Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform this Assembly how my department is using information technology to improve services and how it plans to make the most of a new data communications network that will link northern communities over the next two years.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been actively involved in developing the northern information highway, in partnership with educational institutions, the private sector, the federal government, aboriginal organizations and the NWT Internet community. One of the most popular initiatives is a territorial education bulletin board, which has linked most educators and many students for the past four years.

My department also established the NWT's first World Wide Web site, which has been operating for more than a year and a half. The department has helped pilot a desktop video conferencing system, which has been used by high school science classes in Pond Inlet and Kimmirut.

Through the community access program, the department has provided public access to the Internet and training in 14 communities this year.

Mr. Speaker, my department plans to build on these accomplishments. A distance learning project team is assessing projects to be started in the next year. These include:

- training programs to help educators make the best possible use of information technology;

- automated access to the catalogue for the territorial public library system;

- improved access to career planning information;

- evelopment of aboriginal language operating systems and data distribution systems; and,

- expansion of the community access program to all NWT communities.

Mr. Speaker, the new territorial data communications network will save this government money. There will be less need for staff travel, reduced printing costs and streamlined administration. But more importantly, better access to information will mean all residents of the Northwest Territories will have a chance to improve their education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One thing that we may take for granted is water quality in our communities. In the case of Fort McPherson, there has been a real outcry with regard to the taste and colour of our water. At this time of year, it is a very brown colour. Year after year, there have been concerns raised, yet the department has made temporary arrangements to upgrade the facility, but it seems that the community has identified the problem as the water source and not the processing treatment that is used. You can't remove the smell of the water at this time of year. The water has high traces of chlorine due to the system used to break down the different chemicals such as magnesium and the pH balance.

Some things we take for granted, such as drinking water out of a tap. We have to look at what is more important. We have had a high number of people with cancer in the community. People in the past have stated that it is because of the chlorine that is used in the water system. There may be a connection because of the large amounts of chlorine to bring the water up to a certain standard. We may have to look at the whole health issue.

With that, I will be asking the Minister an appropriate question on that matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, on April 1, 1999, the Northwest Territories will be divided into two new territories. The new eastern territory will be called Nunavut, however there hasn't been a decision on the name for the new Western Territory. As a suggestion of the other western groups involved in constitutional work, a subcommittee of the Western Caucus has been given the responsibility of finding out what western residents want our territory to be called. Four weeks ago, we started the process by inviting the residents of the Western Arctic to help name the new Western Territory. Schools, band councils, Metis locals and municipal offices throughout the Western Arctic received information packages with details of how to submit a suggestion. There were also advertisements in local papers. We want to hear from you. If you think the new territory should have a new name, let us know what name would capture the heart and soul of the people and the land we live in. If you think Northwest Territories is just right, then let us know that, too.

So far, over 300 people have let us know what they think the name should be and why. Of those, 95 per cent have suggested keeping the name "Northwest Territories''

--- Applause

Whether you want to keep the name "Northwest Territories" or want something new, we need to hear from you. The only way we can know what people think is if you call us, write us or send us a message on the information highway. Make sure your voice is heard.

On behalf of the Subcommittee on Naming the Western Territory, I encourage everyone to let us know what you think. Talk to your friends and family and think about who we are. You have until the end of July to get your suggestions in to us, and we look forward to hearing from you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the past weekend, I was home in my community of Inuvik and, at that time, I attended the graduation ceremony at the Aurora Campus of Aurora College. At that time, there were 95 students graduating. It was good to be part of the ceremonies and to see so many people taking advantage of our education system and bettering themselves and moving ahead to prepare themselves for a productive future.

I would like to say to all the graduates who went through the different programs they took part in, that I wish them the best in their future. Hopefully, the changes we're making will help increase the opportunities they have to be gainfully employed. Thank you.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make some brief comments about community empowerment. Last week when I was in my community, I had some meetings with the community leadership. While we talked about budgets and reductions, we also talked about some of the changes that the Premier talked about and when he tabled his Agenda for Change in the Assembly.

What is perceived as a keystone to that Agenda for Change is the government's position on community empowerment and what that means. There is a major interest in Fort Smith of the community groups, the band, the Metis Nation and the town council to sit down and start talking about how we implement that and what it means. They asked me for something in writing. They asked me what is the plan. We have a general blueprint as tabled in the House, but we don't have the other particulars that we need to start moving forward.

It is critical for us, as MLAs, to be able to go to our communities with something specific. In Fort Smith, we would like to plan for a major meeting in early fall to discuss the whole issue of community empowerment, and we would like to be able to sit down with the Ministers involved to do that. I just want to encourage the government to put that paper on the table. I know we're going to be looking at papers from the Minister of Health and Social Services on community wellness; through Justice, community justice. All these issues are very intricately related and it's critical that we have something that we can go to the communities with that they can read, that they can see and touch.

We are waiting in Fort Smith. There is great potential for this, and I look forward to the government's papers and positions on this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Steen on May 3, 1996, regarding information provided to retailers on social assistance provisions.

Mr. Speaker, income support workers assess the needs of all clients asking for support. They calculate what they are entitled to receive through the income support program and give them a written assessment, including the amount of money provided for rent, food, clothing and utilities.

