Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular policy on the Seniors Home Heating Subsidy Program is intended to assist, as the Member stated, low-income seniors. If there are also other individuals living in the household, as well, that are earning an income, they should be contributing towards the actual cost of fuel or food in the household as well.

We’ve heard in the past, our ancestors, our grandfathers, that we have to share within our household, share within the community, and that’s what should be happening with individuals that are living in that particular household. They need to

share their costs, as well, and that’s not happening. We also get calls from seniors, as well, that we need to assess them, and that’s what we’re doing in those areas. Mahsi.

There are also seniors who are getting help from their own relatives and support from family members. Has the Minister gone to Colville Lake and seen what the cost of living is there? It’s outrageous. There are people there that don’t work that are helping the seniors. As soon as the seniors get help, they’re being penalized so much that our seniors are afraid, and some of them are scared of living in these small communities.

Can the Minister, if he has heart, look at this policy with his colleagues to see if they can get help? There are some good seniors that are not getting the help in the Northwest Territories because the policies are not fitting with the communities’ needs. Can the Minister look at that?

We have explored those areas regarding some of the seniors having individuals living with them. It could be providing more home care to them. Another area that we also explored is the seniors and individuals living under their roof, could they be invoiced as opposed to the senior. We have been exploring those areas. We have a representative at the regional level, as well, and we continuously have those discussions at the community level and at the regional level, and we will continue to do that if we need to make those changes. We need to consult with the communities as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I ask this government to quit picking on our seniors. They’ve done enough. They’ve helped us. I ask this government what does it need from this side of the Regular Members to get the job done fairly and quickly. Will he show us where the target is so I think we can hit the bull’s eye on this issue here?

For the record, we’re not picking on the elders, the seniors in the community. We have subsidized the elders in the communities. The Seniors Fuel Subsidy is particularly for those individuals that are low-income households. So we do provide subsidies. At the same time, we have increased the threshold of $10,000 as well. We are making changes to our policy and we will continue to do that. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There have been a couple of increases to minimum wage as requested by the Members of the Legislative Assembly. There has been some work done. I don’t have that specific detailed information, but I can provide that to the Members once I get my hands on it.

Thanks to the Minister for that commitment. I guess I would like to know from the Minister, the work that’s been done, the information that he’s about to provide to us, has that been looking at a method to provide for ongoing, considered and regular increases to minimum wage? Thank you.

Those are part of the discussions that my department has been exploring with other jurisdictions as well. Part of the best practices, we analyze other provincial and territorial jurisdictions and how they increase their, I guess, annual wage increase. It has been part of that discussion, yes.

I guess I need to ask the Minister my usual question as to timing. I did ask that question a year ago and I was advised that the Minister would check his findings and get back to me. I haven’t heard anything in the ensuing 12 months, so I would like to again ask the Minister when I might expect to get some information from the Minister and the department as to how we will have steady, and planned, and regular increases to minimum wages in the future.

As I stated, there has been some research in other parts of the jurisdictions and my department has been discussing that with various counterparts, various parties involved. I can assure the Member that there is work in process. Not only that, I can assure the Member that I will get to the Member before the 12-month period. But this is a particular area that has been of interest to us, as well, since the

Member has been asking. I will definitely get back to all the Members on the timing of the next steps. Mahsi.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7, oral questions, on the agenda today. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Hawkins.

I just want to follow up with some of the issues Member Groenewegen raised, and I don’t disagree with some of the concerns she highlighted. My question, of course, evidently will be directed to the Minister of Transportation.

Is it not part of the law to drive with due care and attention to the conditions of the road? I wonder if the Minister could answer that particular question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the very clear and succinct answer from the Minister over there. Of course, in that particular case, just for clarity for the public following the issue, if the posted limit is 90 kilometres an hour and the snow causes you to drive slower due to safety, would it not seem reasonable to be driving to the conditions of the road at that time? Thank you.

I believe the Member is asking for my opinion. The question is a bit hypothetical, if you want my opinion. Thank you.

I guess if that is the way he wants to answer the question, but the obvious question is yet again his earlier answer was yes, you drive to the conditions of the road. Does the Minister of Transportation note that there is a concern about the buffalo licking salt off the highways on our roads? Does that not pose a problem with the Department of Transportation or, at the very least, a concern? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that certainly would be a concern, but as I have mentioned to Member Groenewegen earlier, we are very proud of the fact that last year we had zero fatalities on the roads here in the Northwest Territories. I think that is a testament to the programs that we have, the Drive Alive program

and other public safety efforts that we put forth. We are happy to have zero fatalities on our roads. Thank you.