Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this summer the report on the Northern River Basin Study was presented to the three parties to the work. The federal government, the Government of Alberta, and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

For four and a half years a scientific study included about 150 specific projects to collect information. This body of work provides a clear benchmark against which to measure the future condition of the Peace, Athabasca and Slave River Basins.

This report makes a number of recommendations. Some of them address areas which require immediate action, other are focused on insuring good planning and management to preserve and protect the rivers while supporting sustainable development.

Mr. Speaker, the report covers areas of concern to people of the north. Quality of fish and water, ecosystem health, pollution prevention, flow regulation and basin management.

Despite the release of this study, we are still hearing about development approvals in Alberta which are contrary to the recommendations and study findings. For example, another huge pulp mill is being planned on the Smokey-Wapiti Rivers. The very section of the watershed deemed most sensitive in this study.

I hope, Mr. Speaker, that we will soon see the response to the report presented in this House by the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development which should include our support for the protection of the water basin and call for our study partners to support it by their actions.

I will be asking the Minister questions further to this today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment announced that the rules that determine who is eligible for Senior's Fossil Fuel Subsidy Program have changed. Further, his announcement stated that in past the Senior's Fossil Fuel Program was available to all home owners who were older then 60 year of age and many people receiving the subsidy were working or had other substantial sources of income. I would be very interested in knowing how many of those senior had other substantial sources of income. No doubt there were isolated incidences of this, but this change is effecting 40 per cent of the seniors who are presently or had been receiving this subsidy and will save the GNWT approximately $200,000. I have a big problem with the changes to this assistance to seniors living in their own homes. In Hay River, the only relief that seniors living independently in their own homes could rely on was assistance from the heating fuel subsidy and exemption from property taxes. Ironically, seniors living in public housing regardless of income are not required to contribute anything towards the cost of their accommodation. The GNWT, through the change to this subsidy, has made it less attractive for seniors to stay in their own homes. Undoubtedly there are some who will not be adversely affected but I believe that there are a lot of seniors, particularly in Hay River and other communities living on fixed incomes that this change will create hardship for and may be the last straw forcing them to give up their homes.

Hay River seniors have been asking the GNWT to close the gap between those trying to live independently, receiving little support and those receiving care, accommodation in more costly, government funded facilities and infrastructure. There are some facts which the government should take into consideration before they get too excited about saving $200,000. By the way, $200,000 is about the cost of keeping two or three seniors in a publicly funded facility. Number 1, we want our seniors to stay in the North, we want to show our elders respect by treating them with as much care and consideration as possible, and I believe we are showing them respect by assisting them to live independently in their own homes. Every senior who is healthy enough and happy to be living in their home is saving this government the amount of money that it would cost to take care of them in a multi-level care or hospital extended care facility. From a purely monetary perspective, it would be prudent to offer a little support and save a lot. Decisions on reductions have to be taken into account with the bigger picture in mind. I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If we can not assist seniors to stay in their own homes we have to count the costs of the alternatives. And it has been suggested, in a letter that was sent out to all MLAs, from the Minister, that those who experience a hardship due to the high cost of living in their community can apply for additional income support. Income support is a sophisticated name for welfare and there is a lot of very proud seniors that this threshold is getting too low for and I think that this is anything but showing respect to our seniors to suggest that they can go to the local social service Office, education office and apply for welfare. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Start off today sending greetings back home to my wife and children. Mr. Speaker, you heard in the statement yesterday from one of my fellow colleagues here about a concern of reductions in the community. Mr. Speaker, I remind other members here, that there has been another community in the Northwest Territories that has suffered many years through reductions. In the Mackenzie Delta/Inuvik area, we had the boom of the oil companies, and that dried up and left. We had the armed forces bases in Inuvik and they left. And now, Mr. Speaker, it feels like the Government of the Northwest Territories is trying to leave Inuvik. So I must say, remind others that there are other communities, and I would say and I believe, the people of Inuvik would agree that Inuvik to date has been one of the hardest hit communities in all of the Northwest Territories, and I would encourage members here that have potential development on their doorstep to secure the best they can for it, because we have experienced what was and what is not any more. So I just wanted to say to other members in this house that as we go through business plans, my commitment to Inuvik is to make sure we have a fair and equitable representation when it comes to the capital and O and M. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently a company by the name of BHP came from Australia and established a camp in traditional aboriginal territory. Originating from Australia they decided that the appropriate name for this camp should be Koala. Soon after, the company was informed by certain elders, that this camp that they had established was sitting on traditional Aboriginal territory and that they should know that there are traditional names for the lakes and places on the land. Mr. Speaker, BHP, God bless their little hearts, recently informed them that they will change the name of their camp shortly to a more traditional aboriginal name.

-- Applause

Mr. Speaker, recently when the president of the "Spirit of Yellowknife", the president that is supposedly a long-time northerner, was asked if he ever heard of a certain Dene legend, he was most abrupt and dispatched a proposed Dene name of great spiritual significance with the words "Never heard of it". My question is how long will he have to live here before he shows real interest in the culture, language and history of the Dene people, and how long will we have to wait for the "Spirit of YK" to show respect for the rich culture and history of the First Nations of the north. I further wonder how many eyes does the president of the "Spirit of YK" need before he can see what is around him, how many ears does he need, before he can hear. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to announce that Yellowknife will be celebrating National Business Week on October 21 - 25. It is a week-long event that will feature a variety of seminars here in the city, and I am sure other communities across the Territories may also be celebrating this week.

Small businesses employ several thousand people across the Northwest Territories and contribute thousands of dollars to the northern economy through employment and taxation. Businesses improve the standard of living for northerners and provide the services that we have all come to expect to be a part of our everyday modern life.

Businesses support swim teams, ball clubs, hockey and ringette teams. Today, because of small business you can buy hardware, dishes, carpets, go to a movie theatre, a performing arts theatre, and I am speaking of course in Yellowknife; see northern entertainers like Susan Aglukark and the Gumboots. You can visit art galleries, you can read northern magazines - produced by northerners.

I spent 20 years as a small business person in the publishing industry. I am retired from that now but I must say that I pay a great deal of tribute to those business people that are out there. It takes a great deal of dedication, hard work, and investment of both personal time and usually a lot of capital. I would like to recognize those small business people across the Northwest Territories and thank them for the great contribution they are making to our northern economy, and I am sure that they will continue to be an important element of our vibrancy in the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a long time friend of mine who I skied many years with on the NWT ski team, who is now an employee of the Government of the Northwest Territories and also a well known carver, Angus Cockney, better know as Gus, who carved the carving that is above the Speaker's head. Nice to see you Angus.