
allow his employees to look at it? It is sensitive, however, it hits right at the crux of a constituent and it does tear away from one solving one issue. It's going to create a problem for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment by having one of my constituents in an income support situation. That's just terrible. So would the Minister again inform the appropriate deputy that he reconsider on this issue, this policy? I know it's sensitive, so I'll just leave it at that. Would the Minister talk to the deputy in charge to look at this policy again? Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would have to speak to the Minister of the specific department and deal with them through the Minister. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Question 44-15(5): GNWT Employees Seeking Outside Employment
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
June 1st, 2006
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to pick up where my last questions left off, and that was before the Minister of Public Works and Services. I listened closely to him and I'm having a great deal of difficulty trying to understand what one Minister, the Minister of Health and Social Services, is saying in terms of the relocation of TTC and the disposition of the Dene K'onia facility in Hay River and what the Minister of Public Works and Services is saying. So on the one hand you have the Minister of Public Works and Services admitting that an error occurred in the ad going out, and on the other hand you have the Minister of Health and Social Services saying it was undertaken in good faith by regional Public Works staff that the ad went out. So what is it, Mr. Minister? Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Roland.
Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again the Member likes to work in generalities of issues that don't seem to work in the way he'd like to see them work, I guess. I know it's a politically sensitive area. The fact is, this Assembly agreed in the House that this project be transferred to another community. With all the issues around it, it still had the approval of this House. Ultimately, once that project was redefined in the sense of where it was located, the department came forward then to follow the next step of the work that had to be done. Public Works did a report, sent it back to the department for their decision on the options that were provided. At that point what should have happened, there was communication issues, it's been raised already by the Minister of Health and Social Services, as well, as I've stated. When the decision was made, the process would have been then to go to the Minister of Health and Social Services. He would come to FMB, raise the issue there. Once there was a decision made at FMB we would advise of any changes to the committee. A letter was written to the committee; I believe May 26th a letter was written. Meanwhile, we pulled that tender back because it should not have been issued. If we felt that it should have been, we would have gone forward, but we still had to go through FMB on the changes to that. But we followed the process. When that error was realized it was pulled, rescinded and at this time the options are still being reviewed as to how we would proceed with that project. Thank you.
Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I see things as right and wrong, black and white. I don't make generalizations. I read what's given to me, I listen to what the Ministers tell me, and I make my mind up, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to just mention to the Minister, we weren't consulted last year, we weren't consulted this year, and I want to ask the Minister why Regular Members of this House were not consulted on the move to demolish Dene K'onia in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the decision that the Department of Health and Social Services arrived at to proceed to replacement instead of renovation was something that then had to follow through the process. The process wasn't followed, so we pulled the tender back. The issue was brought back to the FMB table. A letter was written to Members. But the fact is that when you look at our documentation and requirements, the scope of the project, the $3.1 million was identified, that was transferred already and voted on by this House. The decision then for whether renovation or whatever is a decision that we made. As long as it remained within that scope, it's in the same community, the dollar figure hasn't changed. The Minister brought that back to the table, we've informed Members, and we're deciding on how that would move forward. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if you use the same rationale the Minister just mentioned, they would have informed us and consulted with us last year when the money was transferred from Yellowknife to Hay River, and they didn't. That's the point I'm trying to make, Mr. Speaker. The Minister did not answer this question: Why were Regular Members of this House not advised? You're going to demolish a piece of public infrastructure and it doesn't matter what community it's in, the scope of the project changed. We're fed one story last year and had to force feed another story this year. Why weren't Regular Members advised of this change? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, the information was brought to the House. Some Members disagreed with the decision made of relocating that facility. It was brought to this House, it was voted on by this House, done. We are now at the next phase of looking at that, as we would with every project. When Public Works was drawn into it we would provide the department that's in charge of the project with options whether it's the best value for money. In this case, options were given to the department, the decision was made, and inadvertently, by error, a tender was released that should not have been released because we had a number of steps to follow yet. We've pulled that back. No construction, no tender is out there, no tender has been awarded, no demolition is happening at this point. We're going back and looking at whether in fact this is the best option that's there and looking at the parameters of the project. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 98
Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 98

David Ramsay Kam Lake
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister still didn't answer the fundamental question here. That fundamental question is, why were Members of this side of the House not informed of the change in this project? Mr. Speaker, if I could, last year we were told that a key factor to relocating that program to Hay River was the fact that there was a facility there. That has changed. It's fundamental; it's simple to see, Mr. Speaker. Why were Regular Members not advised, Mr. Speaker? That's what I'd like to know. Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the fact is that the dollar value of the project remains the same, the community remains the same, the purpose of the facility remains the same and we've informed Members. As we said, a tender was issued in error; it was withdrawn. We've gone back to Cabinet, a letter's been sent to Members, and a final decision. If the project changes in the sense of a higher dollar value, or changes the community again, that would have to come back for a vote in this House. The rest of the steps we've proceeded with and followed. Whether Members disagree with the information they were provided, before that initial decision came to this House we had Members saying that was a good idea. But when it came to this House for decision, all of a sudden it was a big surprise. So I mean we're not going to go back there, Mr. Speaker. The fact is, we followed the process, we're informing Members, there was an error, we've withdrawn that tender and there is no tender issued. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Question 45-15(5): Change In Scope To Dene K'onia Facility Renovation Project
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.
Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a lot of our smaller communities, you know, and our elders and people with respiratory ailments like asthma, the coming of summer means the coming of dust; the lack of dust control in these small communities. With the recent removal of $738,000 for dust control from the Municipal and Community Affairs main estimates it bereaves me to tell these people that, hey, you know what, the dust control issue is no longer a Municipal and Community Affairs priority. It probably never has been under control. The government has spent numerous amounts of dollars looking at ways to control the dust in the smaller communities. I want to ask the Minister, whose ultimate responsibility is dust control now in our smaller centres? Thank you.
Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Return To Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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Michael McLeod Deh Cho
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for dust control in the communities lies with the community governments. The community government formula includes responsibility for that portion. We have in the last while included in our business planning some work to do an analysis of what type of materials would be best used in terms of application for dust suppressant and I'm pleased to announce that we have an increase in our budget of $156,000 for this coming year. We are also continuing to work on our Main Street Chipsealing Program. There's been eight communities involved in the plan. We've finished the work in four communities and we continue to move forward on that front. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Return To Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Question 46-15(5): Delivery Of Dust Control Programs For Small Communities
Revert To Item 6: Oral Questions
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