Income support workers provide cheques directly to about 40 per cent of people receiving assistance. They also provide cheques to local suppliers, such as grocery stores, landlords and utility companies, on behalf of about 60 per cent of income support clients.

We do not have a policy saying exactly what groceries people should buy with their support cheques; nor do we tell grocery stores what they can sell to income support clients. Health and Social Services has information and staff in communities promoting good nutrition. Also, where the income support worker thinks it is necessary, he or she may ask the community health representative, or a homemaker, to advise individuals receiving support about nutrition and budgeting, and to help individuals shop for their groceries.

Hand-outs on nutrition and NWT food guides are available in community health centres. We will now ensure that income support workers provide some of these basic information hand-outs on nutrition to clients receiving support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome to the gallery a neighbour and friend of mine. He is a prominent well-known lawyer in Yellowknife. Did he leave? I will introduce him anyway; Mr. Adrian Wright.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would like to recognize the press who have been sitting here and taking in what has been happening over the last few weeks. Thank you.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs or Public works and Services, whoever can help me with the issue of the water treatment plant in Fort McPherson, which I made note of in my opening statement. Over the years, there has been a real concern. This past spring has probably been the worst. The water smells and has heavy traces of chlorine. People have been complaining to the Health department, the

hamlet office and myself asking if anything is going to be done.

The mayor of Fort McPherson has written to Goo Arlooktoo with regard to the possibility of finding an alternative well, or lake. Their main concern is because the lake that is presently being used has become a dead lake. That is where they are tracing the water to. In a report I received yesterday from Ken Lovely, it clearly states that one prominent concern, which is still outstanding, is that ... (inaudible) ... which is a by-product between chlorine and certain dissolved organisms in the water system. THM is a source of carcinogens, which is a cancer-causing component. That is what is in this report.

My concern is, if this is a cancer-causing component in the water treatment process, what effect is it having on the population of Fort McPherson. The solution is to try to pour as much chlorine into the system to get rid of this cancer causing component. It doesn't seem to be working. My question to the Minister is, will he make this a priority item for his department and find the resources needed to look at a new water source and resolve this problem which I now see as a health issue and not just a public issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't see $40,000 as much of a solution to a major problem, especially when we are talking about cancer-causing components which are being traced to the water treatment process. My view is it has to be a larger-scale project than just the $40,000 Band-Aid solution, which we are going to have to deal with next year. Will the Minister allocate reasonable amounts of revenue and also work along with the community as soon as possible to try to find an alternative source of water to deal with this concern at this time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister make adequate resources available to deal with this problem? I don't think $40,000 is adequate; $40,000 is probably what it costs you to fly your consultants in from Edmonton to give you a report that says it will happen again next year and you can fly us back in again. It costs more than $40,000 to review this problem. Will the Minister make adequate resources available to resolve this problem which is more than $40,000?

I think I would like to ask the Minister when will he be able to find adequate resources to deal with this problem if you do not have the money now. Clearly, in this report it says there are cancer-causing components in the water system. You are telling me you don't have the resources, but we have a report here which says there are cancer-causing components. When will we be able to find the resources to deal with it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the month of November, I met with Monte Hummel of the World Wildlife Fund, at which time I offered to work cooperatively with his organization to identify areas of mutual concern with regard to areas that should be protected. We agreed that first we have to identify those areas together and then develop a strategy on how to gain some form of protection for these areas, whether it is done through federal parks or territorial parks. We agreed that for the most part, it would largely be the prerogative of the federal government to identify such areas. We suggested that territorial parks are much smaller in scale than national parks. They are intended to be user-friendly for tourists and local people to use. The World Wildlife Fund was more interested in identifying areas that were ecologically sensitive and that were inhabited by a certain wildlife species that needed protection. Aside from that, we have nothing to suggest except that, for the second year in a row, we have received a failing mark from this prestigious international organization. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, we have had a tremendous amount of work to do since we were all elected. I believe that in the month of June, things might slow down a little, enough to allow some

of us to begin some work on some new initiatives that need our attention. We can engage in an activity to identify areas with groups like the World Wildlife Fund, but at the end of the day, we also need to know who is going to pay and where the money is going to come from. I am interested in going through the exercises, as I am sure the World Wildlife Fund is, in identifying areas where we should show some concern for the ecology and the wildlife within those areas to be identified.

We also have to keep in mind that we aren't designing something that is way beyond our reach financially and that we can only wish we could do all the things that we set out to do. As long as the World Wildlife Fund is aware of that, we will have a very good working relationship. I know there is an organization that has access to a great deal of money internationally and I would be interested to see how much money they would put into ventures like that themselves. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are almost no protected areas in the continent of Europe because it is almost all polluted, irrigated, farmed or has been completely decimated from many species of wildlife. Here in North America, we do suffer from the unusual high expectations of organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund. We are still a remote, sparsely-populated, relatively clean, pristine environment and, with diligence, we can continue to keep the environment in that relative state with good management. However, in order to give good report cards themselves, organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund have to continue passing report cards on people like ourselves. I don't think it is deserved or necessarily productive, but it does keep their sponsors coughing up the pay cheques and the money to keep organizations like that alive. I say that to put things in proper context.

