Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is the Minister of Health and Social Services. In our communities, there are family violence shelters which are funded by the department. In the communities where there aren't these shelters, I would like to ask the Minister how people that are in these conflicting situations of having to find emergency shelters are dealt with. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I can't give you a breakdown of exactly what is available in each community. I'm attempting to do that so we can address the global concern of what is available to communities in terms of the support they get. I am aware that in areas or in

communities where there aren't any crisis centres, that the department works with several families in communities where there can be designated safe homes. This is where we have a working arrangement with an individual family who will receive families or children or mothers who find themselves in a critical situation where the situation at home becomes unbearable and they have to placed under someone's care. So there are designated safe homes pretty well in all communities, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Supplementary. I would like to ask the Minister, in a situation where individuals would require some emergency assistance, who would be the initial contact in the community for that person. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, generally the social worker or the mental health worker. It would be in that department's responsibility, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Recognizing that the social workers in some of the communities turn over fairly quickly, I would like to ask the Minister how the department gets out the information of which social worker or where that social worker resides in order to be contacted in these types of situations. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the one area where it seems that people are very well aware who the particular employee is, is in that area of social work. As we all are aware, in our attempt to try to refocus where we're putting our support, our income support, right at this moment in time it goes to the social worker. So there should not be an incident that the social worker would be unknown to the community because normally, if there is a crisis situation, the RCMP are called in on a difficult situation, or if another family or friend is aware of it, they generally call the social worker, and advise them that there are severe problems. Otherwise, the RCMP is aware of where we allocated the safe homes, and would immediately bring that person to that particular location. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Supplementary. I would like to ask the Minister then, in a situation where the community is aware of the social worker and somebody goes to that social worker for assistance, given that it's not going to be during regular working hours, I would like to ask the Minister would that social worker be expected to answer these emergency calls at any time of the day or night. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I know that certainly where there is more than one social worker, they generally make an arrangement of who is going to be on call. I know there are some communities that don't have the privilege of having more than one person, but the RCMP would also be aware of where that safe house is and so would the nurse in charge, Madam Speaker. So to access a safe home is generally a known location to all the authorities who work in the community. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the issue of the rate zones is not a new issue. On several occasions, as we made our report to the standing committees of this House, there was always an acknowledgement that there was a commitment, when we took over the Power Corporation, to rationalize the rate and rate structures.

The body that hears the application and suggestions or proposals is the Public Utilities Board. The Public Utilities Board is an agency that is set up, and it's a quasi-judicial body that looks at the applications that are put before it, analyses the application, looks at the rationale as to why that particular proposal is put forward. What shoots out at the end of the hearings would be the determination of what the Public Utilities Board has determined on the application and proposals that have been put forward by the Power Corporation, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't know whether I received an answer to my question, but I will follow up with a supplementary question since the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation mentioned the Public Utilities hearing process. There was a great concern by ordinary Members that this hearing was only held in Yellowknife. I know there was discussion earlier in this session, last week, about this. I would like to know from the Minister whether the people in the communities will have the opportunity to provide their presentations on the NWT Power Corporation rates to the Public Utilities Board in the communities. Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the question legitimately should be placed to the Minister responsible, Mr. Todd, or the Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board.

Madam Speaker, the Public Utilities Board is a quasi-judicial body and frowns very strongly upon interference, as they generally call it if you try to short circuit the legitimate responsibility they have as a Public Utilities Board, Madam Speaker. Thank you.