Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my statement today to talk about my community and recent happenings which have raised concerns in Yellowknife about residents’ safety in this community.

Since the spring, Yellowknife has experienced what some consider to be a rash of incidents affecting residents’ well-being. Many were identified as sexual assaults, and they’ve resulted in concern among Yellowknife constituents and, yes, fear; fear of being assaulted or accosted, fear that their homes are no longer safe, fear that we are not safe within our community, in our downtown, on our trails and in our homes. We Yellowknifers are seeing a change in our community that scares us. We are reading and hearing media reports and personal accounts which, valid or not, are scaring us.

On October 3rd my community took a step towards

fighting back, a step towards reclaiming our city, towards an environment where we can all feel safe and secure. On October 3rd we held a town hall

meeting, titled “A Conversation on Community Safety.” My thanks goes to GNWT Justice, who organized the meeting, and to representatives from the RCMP, the City of Yellowknife and Yellowknife Health and Social Services, who attended along with Minister Abernethy.

The meeting was an opportunity to hear Yellowknifers’ concerns and to hear what should be done to make our community safer. I was privileged to be the moderator for the evening, and I have to say how pleased I was, how proud and impressed I was with the comments of my fellow residents. They were thoughtful and full of suggestions to address the issues before us.

So what now? Will there be any action? Can Yellowknifers expect some action and, if so, when? The short answer is yes. Five groups are working together: the City, the RCMP, GNWT Justice, GNWT Health and Social Services and Yellowknife Health and Social Services. Work is underway. There will be a response in due course.

But it was made very clear by many at the town hall meeting that we just cannot wait for someone to do something to fix things. We as individuals must also be responsible and take action. We must use our

public spaces, use them in a safe and calculated manner, but use them, and use them all the time. I agree with them. A populated space is a safe space, in my view.

I love my community, that’s why I’m still here some 40 years after I first got here. I want newcomers, old-timers and everybody in between to enjoy Yellowknife as I do. It’s a great place to live, even with all the recent assaults. I say get out and enjoy our city. Don’t let the few dictate how we live. Thank you.