The Government of the Northwest Territories knows there are fewer than 60,000 people here in the Northwest Territories. We are one-third the land mass in Canada, with 1.5 million square miles of area. The whole place, as far as I'm concerned, is still a protected area. However, we are interested in engaging, as I've indicated to Mr. Monte Hummel, in any exercise that would ease the fears of people down south, that our wildlife and ecology is not going to be run over by industry overnight and, perhaps, we could demonstrate some ways that we are concerned about the wildlife.

As has been indicated by the Finance Minister, 75 per cent of our money is an outright grant from the Government of Canada. We are short by 3,000 houses in the Northwest Territories, we have severe social and economic problems right now that deserve the bulk of our financial resources. Any suggestion that we would be willing to spend millions of dollars designating certain areas and then protecting them simply to get a possible improvement in our report card from the World Wildlife Fund would be unrealistic, I believe. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I received a reply to my question asked on May 3rd to the Honourable Mr. Dent with regard to grocery stores advising the social assistance clients what they can purchase with income support funds. Mr. Speaker, since at least September, there has been a sign in the Hudson Bay store in Tuktoyaktuk that states to social assistance clients that they cannot purchase tobacco products or fast foods with social assistance funds. Mr. Speaker, that is basically why I questioned the Minister in the past on this situation. I wonder if the Minister would now request that the Hudson Bay take that sign down if, in fact, it doesn't apply. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will look into the situation that the Member has outlined and take what action is appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this situation has been causing some amount of embarrassment to some clients. I wonder

if the Minister would see that it is appropriate to fax the request to the Hudson Bay. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will ensure that departmental staff look into the situation in the region immediately. As I said, we'll take appropriate action as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for FMBS. Many of our students are returning and have returned from colleges and universities and are looking for work. This year, there is even more anxiety to get employment because of the scarcity of jobs around and because tuition fees are rising at all institutions across Canada. A while ago, the federal Minister of Finance, Paul Martin, addressed this problem in the federal Budget Address, and said his government was going to make a concerted effort to hire more students this summer. Last summer, some students employed by the GNWT were paid hourly rates as high as $22, which is much more than regular employees in the private sector get for equivalent work. I wonder if the Minister could explain to me why doesn't the GNWT have a basic student rate; one that is a reasonable hourly rate, so we can increase our summer employment of students.

I wonder if the Minister could tell us if we could institute a student summer employment wage outside of the collective agreement now, then hold discussions with the union to resolve this situation in the future.

I think the Minister, in all likelihood -- and he said, as well -- would agree we could hire more students if we set a standard rate across the board. I think that's extremely important for us to increase the employment of our summer students. I wonder if the Minister could tell us if he will look at that immediately, because otherwise we'll lose the effect for this summer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Yellowknife, there are approximately 250 students from the North looking for work, and more are coming every day. Then, there are many others who have come to Yellowknife from the South. So I'm wondering if the Minister could find out for me how many jobs there are for students this year in the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a question of the Minister responsible for the Business Credit Corporation. Would the Minister seriously consider the possibility of using private collection agencies, that might result in a higher net return to the BCC on delinquent loans? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I understand the Business Credit Corporation, it is seen and sees itself as a lender of last resort; that is, they are often in the business of lending money to economic and business initiatives that are primarily seen as initiatives to create jobs. The government had set up this institution to go where banks would dread to go. So I'm not certain about the light in which the board of directors and this government sees collecting money; that is, I'm not certain about the priority that it gives to collecting money. From the first instance, they see themselves as lenders of last resort in high-risk areas where the chances of recouping losses are not good, by any banker's standards. So I would answer the question by saying that we could review it because it is a question that should be given some care in drafting the answer to. I would say I would have to review the goals and objectives of the government in setting up such an institution and the relative importance of collecting the high-risk money that is loaned by the institution. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We recently wrote off almost $500,000 in loans. I would say, in these tight fiscal times, that when a loan is made as a loan, the assumption in my mind is that we expect it to be repaid. If it's throw-away money or grant money, maybe we should call it that. I would be very interested in working with the Minister, through the appropriate process, to look at this matter. My question to the Minister would be in this regard: when you say you would be prepared to review that, would that be part of the upcoming possible business plan review

some time in June or this summer when we could look at that? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that all Members of this Legislature are interested in becoming more familiar with the Business Credit Corporation and the NWT Development Corporation, just as I am as a new Minister. I believe that all of us have to be familiar with the nature of the businesses that are conducted by these corporations. It seems to me it's a very fair question and good request to say, for instance that the Business Credit Corporation should tell us, in their view, what is the percentage of risk that they see in the business that they're in, in comparison to, let's say, the Bank of Commerce. We know that banks want almost a 100 per cent guarantee that whatever money they lend out is secured in assets or through a guaranteed return. We know that the Business Credit Corporation and the NWT Development Corporation are targeting just below that somewhere; perhaps, way below that. I'm not sure what it is, but I believe we should ask that question and I would be prepared to do that and share that with Members as soon as I get a response to that. Thank you.