SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The single-use retail bag program, which entails a 25 cent environmental fee plus one cent in GST, should not apply to paper bags, which are both recyclable and biodegradable, Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins said.

"People are wondering why the government penalizes them on what is considered a good bag," Hawkins said Tuesday in the legislative assembly.

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Michael Miltenberger said there are three types of bags that are taking up room in landfills and polluting the land.

"Paper ... is very energy intensive, it's bulky, it takes up a lot of waste," said Miltenberger. "It's an enormous impact and negative impact on our environment. This adds together to help us address that issue."

Hawkins said a "spurred off, unforeseen industry" has been made of the multitude of recyclable bags being used instead of using paper bags.

Find jobs for nurse practitioners

MLA for Great Slave Glen Abernethy questioned what the Department of Health and Social Services is doing to help nurse practitioner students at Aurora College find work in the North.

Health Minister Sandy Lee said although she has committed to meet with Aurora College nursing graduates in the near future to discuss employment opportunities both in and outside of Yellowknife, she will extend that to nurse practitioner graduates.

Nurse practitioners are trained to take on some duties normally performed by doctors. Lee also mentioned that a decision has not been made to discontinue the nurse practitioner program.

"We did let them know that (the) current funding commitment is until 2012 but ... because we had an in-depth briefing, we're reviewing the Human Resource Training Program that we have with Department of Health and Social Services," she said.

Change Employment Act for reservists: MLA

The Employment Standards Act should be updated to support reservists and their employers, according to Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy.

There are 26 reservists in the Yellowknife Company of the Royal Edmonton Regiment. The Yellowknife contingent was established in June 2009, and it could grow to 100 members by 2019, Abernethy said.

Reservists work with the Canadian Forces part-time, mostly on weekends.

"In every other jurisdiction in Canada reservists are present, including Yukon and Nunavut, their local Employment Standards Act has provisions that support and protect reservists and their employers. Until recently these clauses were not necessary in the Northwest Territories. Now they are," Abernethy said in the legislative assembly Monday.

Without these amendments to the act, some may be deterred in becoming reservists in the NWT, he said.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty said if amendments need to be made, a legislative proposal must be developed to present before a standing committee.

"I believe in due time that will happen, whether it be the end of this government or early next government," said Lafferty.

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