The honourable Member for Iqaluit is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Continue, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, it appears there is also a paper flow problem on my desk.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Beaumont was quoted as referring to the many things that have to be looked at. He said there's a paper flow problem and there's an ancient computer system which needs to be replaced. Then in the interview he went on to talk about the need for street signs.

---Laughter

Paper flow. A new computer. Street signs. Is this now all that's standing in the way of restoring democracy in Iqaluit?

---Applause

Madam Speaker, the matter requires the urgent attention, I respectfully suggest and request, of the honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs himself. I'm asking him to make a visit to Iqaluit as a priority, meet with local citizens, meet with the Municipal Advisory Committee, as a high priority, and discuss this very pressing, aggravating issue of the need to call an election in Iqaluit. Qujannamiik.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yesterday afternoon, the Honourable Silas Arngna'naaq, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, his officials and I travelled to Fort Providence to celebrate the official turnover of the Fort Providence water treatment plant.

Madam Speaker, the idea of this water treatment plant began back in 1982 by the previous Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Gordon Wray. This was the time when the government considered the piped water and sewage facility in core communities a priority. However, since the inception of the idea, the project has undergone some rough spots, with changes of Ministers and the fiscal restraints this government had to go through during the process.

After several years of delay the plant officially began operating in January 1993 and celebrated the official opening on February 17, 1993. The official transfer of this facility from the government to the hamlet of Fort Providence occurred yesterday. I was proud to witnesses this event, along with invited guests, as this was the fruit of long labour which I had to endure.

The facility included the truck fill station and a water storage, as well as the treatment facility. The facility treats water from the Mackenzie River in order to meet the guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality established by Health and Welfare Canada. The truck fill rate has also been increased to meet fire protection requirements. Madam Speaker, the plant has been designed to meet the projected 20 year water demand of the community.

As I stated during this ceremony yesterday, it is difficult to travel to communities during session due to the demands on Members of the Legislative Assembly, like myself and the Minister. I believe the Minister would agree that it was a worthwhile trip because by being there we were able to give special recognition to the hard work done by the hamlet and many residents in the community.

In return I would like to recognize and thank successive Ministers of Municipal and Community Affairs, from Gordon Wray to the present Municipal and Community Affairs Minister, the Honourable Silas Arngna'naaq, for starting and concluding the project and for...

Excuse me, Mr. Gargan. Your time has lapsed for Member's statements.

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, honourable Members. In return, I would like to recognize and thank successive Ministers of Municipal and Community Affairs, from Gordon Wray to the present Minister, the Honourable Silas Arngna'naaq, for starting and concluding the project and for taking the time in his busy schedule to be there yesterday. I would also like to recognize his officials, Mr. Maurice Evans, Mr. Moheb Michael and Vern Christensen for overseeing the project to the end.

Madam Speaker, a special thanks must go the residents of Fort Providence for accommodating us yesterday and those who have forged on with determination to go through the training in order to learn the skills necessary to run the operations independently. I am proud to say, Madam Speaker, that the facility is currently being run by local aboriginal residents without any supervision from outside sources.

Finally, I would like to say that piped water and sewage in core areas of the community is still a dream of my community and by no means gets this government off the hook. I would hope that in the not to distant future, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs will reintroduce this worthwhile venture and that Providence will be considered a first priority. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Keewatin Central, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have two returns to oral questions. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Pudlat on March 23, 1994 regarding information for communities on WCB process.

The Workers' Compensation Board recognizes the difficulties in communicating with residents of smaller communities in the NWT and in providing them with quality service. The WCB has already taken a number of steps to reduce these difficulties:

1. During 1993, board members visited all regional centres seeking advice form local stakeholders and hunters' and trappers' associations. The board committed itself to repeating those visits in 1994. Last week, the chairperson of the WCB attended the meeting of the Keewatin Chamber of Commerce.

2. The board has arranged for short information items -- public service announcements -- to be broadcast on CBC North. These announcements promote the board's 1-800 number, which is accessible from all NWT telephones.

3. WCB's quarterly newsletter, Directions, is mailed directly to over 3,500 employers, industry associations, labour groups and other interested parties. Copies are sent to the GNWT's GLOs (government liaison officers) in every community, as well as to all town, hamlet and city offices. The regional directors of the Department of the Executive also receive extra copies for additional circulation. The newsletter is produced in a bilingual format, with English and Inuktitut.

4. Inuktitut is given priority in the board's official languages plan, which recognizes the obligation to provide services in aboriginal languages. Along with the Directions newsletter, the board's pamphlets and information sheets are being reviewed and rewritten. These pamphlets will be translated into Inuktitut. Each letter written by the board's employer services and client services divisions is sent on special letterhead. The back of the letter contains a clear explanation of appeal rights in English, French or Inuktitut, as appropriate.

6. Recent amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act will affect traditional harvesters. The WCB will work with regional renewable resources officers and superintendents to ensure that beneficiaries of the program receive efficient service.

My second return to oral question is a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Allooloo on March 30, 1994 regarding closure of weather stations at Clyde River and Pond Inlet.

