Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The National Energy Board has released today its Arctic review report as well as a National Energy Board filing requirements for offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic.

I understand with this National Energy Board release, this could fundamentally affect the future requirements for applications to drill and Canadian Arctic offshore developments. My question is for the Minister of ITI. I know this release has just been a couple hours old. Is there any initial response from this government? Thank you.

…is a new network built for communications of the Government of Nunavut that is providing increased efficiency while at the same time showing significant cost savings over older legacy systems.

Going forward, SSI already has a new investment worth tens of millions of dollars underway, working on the principle that benefits of innovation and competition should not be denied in the North, and where these investments will allow improvement to current services and introduce innovative new technologies to the North.

Members of the Assembly, thank you, and please join me in congratulating Mr. Philipp, the North’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

At this time, I would like to say seasons greetings and healthy holidays to all the residents of Range Lake and to all residents throughout the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take a moment to signal and celebrate the accomplishments of one of my Range Lake constituents and whose business is also located in the riding. I’m referring to none other than Mr. Jeffrey Philipp, founder and CEO of SSI Group of Companies.

Some of you have already seen the December issue of Up Here magazine. The cover and main story featured Jeff, who, as the North’s rebel tech geek, has been named the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year. This is an accomplishment that is well deserved and that I believe deserves recognition by the Legislative Assembly here today.

SSI’s origins are in Jeff’s hometown of Fort Providence, where he spent most of his life, where in 1965 his parents opened the Snowshoe Inn. For some 25 years now, Jeff and his wife, Stefanie, have been the second-generation owners of Snowshoe, which has continued to grow and branched into various operations, along the way

generating new investment, creating jobs and delivering opportunities for the considerable number of Northerners.

SSI was founded in 1990, providing computer software and training for Fort Providence. Five years later they became an Internet service provider, and in the following decade deployed voice data and Internet systems in Canada but also in Africa, South Pacific and South Asia, including Indonesia, immediately after the 2004 tsunami. Then things started to become really interesting.

In 2004 SSI became the first company to build its own network to compete with NorthwesTel when they launched a high-speed wireless service in Yellowknife. From 2005 the build-out continued with QINIQ and Airware networks that now provide affordable broadband across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. These networks have improved the lives of residents by providing access to services that did not exist before, including on-line banking, education and health services via broadband. Some $30 million of investment later, SSI has deployed in even the smallest of northern settlements. The goal is commendable; and that is to give all Northerners equal access to quality communication services regardless of where they live.

Despite certain CRTC restrictions early this year, SSI launched the QINIQ “ChatBox” service to all satellite service communities in Nunavut. With this, consumers have an inexpensive alternative for long distance calling and for placing calls to and from each other. SSI is also putting the finishing touches on Northern Space Link, a space teleport in Ottawa that delivers quality and robust communication services to the North and provides a valuable source of diversity. What is perhaps a lesson for us in the NWT is knowing a key beneficiary of SSI’s latest investments…

Mr. Speaker, I seek, at this time, unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am definitely in favour of this motion today regarding anti-poverty. It is obviously a very tricky subject. Obviously you have heard today a lot of supporting views from very different angles. I would like to attack this from a more pragmatic angle, an economic angle.

If I was to use the analogy of what we do here today as an automobile, as a government we tend to focus a lot of our efforts on tweaking with our engine, making our engine strong. That is not a bad thing, Mr. Speaker. That is not a bad thing for the Members to work on. But keep in mind if we were to use the analogy again of a vehicle, then poverty

would be our flat tires. This is what we have to deal with, Mr. Speaker and Members, is that we have flat tires.

Industry and research has told us that if we were to look at our flat tires, if we were to fix these flat tires, the return on our investment as a government would be anywhere between four to 15 dollars for every dollar we spend on fixing our flat tires. These are numbers that are factual in print. If we were to take the time and to look at fixing these tires, to get four to 15 times on our dollar I think it is a great amount of help for our economy because it takes those stresses away from things like social programs, health, incarcerations. If we have flat tires, Mr. Speaker and Members of this Assembly, then we need to take it to a good garage. To take it to a good garage we need to take it to good mechanics. Some of our great mechanics are sitting with us today. These mechanics are hoping and waiting to fix our flat tires. I support the motion of anti-poverty. Thank you.

No further questions, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s response that we look into it and I appreciate the fact that money is tight. A further supplemental to that same question is sometimes businesses can’t afford to give money but they can give in-kind. That, too, would have a tangible effect for NGOs and registered charities to get the good work done that they need to do. Would the Minister of Finance consider, as well, equally in-kind tax incentives for, say, poverty?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no doubt in my mind that the North boasts some of the most generous individuals and businesses that help support our most hardworking NGOs and registered charities in the North. Many of those NGOs and charities are with us here today, listening to our strategies on anti-poverty. However, in a lot of cases, small businesses and medium-

sized businesses would love to contribute to a lot of these NGOs and charities only they can’t. They can’t afford to do so.

Because this is anti-poverty day I have a question for the Minister of Finance. Would the Minister of Finance consider a business tax incentive for poverty?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a privilege to have so many great volunteers and hardworking people that deal with a lot of serious issues in our community. More importantly, I’d like to make reference to one of my Range Lake constituents, Valerie Miyok, who is the administrative assistant for the NWT Literacy Council. Welcome to the House. Of course I would be remiss because of my statement today on Betty House and the tireless efforts of our true champion Ms. Dayle Hernblad, who is the homeless coordinator for the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition. Thanks, Dayle.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleagues are sharing their thoughts today on poverty, in the hopes that we may begin the journey of preparing a proper Anti-Poverty Strategy framework. No matter what angle we look at, the message is very clear: It’s time to get the ball rolling on this strategy.

Countless volunteers and civic coalition partners have invested much time and energy as of late to get one anti-poverty chess piece off the concept table and into action. This much needed transitional facility is none other than Betty House.

My personal role started about a year ago, as president of the Yellowknife Community Foundation, when our board helped with the largest single donation in our foundation’s history to get Betty House off the ground. With coalition partners such as the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, BHP, The Brick, governments, women’s organizations and citizens of the NWT, together they have made Betty House a reality.

Why should we be so passionate about homelessness for women? Admittedly, most homelessness research is traditionally focused on men, but gender-specific literature has begun to emerge focusing on women’s unique housing issues, concerns and needs. Women, as we are finding out, account for a significant and growing proportion of population of homelessness which require gender-specific needs and preferences in

terms of approaches to treatment, recovery and housing stabilization.

We know from our research that women also experience homelessness differently than men. Women are more likely to be guardians of children or are younger and homeless for shorter periods of time. Research also tells us they prefer self-contained units and women-only buildings, and favour communal living areas where they can form groups for social support; not to mention this new facility will need to consider the culturally appropriate services and living environments to support spiritual and traditional values.

It is truly unfortunate, but for many women, turning to homelessness is sometimes the only solution to escape from domestic conflict, abuse, or poor social housing conditions. It is where Betty House will play a significant role.

Betty House is a critical chess piece in our future Anti-Poverty Strategy framework to which all Members of the 17th Assembly are looking forward

to be putting on their agenda. Therefore, let’s not disappoint our coalition partners and truly support an Anti-Poverty Strategy we can be proud of.