Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. Is the Department of Education reviewing a process for standardized testing at the grade 11 and grade 12 level in the NWT at this moment? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Rabesca.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Economic Development. Mr. Speaker, the service contract the Department of Economic Development and Tourism has issued recently is for a period of four months for Rae Lakes, Lac La Martre and Snare Lakes. The communities have all indicated that there is a definite need for economic development officers in these three communities. Mr. Speaker, the department has indicated that depending on operating funds available in the last quarter of this fiscal year, they may be able to provide some funding towards a workshop with three communities going to plan the transfer of economic development officer to the communities.

Mr. Speaker, at present, the service contract is only for a short period of four months, and no consensus was reached regarding the transfer of the economic development officer position to the communities during a recent meeting held in Rae-Edzo with the department.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister if the department will fund further meetings with these communities to resolve the concerns and to reach consensus on this issue before the end of the fiscal year.

I don't know, but I've been getting two...the Dogrib and the English. Mr. Evaloarjuk, are you getting the Inuktitut translation on your receiver? Okay. The Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has been working with the communities of Rae Lakes, Wha Ti and Snare Lake to solve the problem of an economic development officer and how they will man that position in those communities. They have talked to the three communities, they have consulted with the three communities. The communities have agreed to share that position. The only thing the communities have not agreed to was how to divvy up the funding that was available for that position. The department put the process to them, or a recommendation on how they can share those dollars. Cash would be given to the communities to administer themselves, $2,000 a month. The only problem we have now is Rae Lakes has indicated support for that approach; the Wha Ti band manager has indicated that the offer is not acceptable; Snare Lake has not responded, so we have to get together with the three communities again and try to negotiate how we can staff that position or else we will have to staff it ourselves to make sure the services are still available to the communities in the new year.

Let me assure the Member that we will sit down with the communities again and try to work out a compromise or a deal with them how they can provide that service to their own people themselves.

Supplementary, Mr. Rabesca.

Mr. Speaker, the service contract that the Department of Economic Development and Tourism provided is only for a short period of four months in each of the three isolated communities. The contract will pay the designated economic development officer $2,000 per month. The individual will work for 12 and a half hours per week which is one third of the standard 37 and a half hours per week for a government employee with the same responsibilities within the department. The communities have indicated that the salary does not clearly take into account the high cost of living in the isolated communities, most importantly the hours do not consider the range of duties and responsibilities of this position. Mr. Speaker, will the department reconsider the salary of this economic development officer position in three communities before the end of the fiscal year?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will meet with the Member at a later date before he leaves and try to solve this issue. We have a certain amount of money in our budget to fund an EDO position in his communities. That's one position to service three communities. I will be willing to sit down with the Member to try to come to an arrangement of how we can fund those positions and let the communities control those positions. I'm willing to do that.

Mr. Speaker, it's also really hard to hear the Member's question because I can't pick it up on here as well because I'm getting the Dogrib language instead of English. Thank you.

We've been having that technical problem, too. I'm getting this. Could you look into it? We'll take a five-minute break.

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I will call the House back to order. We are on item 6, oral questions. Mr. Rabesca.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mrs. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will refer this question to Mr. Kakfwi.

The Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Kakfwi.

Supplementary, Mr. Rabesca.

Mr. Speaker, I apologize for making my statement to the wrong Minister. Since Mr. Kakfwi spoke in his own native language, maybe I should speak my own proper language.

(Translation) Mr. Speaker, the community is prepared to build an outside shell of a community freezer with logs from outside the community and wish to purchase the inside shell of the freezer. They feel that this will not only create employment for a number of the residents during the winter months, but a good solid protection would be built for the inner shell of the community freezer which will be cost-effective in the long term. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister, will it be possible to provide the necessary funds to the community for them to participate in the construction of an outside shell and to purchase the inside shell for a new community freezer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) I would like to ask the Minister of Renewable Resources; he has just been given responsibility for this. He has a responsibility to help the communities with these kinds of issues. If he can look into this issue; look at the issues in Snare Lake with regard to this. Maybe he can give me, in written form, how we can work on this issue together.