Yesterday, the elusive Member for Amittuq, sorry, the Member for Amittuq...

---Laughter

...expressed his concerns about disruptions in weather reporting services as a result of Transport Canada transferring the operation of its Community Aerodrome Radio Station (CARS) service at Cape Dorset, Clyde River and Pond Inlet to the Department of Transportation.

The Member was correct in his concerns. Negotiations over the final details of the transfer continued until even as late as yesterday afternoon between the Department of Transportation, Transport Canada and Environment Canada's atmospheric environment service. Transport Canada had instructed its contractor to cut the power supply to the weather station buildings at Clyde River and Pond Inlet as of midnight tonight.

This will not occur. The Department of Transportation will assume control of the service as of midnight tonight and there will be no disruption in services at these airports. To make doubly sure there will be no service disruption, Department of Transportation officials spoke with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation officials in the Baffin yesterday to confirm the details of the transfer. I can assure the honourable Member for Amittuq that the NWTPC will not cut the power to the weather stations at midnight tonight.

---Applause

Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Good afternoon. I have a return to an oral question asked of the Premier by Mr. Whitford on March 21, 1994. It concerns the policy for sole source contracts.

Madam Speaker, section 003 of the government human resource manual describes conflict of interest and outside employment. Paragraph 13 of this section states that "for one year from the date their employment ceases, senior officers may not own, operate, control or be employed by any business enterprise within the community in which they were employed and in which they may be in a position to unduly exploit knowledge they gained while employed by the Government of the Northwest Territories."

Madam Speaker, a senior officer is defined in this section as a deputy minister, assistant deputy minister, regional director, assistance regional director, head of a secretariat of the Executive Council, chief executive officer of a government corporation or agency, executive branch staff, regional superintendent, director, or a person appointed by a Minister to serve on executive staff who is paid out of public funds.

Madam Speaker, in conforming with the above guideline, the government, as a general rule, will not, for a period of one year, contract work out to a senior officer in the community in which the senior officer was employed and in a position to unduly exploit knowledge gained while employed by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a reply to an oral question asked by Mr. Dent on March 28, 1994 regarding a human resource plan.

Madam Speaker, the Department of Social Services will finalize a human resource plan by April 1, 1995. As a first step, the department is developing a skills inventory for all existing staff. This will be followed by the development of detailed training plans for staff utilizing the skills of our regional staff development officers who will all be hired by June of 1994. The training plans will be complete by September of 1994.

In conjunction with that, a recruitment strategy will be developed to introduce higher numbers of aboriginal northerners into the work-force of the department by April 1, 1995. Finally, the performance of every staff member will be assessed over the course of the next year to identify those with the highest potential for promotion. This will result in a departmental success plan by September 1, 1995 to eliminate the gaps in service that result from inordinate delays in filling management jobs.

The regional staff development officers will also work closely with individual staff members to assist them in preparing career plans that will allow them to achieve their career goals. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Kivallivik, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

I have two returns to oral questions. The first is a reply to an oral question asked by Mr. Gargan on March 30, 1994 on the reason for highest rates for water delivery in Fort Providence.

On March 30, 1994 I made a Minister's statement on the water and sewage services subsidy policy amendments, and described the impacts of the changes in terms of some typical residential and commercial water and sewage accounts. The Member inquired why the overall costs for water in Fort Providence would appear to be the highest, compared to costs in Aklavik, Pond Inlet and Pelly Bay. The differing costs to household and commercial users in different communities which I described in my statements are the costs to specific household and commercial accounts. They are meant as typical examples. Other examples could just as easily have been chosen.

The Member's question suggested that Fort Providence had been designated to have the highest rates for the delivery of water. Let me make it clear that under the water and sewage services subsidy policy, a common subsidized residential rate is established for all hamlets, settlements and designated communities. Another common subsidized rate is established for residential users in towns and villages. However, the rates that will be charged to commercial users will be dependent on the economic rate for the community in question.

The difference from community to community for residential users will be dependant only upon the respective individual metered consumptions, and whether they reside in the towns and villages category or the hamlets, settlements and designated communities category. The cost of water and sewage services to each commercial user will vary from business to business, and depend on economic rates for municipal water and sewer services in each community and on the overall consumption of water by that business.

I have a second response, Madam Speaker. It is a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Ng on March 24, 1994 on the impact of rate increases on commercially-owned residential units.

Under the water and sewage subsidies service policy, tenants of residential units owned by private companies are not subsidized. If a private company and the occupant were to make arrangements for the occupant to pay for his or her water and sewage bills directly to the municipality, he or she would then be eligible to benefit from the subsidized residential rate established under the policy. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Renewable Resources. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, there was a meeting between the Mackenzie River Basin Committee and a number of First Nations chiefs on March 21 and 22 of this year.

The majority of the First Nations representatives at the meeting passed a resolution calling for their direct involvement with this committee. I have a number of questions about that. But, first of all, I would like to ask the Minister if he could explain to the House the current status of the water management agreement that the Mackenzie River Basin Committee has been developing during the last few years.

Thank you. Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Kakfwi.