This is page numbers 65 - 98 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 1st 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 community.

Topics

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke to people with disabilities in Inuvik and

a lot of people with disabilities have to have people care for them, take time off work, look after them. I’d like to direct my questions to the Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland. I’d like to ask Mr. Roland if there are tax breaks for those that have to be at home caring for people with disabilities. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t have that information available. I will have to contact the department to get that information and make it available to the Member. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also ask the Finance Minister, when he contacts his department, would he ask them if there are any tax breaks available for businesses who want to make their places of business wheelchair accessible? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m aware that, for example, there are criteria for people with disabilities and companies are expected to follow that. I don’t believe we have anything in place at this time for tax breaks for businesses who would comply with the building codes. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Those that have to comply with the Building Code, in some cases, have no one to enforce the Building Code. So I would like to ask the Minister of Finance, or Mr. Roland as Premier, would he direct the Department of Public Works to have a building inspector in Inuvik so he can enforce codes and regulations? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m aware that a municipal inspector can do those inspections and make those requirements, or orders in place, as well as the fire marshal’s office. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A concern from the Town of Inuvik, again, is the lack of a building inspector in Inuvik to enforce codes and regulations. How do we go about getting an inspector in Inuvik? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has worked with municipalities and communities and I’m informed by the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs that they will continue to work with communities to try and work with them to come up with some solutions. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an issue has come to light here, and I know the Arctic Winter Games is coming to Yellowknife here in March of 2008 and the trials are going to be coming up here. There’s been an issue with the selection process as it pertains to soccer teams and rules being changed mid-stream. There were rules in place and the Department of MACA has made a decision to waive rules that were in place governing the selection process. I do want to thank the Minister for taking the time to get me some background material and meeting with me on this, but I really do think that we need to come up with a better explanation for the governing bodies out there who make the rules for sport in the Northwest Territories as to why rules were changed mid-stream. So if I could ask the Minister why were the rules changed mid-stream to allow players to access regional teams? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I should correct the Member that MACA did not overrule the decision to extend the deadline for sporting events for Arctic Winter Games; that decision was made by the sports partners, including Sport North and the regional recreation associations. I believe the deadline was extended to allow for more participants. This year there were several changes made to the Arctic Winter Games process. There was a creation of a new region; the Sahtu region was created. There was also the decision made to allow for the Mackenzie region to make decisions on behalf of the Mackenzie region and the South Slave; also that the Beaufort-Delta Sports would also make decisions on behalf of their organizations; and the Sahtu and Sport North would be making decisions on behalf of Yellowknife. So those decisions were made and after the deadline of April 1st , they got together and

recognized that there was low turnout because…Oh, the third…I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker. The third decision was to

have the trials set up a year in advance of the Arctic Winter Games and after the April 1st deadline there was

recognition that there was low turnout, there wasn’t good communication, there were other things that were happening at the same time, the Canada Games, and they decided to extend the deadline. It was an agreement among all the sports partners and not MACA. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that response, but it just begs the question if you have rules in place, especially when it comes to our young people out there in our communities who are entering into a selection process with deadlines and time frames, not to mention the amount of volunteers that provide their time to sporting endeavours, I’m wondering why, if we have rules in place, why would we forget the rules and change those rules to allow people to apply after a deadline that was set before that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the agreement was between the Sports and Recreation Council and all the partners, that if there was consensus that a policy had to be adjusted or changed and everybody agreed, that they could do that. In this case, there would have been a very low turnout for Arctic Winter Games because the changes made for selections, they decided that they need to encourage more people to take part. I don’t see what was wrong with that decision, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rules are set up for the issue of fairness and integrity and that’s what sport is based on. If you are going to what appears to be a double standard for regional participation as opposed to athletes here in Yellowknife, then somebody has to explain that to the soccer community here in Yellowknife on how that happens. It has to be explained to everyone. The question I have is, why have rules if they are going to be broken, Mr. Speaker?