This is page numbers 451 - 494 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 6th 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 work.

Topics

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I just have a request from the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. This is just with regards to the new senior six-plex that is currently being constructed in Fort Resolution. The seniors' society is grateful for the NWT Housing Corporation moving forward expeditiously on this project and getting it done really quickly in the last few months. It has been moving forward really quickly. This is just a request from some seniors that are looking to move into this new seniors' unit. A lot of these seniors currently live in their own housing units right now, but they require home care services just for the fact that some of them just can't get in and out of their bathtubs, Mr. Speaker, no matter how many rails and hand bars they have. These fairly cheap bathtubs that the Housing Corporation does provide in these government housing units are slippery and small. Seniors have a hard time getting in and out. I just want to request if the Minister can make a recommendation to his department to look at maybe replacing the standard bathtub and tub surround with the handle bars and everything in these units to putting in these walk-in bathtubs that you see on television? One of the seniors did bring this up to me. He said, if I had one of those Ed McMahon bathtubs, I wouldn't need home care services and the government wouldn't have to provide me with money.

---Laughter

I just want to see if the NWT Housing Corporation would consider looking at maybe some cost-benefit analysis of eliminating home care and providing some Ed McMahon bathtubs in all of these units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is obviously watching the same television channel I am. I have seen those premier bathtubs advertised for ever and ever. Ed McMahon calls them premier. They look very comfortable. They look very nice for people to step into. Mr. Speaker, I can say that the Housing Corporation is doing a review of those tubs to see whether or not they are what Ed McMahon says they are.

---Laughter

Are they really that good a product? If they are, then definitely we would consider them. I don't think they will eliminate the need for home care, but they will certainly help some seniors who have difficulty stepping into a regular tub. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad that the Housing Corporation is reviewing that. When can we expect this? I don't see any real rocket science in this review, Mr. Speaker. There is a 1-800 number there. It is on the Internet. I have looked at it myself. It is not very expensive. Can the Minister seriously direct his department before they start installing these tub surrounds in those seniors' units? Would they consider those premier bathtubs to be installed in all seniors' units in the NWT? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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August 20th, 2007

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Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some Members are suggesting that the Premier should test one, but I am not interested right now. Mr. Speaker, we are looking at them. I will have to get back to the Member on when we can have a review done, but, all joking aside, seriously, we are looking at them. They look like tubs that would be much more convenient for some seniors. I will let the Member know as soon as I can how soon we can get a definite answer. Thank you.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you. I just want to make a point that a lot of these seniors that do live in their own houses do require home care visits just for the very fact that they need a bath, Mr. Speaker, nothing more and nothing less. A bathtub like that for a lot of seniors that have mentioned it, say I wouldn't need the home care to come over for three hours a day just to give me a bath because if I had one of these walk through ones, I could do it myself. I just want to make sure that the Housing Corporation really takes a serious look at it. It is not very much more than what the money we would save in home

care visits and the old bathtubs and the health risks associated with the seniors stepping in and out of these small, slippery, cheaper tubs, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 170-15(6): Construction Of Seniors' Housing Unit In Fort Resolution
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

I didn't hear a question there. Oral questions. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation. Can the Minister tell me in the House to the people in the Sahtu when will the Great Bear River Bridge be built?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

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Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Bear River Bridge project had to be delayed as of last year. We are assessing right now the new federal infrastructure money, how to invest it in our plans in the near future, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me that the plans that are going forward to the federal government for whatever plans they are making, why doesn't it include the Sahtu people in terms of looking at some real solutions in terms of building this bridge? Can the Minister commit to this House here, this day here, that the Bear River Bridge is a high priority as he said it is -- it is on the shelves -- to take it off the shelves to be constructed just like the Deh Cho Bridge project?

Supplementary To Question 171-15(6): Great Bear River Bridge Project
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.

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Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As such, it's a priority in the CSIF strategy document for our government to build that bridge and it still is a priority for us to construct the Bear River Bridge. However, financing right now due to increasing inflationary pressures have put it out of reach of our current budget and that's what we're looking at right now, Mr. Speaker. Thanks.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(6): Great Bear River Bridge Project
Question 171-15(6): Great Bear River Bridge Project
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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I get some different stories here, but, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister, because of the financial constraints, why did this government not come to the Sahtu and say we have an issue here, we're short $15 million, let's look at a solution to build this bridge? Why hasn't this government come to the Sahtu to say can you help us? We're willing to help. Why haven't they come? When will they come to the Sahtu and demand that this bridge here...We'll demand this bridge here gets built. Where is the money?

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.

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Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to say to the Member that it was my pleasure to accompany him to travel to the Sahtu region in July. It was great to be there and see the country and meet with the communities there, especially in Tulita. They were very concerned about the Bear River Bridge project and I indicated to them at that time it was once again due to inflationary pressures. So I had to red flag the project, we had to put it aside and we have to assess our current budget and the current federal announcements of new funding of how we're going to best move this project forward. And he's right; we are short $15 million. We had originally been approved and budgeted at $25 million to build the bridge, we went and bought the steel, were just about to build a bridge and then, for whatever reason, in this part of our world there, Mr. Speaker, and this segment, the bridge costs almost doubled. They went from $25 million to $40 million. In a government of our size, we just cannot find that kind of money to do a bridge. We had to put it aside and we're looking at current ways of financing and constructing that bridge, but it is a priority, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Time for question period has expired. I'll allow the Member a short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(6): Great Bear River Bridge Project
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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we're going to change the name of the Bear River Bridge to the Red Flag Bridge. You got red flagging going on on that side of the government here, Mr. Speaker. On this specific issue on the Bear River Bridge, the Deh Cho Bridge is going ahead. Why not the Sahtu? Certainly someone has taken our money from the Bear River Bridge and put it somewhere else.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(6): Great Bear River Bridge Project
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Some Hon. Members

Ooh.

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

We want to know when that bridge is going over the Bear River. So can the Minister, again, look at plans to start phasing in parts of the work of the Bear River Bridge? I appreciate the Minister and Mr. Roland coming into my region and looking and we had to go across by boat because we had no bridge across. So I wanted to ask the Minister, can he look at his department to phase in parts of this and that we see a bridge in a couple of years? Thank you.