Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Renewable Resources. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Renewable Resources told us the review of the forest fire management program would not be completed until the end of May. Further he stated that no proposals for constructing the aircraft maintenance facility will be considered until the review of the forest fire management program is completed and assessed. When my honourable colleague for North Slave had questioned him, he further stated to my honourable colleague, and I quote from unedited Hansard, "nothing will change for this year for the 1993 fire season. Probably during 1993, the policy will be in place and changes will take place in the 1994 fire season." Can the Minister advise this House, when his department will identify the dollars to allow for construction of this aircraft maintenance facility which the government announced last year will be located in Fort Smith?

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of coming up with such a facility, it needs to be planned and also the department has no resources at this time without going to FMB. A facility such as this would utilize capital dollars, and I would have to go back to Cabinet for the resources. At the present time, I do not know when we will be able to go to Cabinet to get the dollars. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister indicated, for a facility such as this, he has no resources and no capital dollars identified, but he has to allocate the funding and bring it forth for Cabinet approval. Why did the government announce that a facility for the aircraft maintenance be in Fort Smith? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government thought the best location for a hangar and also an aircraft maintenance facility would be Fort Smith. That is our policy at the present time, but we have to do more planning as to how we are going to fight fires in the Northwest Territories. We are trying to streamline fire fighting, to utilize the resources we use to fight fires to employ as many people as we can who are from the Northwest Territories and also to utilize as many businesses that are in the Northwest Territories. We have been told we are using too many southern businesses in this program. That is the reason why we are reviewing the program. I understand the community of Fort Smith was working together to come up with a plan with the assistance of the Minister of Economic Development. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to extend question period.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Question period will be extended. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No one argues the fact that we want the dollars expended for fire suppression to remain in the north because many of the dollars are now going south. The purpose of this facility would be to allow for water bombers, which currently go south every fall, to be repaired in the north. The idea was to build a facility in Fort Smith to keep these water bombers in the north. I believe the Minister has stated there have been no capital dollars identified, they have identified a location and nothing else. They have not completed any planning or whatever. I would like to ask the Minister what allowed the department to identify a location without any planning whatsoever done by his department?

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was not the department that announced the hangar facility location of Fort Smith, it was announced in the budget statement made last year. It is a government initiative. The hangar facility will be in Fort Smith. It is our plan to have a review on the fire management policy in the Northwest Territories. It is our job to find out what sort of facility should be constructed in Fort Smith. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, in as much as I know it is a government initiative and I respect that, I know the intention of the initiative came from the Department of Renewable Resources. The Minister had a review done back in 1991. In fact, he met with the town council in July of 1991 indicating to them that Fort Smith would probably be one of the most feasible sites to look at for this hangar. I would like to ask the Minister whether consideration for allocation of dollars would be looked at to a lease purchase concept as opposed to particular capital dollars being identified to construct such a facility? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Item 6, oral questions. That was your last supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Social Services. Earlier I commented on the very positive steps that have been taken within the Department of Social Services to link the funding of alcohol and drug projects to counsellor sobriety. I believe this policy has been successful in providing clients in communities with effective role-modelling and has placed the Northwest Territories in a leadership role in combatting alcohol and drug abuse. I note that this policy has received support from the board of management of the alcohol and drug services, the Deh Cho Regional Council and tribal council and from many other individuals and organizations concerned with the health and welfare of our communities. Can the Minister of Social Services inform the House whether the same requirements for alcohol and drug workers' sobriety will be included in the 1993-94 contribution agreement with the alcohol and drug projects across the Northwest Territories?

Ms. Mike.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to the alcohol and drug program, the policy will be extended and will proceed. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.