This is page numbers 495 - 544 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 going.

Topics

Supplementary To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 510

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

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Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now, the lease sits with Public Works and Services. Once the new lease has been signed, it would then transfer to Health and Social Services. So we are working with all departments that are directly involved, Public Works and Services, Health and Social Services and the Housing Corporation, directly. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 510

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Short supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 510

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I know that one of the conditions that is outstanding is that of ongoing maintenance. On the YWCA for instance, this year alone is covering almost $70,000 in unfunded maintenance.

This is everything from broken windows to fixing toilets and the kind of things that happen in a high traffic, high use building. Mr. Speaker, will any department or which department be looking at covering the Y for this very substantive and unfunded cost of operating that building? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, that is an area that needs to continue to be worked on. Right now, again, a number of departments are involved with the organization and some of the expenses, and that would be Education as well as the Housing Corporation and Public Works, for some of its maintenance. It has done maintenance that it hasn't actually billed for. As well, when you look at it, the fact that there has to be a grant-in-kind registered on the books for the department that does enter into this lease. So there are significant dollars being put to that facility as well as capital or renovation work that is ongoing. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Question 180-15(6): Rockhill Apartment Lease Renewal
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment with the introduction of the Traditionally-Tanned Moosehide Program. I think it is a great initiative that the department has introduced here. It is great that the government shows support to our traditional economy. I would like to ask the Minister if the traditionally-tanned caribou hides have been considered under this initiative also, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

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Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I guess, as it is a pilot project, we are going to try it with moosehides first. We think that is where the demand is for some of our artisans. That is what we are hearing, at any rate. If we had success there, then we could look at other ways to ensure we have a constant supply of raw materials. But the pilot will start with moosehides. Thank you.

Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a pilot project on the go here. I would like to see caribou introduced under this program just for the fact that caribou are going to be traditionally harvested anyway. I think this would put more information in the hands of the Department of ITI on who is harvesting and how many are being harvested. I think that information will be critical when the wildlife boards come back with caribou harvesting quotas and changes to regulations that we have in the caribou issue. I know there are no dollars set on how much they are going to be buying the hides for, tanned or untanned. All of these things have to be put in place. What has the Minister's department basically budgeted for this program that is going to include moose only? What is the budget on that? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

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Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I don't have that information here available. I will get the information for the Member. As I have indicated, we haven't considered, at this point, caribou hides. A lot of it is going to depend on uptake. We are not sure ultimately what the demand will look like, but we do have funds in the budget that we are going to use for moose at this point. We will watch the program. We will evaluate the program. If there is cause and room to expand it, we will certainly look at that. But we will get back to Members with the results of this before we propose to do that. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said, it is a great program. I think the government could really do a lot of expanding on this whole traditional economy support with caribou antlers and hides. But I just want to point out to the Minister that we have a lot of different types of caribou here in the NWT like the barren-ground and the woodland and the mountain caribou which are pretty much...There are a lot of mountain caribou and they are very big pieces of game. They are almost as big as moose in some areas here in the NWT. I just want to ask the Minister if his department would really seriously consider that a lot of people like in the Deh Cho area and the Sahtu area that do rely heavily on mountain caribou and woodland caribou would be considered as being compensated for their hard work and their traditional tanning of caribou hides, which is just as high quality as moose to artists and artisans here in the NWT? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we are going to consider it, but it will be moose first. We do understand that there is a fair bit of tanning of barren-land caribou hides already. It is much more prevalent, I believe, than moose. We have concerns about seeing moosehides left in the bush. We know that artisans are very interested in seeing traditionally-tanned moosehides. That is why we are starting there first. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Question 181-15(6): Traditionally-tanned Moosehide Program
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 511

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member's statement, I talked about my concern about how we are delivering power to our people in the North. I think that we need a clear strategy of where we are going to make sure we are delivering the best product to everyone. On top of that, I think we need to look forward and catch on to opportunities before us throughout Canada so we can harness our great potential here in the North. My questions, Mr. Speaker, are to the Minister of the NWT Power Corporation. So, Mr. Speaker, does the government have plans to develop a power generation and utilization strategy, in other words, a new hydro strategy, that will work to help develop and implement cheaper power for people of the North? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Return To Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Item 7: Oral Questions

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David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, through our business plans, I did commit. We are developing a hydro strategy in light of the change to develop our own hydro corporation. We are working with looking at mini hydro in communities. We are looking at the hydro potential to the pipeline. We are looking at hydro potential in regards to the expansion of Taltson, the diamond mines. In order to conclude that, we have directed the corporation to develop a hydro strategy which we are hoping to have completed and brought forward as a transitional document to the incoming government of the 16th Assembly. Thank you.

Return To Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Item 7: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 512

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the Minister of the Power Corporation being the head of the Power Corporation obviously, is it part of their mandate or policy to ensure that we are delivering the most effective, affordable and cheapest power available? I am concerned that the NWT Power Corporation power rates are higher than they are when they are delivered by independent sources such as Northland Utilities. Is it the policy of the NWT Power Corporation to ensure that they are delivering the most affordable power to each home? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Question 182-15(6): Development Of New Hydro Strategy
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 512

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Krutko.