Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Pudluk on November 24, regarding the Nanisivik water and sewer disposal system.

The department considers Nanisivik to be the locale where mine personnel are served by the existing municipal type infrastructure, and not an organized community with a recognized level of local government.

The GNWT does not hold, and has never held, a municipal water license for Nanisivik. The only water license in existence is held by the mine and is solely for industrial use.

In June, 1974, under the terms of the primary agreement between the GNWT and Nanisivik Mines Ltd., the GNWT provided a loan to Nanisivik to develop the mine site, including water and sewer infrastructure. The loan has since been paid back in full, under the terms and conditions of a capital cost recovery agreement put in place in 1979. The government's position all along has been that responsibility for ownership, operation and maintenance on the water and sanitation rests with the mine, by virtue of the capital cost recovery agreement.

In its last meeting on July 12, 1993, it was agreed by all that Nanisivik Mines Ltd. should continue to operate and maintain the water and sewer system, and a cost-share agreement, based on the use by all customers, would be developed. The government's position continues to be that the responsibility for the ownership and operation and maintenance of the water and sanitation facilities at Nanisivik rests with the Nanisivik Mine. Therefore, the government has not undertaken any repairs to the system.

Departmental staff have contacted the mine to relay the Water Board's concerns regarding the sewage system and the need to chlorinate drinking water, and requested that repairs be undertaken at the earliest, consistent with the agreement reached with the mine on July 12, 1993. The mine has indicated that the creek into which the sewage is being discharged is still the same one into which Nanisivik Mines Ltd. has been discharging its tailings for years. The whole area has long been well-signed and posted to warn the general public to keep away, therefore, there is no immediate health hazard.

In the longer term, the principle of user-pay will be adopted by all parties applied to the water and sewer systems for Nanisivik. The GNWT, as a customer, will be responsible to the mine as the owner and operator of the system for the costs of services to the GNWT buildings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a response to a question asked by Mr. Pudluk on November 19, 1993, concerning payment of health bills for foreign resident.

Mr. Speaker, visitors from outside Canada are not eligible for coverage under the health care plan. Individuals from outside of Canada who take up residency in the Northwest Territories are required to provide valid immigration papers to qualify for NWT health care plan benefits. The immigration documents that are acceptable for the purpose of NWT health care coverage are a student visa, a working visa, or a landed immigrant visa. If the individual has any of these items he could be eligible for coverage under the NWT health care plan from the day of his arrival in the Northwest Territories.

The individual in the Member's community should contact the nurse in charge at the local health centre regarding coverage under the NWT health care plan. Further information is available from the Baffin Regional Health Board or the supervisor of registration in the Northwest Territories' health care plan. The number there is 1-800-661-0786.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, if the honourable Member wishes to provide me with additional information on the individual, I will look into the matter further. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In responding to a question yesterday, asked by my honourable colleague, Mr. Allooloo, with regard to the pupil/teacher ratio under the collective agreement, I just want to inform the honourable Members here that the pupil/teacher ratio is not a matter under the collective agreement, but rather a policy within government.

The other matter is that I will be, in future, making a ministerial statement on this matter to inform the Members of this House on how that particular matter is dealt with in assigning teachers to each school.

In this case, the Member is correcting the record as opposed to a formal reply to an oral question. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Renewable Resources and is with regard to water. Mr. Speaker, there has been a concern in my community and in the Deh Cho region, in particular, about the water in the Mackenzie River and whether the pulp mills in the south actually have an affect on the quality of water in the Mackenzie River.

On a number of occasions, Mr. Speaker, people in Providence have caught fish that didn't look normal. It does concern the community. I would like to ask the Minister whether this government has any kind of strategic plan with regard to protecting watersheds? I'm referring, specifically, to places like Kakisa and Willow Lake. Those all have fairly good quality water that might have to be used eventually if quality of water in the Mackenzie doesn't get better.

Mr. Kakfwi.

Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Arctic Red River is a heritage river and it is identified as such, I think. I would like to ask the government whether we have legislation in place right now that can actually identify those lakes as protected areas so that we don't have people dumping into those lakes or developing around them. This is so that, in the future, we at least have water that we can actually use in the event that the quality gets worse in the Mackenzie. Thank you.

Mr. Kakfwi.

The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Transportation. He answered some of my questions, but I would also like to ask him something else. We have had problems in Cape Dorset, it is not as bad in the winter-time, but in the spring and summer there are problems with the airport. Perhaps the Minister of Transportation could consider improving this airport in the capital budget.

Mr. Speaker, the problems we have had with the Cape Dorset airport have existed for a long time. I would like to ask the Minister if he could consider the problem in Cape Dorset. Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to assure my honourable colleague that we are taking the issue of the Cape Dorset runway very seriously. This past summer, there were some runway repairs completed and some geotechnical, survey and design work was also completed in the plan. It is our intent to rehabilitate that air field and the runway lighting in 1994-95. We intend to do that this coming summer. There will be a new air terminal building for Cape Dorset, should the budget be approved, in 1995-96.

We are taking action as quickly as we can. It is our intention to bring the Cape Dorset runway up to grade this summer and to construct a new air terminal building in 1995. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for responding to my question. This is a big problem in Cape Dorset, and it has existed for some time. Looking through the capital budget, I was expecting to see the problem we have in Cape Dorset addressed in this capital budget. Perhaps this can be in the spring budget plan for this coming year. Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Let me assure my honourable colleague that there is money in the budget to rehabilitate the Cape Dorset airstrip this coming summer, in 1994-95. Should the money be approved for the air terminal building, there will be a new air terminal building in 1995-96. I want to assure him again that this summer we are going to rehabilitate the Cape Dorset runway and improve the airfield lighting system as well. Thank you.