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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's been four months since MLAs last sat together in the legislative assembly to hash out issues affecting the territory. They're back at it again today as the legislative assembly settles in for a four-week session.

Regular Yellowknife MLAs have had the summer to speak with constituents about issues affecting life in the capital, as well as a municipal election where topics such as the revitalizing the downtown core and lowering the cost of living were heard loud and clear through candidate platforms.

Daryl Dolynny, MLA for Range Lake, said he's glad to see Yellowknife issues come to the forefront.

"If they're not, it makes our job a lot harder as regular members," said Dolynny.

"It's interesting that there's a good common theme I'm seeing among the candidates, both as councillors and mayors, which is good to see. A lot of them are fundamentally accurate."

He said the recurring themes - the cost of living, and social issues downtown - are important and that multiple levels of government need to get involved to tackle them.

"I think the funding for the downtown day shelter is definitely going to be something discussed," he said.

"We're talking about the lack of a detoxification centre. These are all critical pieces of infrastructure that we need to work on territorially, and we are. This is something I've been championing myself as a regular member and a member of social programs standing committee."

Dolynny said many of the issues constituents have brought to him have been health-related, due to his background as a pharmacist.

Wendy Bisaro, MLA for Frame Lake, said she's disappointed that people in transitional housing, such as Rockhill apartments, are not eligible for the low-income subsidy being offered by the NWT Housing Corporation to working poor residents living in privately-owned rental dwellings. Bisaro said she also has some issues with the territory's capital plan, which is cutting back over the next two years.

"Our capital budget is reduced so it's leaving a lot of things that need to be done undone and not on the list anywhere," she said, expressing concern about a needed retrofit of J.H. Sissons School and a planned $200-million renovation and possible expansion of Stanton Territorial Hospital in 2015.

"There's a planning study that's underway right now, but how and when that's going to be funded is a huge question," said Bisaro.

Robert Hawkins, Yellowknife Centre MLA, tweeted to Yellowknifer that the need for addictions treatment options and funding for the downtown day shelter are issues he hopes to bring forward in this session.

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley was unavailable for comment by press deadline.

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