Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to make some brief opening comments. Public Works and Services has been working on the shared services and procured shared services and we’ve been trying to work out some of the details on this process. I guess overall I support the concept of centralizing or regionalizing some of this purchasing. You know, in the Hay River area we’ve been able to get some of those positions and do some of that stuff.

I guess I’ve been hearing some concerns, and there are some growing pains of going back to this process. I say “back” because I think the government used to do this a long time ago, centralized purchasing. I guess there are just some growing pains between the link between Public Works and Services and the departments and some of the people supplying the products, whether it be northern manufacturers, which we recently had a meeting with as well as some of the people who supply it. I’ve heard the Department of Health from the people that supply equipment to the health service.

I guess I’m giving a little bit of time to Public Works and Services to deal with the growth and the learning curve of learning these departments and how those people have to learn some of the specialties of the individual departments. I understand there’s a link between the department and shared services, but I’m not sure exactly how that works with the department as far as the specs. Some of these people that have been supplying to the health field have been training some of those departments, some of the health departments, some of the people in the regions that this is what they need, but this is what we provide, this is what’s available, whether it’s a hospital bed or whether it’s a specialized tub. Like, there are a bunch of specs that they need.

So I know there’s a learning curve for shared services to get up to speed on some of the specialty stuff from each department. When we deal with Transportation, for example, of a plow truck, what’s required in a plow truck? Because I think some of the stuff has been there for years as far as the Department of Transportation knows what they want, but now they have to go to shared services and explain that. So there’s a little bit of a learning curve, and if the Minister could just talk about where the shared services is going in learning and getting up to speed in that link between departments and the procurement side of it.

I’m glad to continue to see the deferred maintenance slowly going down. I don’t know the actual number when we started in this Assembly, but I know the number has been going down pretty steadily. So, obviously, we’re happy with the new health centre in Hay River and I think that alleviates some of the deferred maintenance.

Just looking through my notes from the business plans, one of the things was e-waste. I know we continue to look at ways of dealing with the e-waste. I know the government goes through a lot of e-waste and I know we’ve been trying some pilot projects, but I think we just need to commit to fixing it, to taking it on. I know, through my private side, a lot of that e-waste is being shipped south now. I think they’re doing that in Fort Smith. So, I mean, I

think the government needs to come in on getting rid of some of that e-waste and not letting it go to the landfill and not letting it go into surplus, because most of the time it ends up in the landfill after a few things have been taken from it. So I think we need to commit, as a government, to getting rid of the e-waste, get a full recycling program going on it. I know Public Works is dealing with a lot of that because they end up with the surplus assets.

The other one that I know Public Works and Services I’ve been trying to send them notes whenever space comes available and decentralization, and I guess if we can get a little bit of an update on where Public Works is doing assessments in the communities, the smaller centres of their office space available. I even recently heard of Simpson, looking at opportunities there for more office space. Where does the department see that going forward? I think the department is one of the key links in decentralization as far as office space is concerned. Obviously, Housing is for housing issues and other departments as far as getting their positions decentralized. So that’s an area of concern, and I know Public Works is engaged with that decentralization.

So, those are my main concerns with this department. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s Kamba time! Mr. Speaker, this weekend is Kamba Carnival, one of the first carnivals in the Northwest Territories, and obviously the travel with the carnivals are starting this spring. Obviously, it’s the first sign of spring.

I look forward to going back to Hay River this weekend and partaking in some of the events. Last night they had a youth talent show. Obviously, we have a lot of people coming in from throughout the North; actually, sometimes we get Alaska. A bunch of people come in for the dogsled races. We have pancake breakfasts coming on. This afternoon is an official half day off for the community of Hay River. There’s going to be a bingo, obviously. There’s going to be hand games. I’m looking forward to not participating but actually seeing it. I’ve never really seen it take place, so I’m going to get there. Saturday night there’s a talent show and obviously there are many events going on, so I look forward to it.

Some of the people are travelling – I know Mr. Nadli and Mr. Blake are considering coming for this big event – and we look forward to seeing a lot of people from the Northwest Territories and throughout the northern area.

It’s Kamba time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is excited to announce the birth of the first baby in Hay River with our new Midwifery Program.

---Applause

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015, the first Hay River mother who planned her birth in the community with a midwife delivery delivered a healthy baby boy, 7 pounds, 9.5 ounces. Mother and baby are doing well and were able to return home after 24 hours.

The staff at H.H. Williams were welcoming of the new child and honestly were very excited that they’ve been trained to take on this new responsibility and were excited that Hay River is going to be back on birth certificates.

I’d like to thank everybody in the House here that supported midwifery. We look forward to seeing Hay River on the birth certificates out there. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Bill 47, Deline Final Self-Government Agreement Act; and Tabled Document 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016, and would like to report progress and that Bill 46, Deline Final Self-Government Agreement Act, is ready for third reading. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I, like my colleagues, would like to give my support to this bill. Also, congratulations to the people of Deline. It is a great day. In my many years of political career, not only as an MLA but town councillor and municipal politics, we control our own destiny. We’ve taken our devolution. It’s an opportunity for the people of the Northwest Territories.

When I was on town council in Hay River, whenever we had an opportunity for the town to control its comings and goings, it’s better that the community itself takes that control. I see that as an opportunity for Deline to their self-government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister has been getting these reports. I’ve been getting some of the reports on there. Industry has been keen on letting them know where the maintenance needs to be done. I know in the next little while we’re going to be looking at supplementary expenditures. The roads are melting. The weather is going to be starting to warm up here. We know there is going to be more pressure.

When will the Minister give us some indication that they’re going to increase the cycles and look for money in maintenance?

I did hear that comment from the Minister in the media a while ago about the lack of industry support this year, but this government has been around for a long time, and I know industry is not there that much this year in the Sahtu especially, so they haven’t been beating up the road as much. But the roads are in terrible shape right now.

Is the Minister looking to put more money and more cycles into the maintenance of the highways?

The next question I have is how does the department know that there’s going to be a set amount? If there are 10 snowstorms versus 15 snowstorms in a year or whether we have no snow in one area or lots of snow, how does the department set that as a fix? Does the department ever come back to the Assembly for additional funds to improve the maintenance on those highways?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today will be for the Minister of Transportation. I know the Minister, before Christmas, got an opportunity to go on the winter roads. I’m glad that he went early, because from what I’m hearing the roads are in rougher shape now than they were back then.

My first question is does the Department of Transportation have a fixed budget on winter road construction and maintenance?