Water woes continue
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 13/00) - People in Fort McPherson continue to cope with a water treatment system that is old, costly to operate and drawing from a water suspect supply.
 David Krutko |
Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Roger Allen said the government is working with the community to find a solution to the water problem, which first surfaced three years ago.
One of the issues to be resolved is costs -- the government says some of the costs are not associated with the operation of the water plant.
The government plans to construct a new water plant at a different lake starting next year.
Culture in classrooms
Aboriginal language and culture should be a part of every grade of public schooling, said Tu Nedhe MLA Steven Nitah.
"I suspect (students) know more about the American Constitution than they know about Treaty 8 and Treaty 11," said Nitah.
Education Minister Jake Ootes said aboriginal content in the curriculum is currently available up to Grade 6 and will soon be available up to Grade 9.
Ultimately, Ootes said, choices about what will be included in the curriculum fall to local education councils.
Let the boards do it
Student financial assistance programs should be administered by local boards and not the government, argued Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger.
"We have five people who work in this area," responded Ootes.
"What are we going to devlolve?"
Miltenberger said the South Slave councils are ready, willing and able to take over the delivery of the program in that region and said Ootes "sounds like the captain of the Titanic trying to reassure his passengers."
Tax clears hurdle
A proposed hotel tax has moved one step closer to becoming law.
The tax was debated for more than an hour last Wednesday and passed second reading by a 10-8 margin. The $500,000-$1.5 million tax is to generate funds for tourism development.
The vote generated some controversy as Yellowknife MLA Brendan Bell accused Hay River MLA Jane Groenewegen of a double standard. She excused herself from a vote on the NWT Business Development Corp. because she owns a hotel that received a loan, but still voted on the hotel tax.
"It is something that affects everybody -- it affects everybody staying in a hotel ... whereas the BDC loan affects a fairly narrow group of people," she said.
