I just would like to thank the Minister in regard to coming into the communities. It’s not only going to be the elders facility in Tuk. I’m bringing forward our motion for the one in Ulukhaktok, as well, because they need one. Just to let the Minister know, and our colleagues on the other side of the floor, that we just want to take care of our elders. That’s a comment.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. I didn’t hear a question there, just an opportunity to make statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t like saying no on requests made from the Regular Members. In light of how the second occasion that this issue is being raised by the Members of the House, we’d certainly like to take a look at the situation to see if there is a demonstrated need. We will look and want to be able to talk with both Members to see the number of people that have approached them. I indicated earlier, to another line of questioning from a Member on the same issue, to talk to the city and see if they feel the same way?

We haven’t, as a department and as a government, been convinced that there is a number of real concerns in this area. In fact, I think the road licensing division has only had less than a handful of concerns being raised on cell phones and distracted driving. There is, of course, concern on how we can enforce it. These things need to be looked at. I won’t rule that out. If there is enough information there to warrant change in legislation, then I will certainly consider that.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer. I think the time has come where the department needs to do some research and to look into this matter. I didn’t put it in my statement, but I have also been contacted by a resident some time ago and I have three or four anecdotal examples which I did not put into my statement, one of which was someone had to slam on their brakes at the N.J. McPherson School crosswalk because the young woman who was in front of them didn’t stop at the stop sign and that was due to a cell phone.

In terms of actions that the department has taken or will take, the Minister alluded to some; but relative to trying to reduce the number of distracted drivers in the NWT and trying to make sure that our roads are safer, I know the department publishes an annual accident report which I think recently came out. I think it was 137 accidents were caused by undue care, well, not undue care but I think reckless driving. I’d like to know if the Minister can advise how many of those accidents or collisions were caused by distracted driving. Were there any arrests or violations or even comments?

I don’t have the accident report in front of me, so I’ll have to wager that the amount of accidents due to distracted driving was relatively small. I think we can’t ignore the fact that there is a mechanism in place within the municipalities to create the exact legislation within the municipality to govern the use of cell phones and other forms of distraction. That’s something I guess we can follow up on and explore. Up to now, none of the municipalities have undertaken to go that route. I would leave that to an assumption that there is no real concern out there. Having said that, the Member is correct that there are more and more communities that are coming on

line with cell service, so it may be high time that we reviewed the situation. I will undertake to do that.

I appreciate that this is sort of an issue that involves municipalities, because we don’t have cell phone service beyond municipalities to a certain extent, but certainly in Yellowknife here, cell phone service is available at least 40 kilometres and I think sometimes up to 50 kilometres away from here. That highway out to Prelude and beyond is used often in the summertime. I think there is an opportunity for us to look at drivers outside of our communities who are driving on highways, even if it is for 10 kilometres.

I’d like to know from the Minister -- he’s alluded to the fact that there’s an opportunity for municipalities to develop bylaws, I think that’s a possibility -- is there another way, though, that we, as the GNWT, could do something about distracted drivers apart from putting legislation in place? Can we put fines in place? I know it’s an enforcement issue, but can we put fines in place instead of having to change legislation?

The Member indicated in her Member’s statement that there are 21 million cell phone users across Canada. I think out of that amount there’s probably 8,000 that are living in the NWT. We do have legislation that covers and provides oversight under the concerns the Member is raising as part of distracted driving. That’s section 154 of the Motor Vehicles Act, undue care and attention. The fines for that are already set at $115. We can always review to see if that can be raised as a deterrent for this whole issue that’s been brought up today.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the answer. I guess I would like to suggest that maybe in looking at this issue perhaps the value of the fine should be increased. I’d also like to ask the Minister -- he’s alluded to working with municipalities -- could he commit to taking this issue, getting some more information, and also talking to municipalities to see if there isn’t some sort of joint action we can take?

The action that we have been utilizing so far has been education. Our Drive Alive program has been utilized to provide that information to all the municipalities and individuals in the communities. We’d be glad to, as part of our discussions, undertake to talk about this whole issue of distracted driving and the probability of raising the fines so that they could be utilized and recognized as a deterrent. I’d be happy to do that.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of the Housing Corporation. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could explain what the NWT Housing Corporation is doing in the Sahtu to help elders or seniors or persons with disabilities to keep their houses in good condition.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Housing Corporation has a program called the Preventive Maintenance Program for Seniors that allows seniors to have furnaces repaired and getting ready for winter. For the most part, once you apply you’re pretty well in the system. It’s just a service that they continue to do every year.

I would ask that the Minister would answer my other question in terms of persons with disabilities and helping them keep their houses in good condition.

The Housing Corporation will continue to assist persons with disabilities as far as making their units disabled with all the proper hardware and stuff that they need. They do assist disabled people any way they can.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Member supplementary questions. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I asked the Minister if he would look at the programs under the CARE program or the Preventative Measures Program in our small communities in terms of showing that the corporation can possibly look at the options of contracting specific tradespeople or contractors in the communities that would be specifically assigned to seniors’ homes or people with disabilities in terms of them knowing who they can contact in terms of repairs or preventative measures updates on their homes.

In some communities that service already exists where a local contractor is used to do the preventative maintenance in the home and once we work with the other communities to identify possible potential tradesmen that would do the work, then we would be more than pleased to work with them to provide that same service in their community so the local people will have a contact number in the community that they can get a hold of.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

I would ask the Minister if he would look into the Sahtu region in terms of working with his staff to ensure that this information is relayed down clearly to the communities in my region to let them know that this opportunity could be available to local contractors or trades people in the region so the elders and people with disabilities can know for sure that they can call when they need some help.

That’s part of our communication plan and that’s already begun; to talk to all the communities and communicate to them the programs and services that we have available. We have a new communications person on staff. They’re pretty excited about getting the word out there. I think that process has already begun.