Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a proper copy here now.

The Public Review of Bill 31

To commence its review of Bill 31, the Standing Committee on Government Operations sent letters inviting input from an extensive list of stakeholders, including all municipal and Indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories, and a number of non-governmental organizations.

During the week of January 21, 2019, the committee travelled to and held public meetings in Fort Smith, Inuvik, and Fort McPherson, returning to Yellowknife for a final public meeting on January 24, 2019. Committee thanks every individual and organization who attended these meetings in order to share their views on 911 with the Members.

What We Heard

Qualified Support Depending on the Cost

The support that committee heard for 911 could best be characterized as "mixed." The City of Yellowknife commended the GNWT for contemplating Bill 31, noting that the "implementation of a 911 system quite simply saves lives," and that it "achieves this by eliminating any doubt or delay regarding the correct number to call in an emergency." The City of Yellowknife also noted that "as tourism increase[s] the numbers of visitors to our city, it is becoming increasingly important to have a 911 system that is recognized by travellers worldwide, to ensure that emergencies are reported in a timely manner to avoid adverse consequences."

Not all comments were as supportive, however. Mr. Bill Buckle, senior administrative officer for Fort McPherson, said, "I hate to say it, but it's really more of a Yellowknife problem with a Yellowknife solution."

Mr. Clarence Wood, current president of the NWT Association of Communities, with 20 years of experience on Inuvik Town Council, told the committee that he is concerned about the cost of the service and its efficiency. He posed the question, "Why pay for something when we don't have cell service across the territory?"

In general, committee heard qualified support for bringing 911 emergency service to the Northwest Territories. Most people who supported it saw the value in having a universal emergency number across the Northwest Territories, but were not prepared to subsidize the service at any cost.

Mr. Dez Loreen of Inuvik said he thought it was "cool" that 911 is coming to the Northwest Territories. He noted that he would be comfortable paying a surcharge, but wondered if the service could be introduced in a staged fashion, so that only those who have access would have to pay.

A comment made by Ms. Anna Kikoak of Fort Smith resonated with committee members. She said, "One of the things that ties us together in the North is that we take responsibility for one another; I would be willing to pay a little more [for 911] to help others."

From the input received, committee took away the message that people were prepared to pay a user fee for 911 service, but that costs should be kept as affordable as possible for the end user in these difficult economic times.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass it over to the Member for Sahtu.