Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can anticipate responding to the honourable Member within 48 hours. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the Iqaluit focus group, the usage of the airport and the $500,000 or more of money generated in a four-week period by BOAC in cold-weather testing their plane came up. My question for the Minister of Transportation is has a strategy for marketing our airports in the North to generate this type of revenue been contemplated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The strategy for marketing airports to generate revenue is something that the department should look at. We have to look at all areas, as a government, for how we can generate revenue. As well as doing fiscal restraint, we have to be looking at ways where we can generate revenue. I will certainly take the Member's question under advisement and direct the department to look into that area. Thank you.

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

The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Public Works and Services is responsible for the petroleum products revolving fund. I will find out from the department what their projections are on fuel prices and get back to the Member.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that is clear is if the government had not been able to achieve some real savings through the two major fuel contracts that we let in the last couple of months, the government would have had to raise fuel prices to deal with the petroleum products revolving fund deficit. I am not aware what the projections are in relation to the world fuel prices and how much we will have to pay to purchase the fuel for the summer.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just received the return to an oral question that I asked on March 27, 1996. My question will then be for the chairman of FMBS, Mr. Todd. The Housing Corporation has a policy in place where seniors do not pay any rent. Does this include the houses now being transferred through the staff housing program by the NWTHC to the FMBS?

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure I fully understood the Member's question. I think he was asking if the policies that are currently in place for elders under the NWT Housing Corporation will remain in place for the new houses that are going to be transferred from the FMBS to the NWT Housing Corporation. If that was the question, the answer is that's correct. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason for my question is that we have an employee, who is a senior now,

in one of these houses and he's still paying rent. Does this mean this person will now have to pay rent? As the Minister said, the policies are in place. Although this senior is working for the government, does he have to pay rent? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware of the details of the circumstances of this particular employee. If the honourable Member would be prepared to provide me with that, I'd be only too happy to respond to him in the next day or so. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of the other seniors who are still working for this government -- because the seniors' policy is 60 and over -- who are also in staff housing, perhaps it's not just one case. I believe it's blanket coverage. Maybe we can look at that. Right now, for example, we have seniors living in housing association houses and they don't have to pay rent. Now those houses have been transferred from FMBS because they're taking over the staff housing to these other houses. Even though I'm working for the GNWT and I'm considered a senior, does this mean I'm paying rent in a house which has now been transferred? The Minister has not said yes, that policy is in place. There are quite a few of our employees who are in this situation.