Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have my Member’s statement on the update of the key issues in the Sahtu that I want to talk about in the next five weeks. We just heard the budget and we’re certainly asking questions regarding the needs in the Sahtu.

I want to talk about some of the things that are happening in my region. I’m asking questions on why. Why wait? Why can’t we do things differently in the Sahtu region? For example, in the Sahtu there is a real high interest of oil and gas. Oil is booming in the Sahtu. Why are we waiting to put in an all-weather road in the Sahtu? What else do we have to say to the government to say there’s high interest?

There’s over $600 million committed over the next five to 10 years in the Sahtu, possibly more. Why continue to wait to see if these resources are proven? I’m asking these types of questions. Why have the log jam? Why are our winter roads closed for 24 hours? Why is this government not prepared to put a package together to bring to the federal government for funding?

I also want to ask about the housing needs. Housing is crowded in the Sahtu. The people are living in warehouses and shacks. I’ve been to Deline. I’ve talked to the Minister about this, why people are looking at what is happening. We have three empty houses in Deline and some people are still living in shacks. I want to ask the Minister what is happening that we’re not doing something, or the people are not rising to the level of taking some responsibility to get into these houses.

Another important issue is alcohol in my region. That is causing a lot of concern for my people. We have the Minister’s forum going out to listen to the

people in the North and they’re going to the Sahtu next week. Why are half of our young people using a lot of alcohol? Our jails are full because of crimes related to alcohol. People are dying in this day and age.

The last issue I want to talk about is why isn’t the energy issue such as the Norman Wells lights out being looked at further. Why is this still happening today?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge and share with you the history of the Lutselk’e Community Garden.

Years ago, elder Alizette Lockhart of Lutselk’e had a vision of a community garden. She often spoke of her vision and succeeded only as far as planting a seed in people’s minds. Although she did foresee a community garden, there was not enough community support back then to make her vision a reality. However, over the years, Alizette and other community members finally decided to visit the idea of planting a garden, the seed that Alizette planted.

In 2007, Industry, Tourism and Investment introduced a Small Scale Food Program. They offered the community of Lutselk’e help to start a community garden. Stephanie Poole, Gene Hache and Nicole Redvers were the ones who initially started the community garden.

Upon seeing positive results, the community members started to participate and get involved in many different ways. Stephanie Poole and Tracey Williams have since taken an active leadership role in community gardens by way of doing various kinds of research on growing techniques and how to maintain a community garden. Whereas the community started a garden with one plot and now has not only two plots, but members community-wide have been growing their own gardens.

The community garden has turned out to be very positive in many ways. Many members who have started to participate eventually started to grow their own gardens. Members find it keeps them busy and productive in healthy ways. Members socialize in healthy ways by seeking assistance and advice from other members and find satisfaction in being self-sufficient, and family members find they’re a lot healthier and less expensive to grow their own vegetables and potatoes.

Once community members of Lutselk’e have finally decided to plant the seed of the elder’s vision and through accepting help from ITI started to reap the benefits in only a positive and healthy way.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of MACA and are on the issue of a payday loan company with an office in Yellowknife and active in Ontario is facing a loss of its Ontario licence because of overcharging interest and fees. Despite exactly the same sorts of problems with payday loans here in Yellowknife, we hear no reports of action by our government to investigate, monitor and control what is happening here. The 16th Assembly passed law to require

clarity in payday loan agreements for customers, but the best law is meaningless without enforcement. My question is: Does the department even review the forms and fee schedules of these companies?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right; the 16th Assembly

did pass the Cost of Disclosure Act, and it basically gives consumers an idea of what the interest rate might be with the companies that are charging. It is a situation we faced on a couple of occasions in the Northwest Territories. Down south it’s a little more widely spread. They are protected under the Criminal Code, because they are not allowed to charge in excess of 60 percent.

We continue to monitor this. We work with our southern counterparts to monitor this. As of this moment, we think the Cost of Disclosure Act and educating those out there that want to borrow what they might be getting into, I think is a good first step.

Thanks for the Minister’s comments. I hope that the Minister will report to committee on the results of that monitoring.

People who rely on payday loan companies are often the most vulnerable in our society, as the Minister knows; people without bank accounts or fixed addresses. They then become trapped in a cycle of debt, paying their whole paycheques so they can borrow on the next, or borrowing to pay their loans. It’s not a coincidence that loans stores are located right nearby both of our liquor stores.

When the law was introduced, what steps did the department take to meet with firms to make sure that they are aware of the law and are meeting their

legal responsibilities for transparency of fees and interest rates?

I would have to follow up on that, and with the department, to see if there was any communication with the firms. Once I get that information, I will share it with the Members across.

I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Reports I have from visits to these local offices say there are no prominent postings of information on legal limits to interest rates and fees. It’s all in the fine print when it comes to signing the contract.

Will the Minister ensure work with the firms to produce and publicize this information, and prominently post posters and pamphlets for display at loan offices?

I will commit to trying to get some information out there. The cost of the Credit Disclosure Act, I thought, was a good first step. If the firms are not making the consumers aware of what the potential interest rates are on these, then, to me, that would be a violation of the legislation that was passed by the 16th Assembly

and we’d have to follow up on that.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister again. The legal limit is 60 percent, and yet sometimes the loan companies have taken their customers to court to repay loans and the courts have actually found that the companies are charging way above the legal limit. MACA says people with complaints should go to the RCMP, but that’s relief from victimization, not prevention. Ontario revokes their licence while we turn a blind eye. My question is: When will this government recognize its responsibilities and set up a program of vigilance and enforcement?

Again, we would have to ensure that the firms are following the new piece of legislation that was passed by the 16th Assembly,

and if there is a need to… Well, obviously there is a need in some cases to be a bit more vigilant. I will commit to Members on the other side that I will follow up with the department to see what we’re doing on our part to ensure firms are following the legislation that was passed, and that consumers are aware of the potential interest rates they may be charged.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up with my statement and ask some questions of the Minister of Transportation. I realize the situation I mentioned in my statement may have been an anomaly. It may have been just that one day. I do have some major concerns with the fact that a callback will not be made for two days.

I’d like to first ask the Minister whether or not there is a policy with regard to voicemail and callbacks and whether or not there are guidelines for employees in terms of when they should return calls for service.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for bringing this concern to my attention. The issue with the 48-hour waiting period for getting a callback, that’s news to me. It is certainly something that I take seriously, and I’ll certainly follow up with the department on whether or not that is the case each and every day. Forty-eight hours is a long period of time for somebody to wait for a callback, so we’ll certainly take a look at that practice.

I want to thank the Minister for his commitment. I’m glad that he agrees with me that 48 hours is too long for a call.

In looking into it, I guess I’d like to know from the Minister – certainly this was a situation here in Yellowknife but it could apply to other offices throughout the territory – will he ensure that in looking at the situation, he doesn’t just look at one office but that he looks at all offices under his jurisdiction as the Transportation Minister.

In the last sitting of the House, other Members had concerns about wait times at the department of motor vehicles, and we are looking to migrate a lot of those services on-line. We are continuing that work and I think we are going to end up having the majority of services available on-line for residents in the Northwest Territories, which will certainly enhance the service and get people the information they want in more of a timely fashion, and transactions can take place on-line. That’s what we’re trying to work toward.

Certainly, we’ve made some major improvements already and we continue to work toward those improvements. Again, the issue the Member brings up is a good one and we will look into that.

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that this is going to be a fairly broad investigation into offices, but the other point that I mentioned in my statement was how difficult it is to talk to an

actual real, live body, and that’s something which we struggle with, I think, as a society.

I’d like to know from the Minister, one thing is to look at the policy of a callback within two days, but the other thing is, can the Minister do something about the Yellowknife office in particular, to ensure that a phone call really does get answered as opposed to it automatically going to voicemail.

I agree with the Member on this. Again, it’s the first I’ve heard of it. I will ask the department about it. It’s a practice that, if it is taking 48 hours, that’s not acceptable. We need to be getting back to people much sooner than 48 hours. She has my commitment that I will follow this up immediately with the department.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In reference to my Member’s statement earlier today on organ donation in the NWT, I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services a couple questions.

First, I think it’s important that we get a snapshot of the lay of the land, so to speak, in terms of our physical layout or our capacity in the organ donation department. My first question is: Are NWT hospitals currently able to receive organ or tissue donations?