Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, honourable Members, yesterday I spoke on the issue of the closure of Delta House. Should I say proposed? Mr. Speaker, Delta House was the result of many concerned citizens of Inuvik and the area. For 20 years it has provided a much needed service to the residents of the Inuvik region. Mr. Speaker, as I stated yesterday, I am very concerned with the proposed closure of this facility, especially when we look at the statistics that come from the area, of drugs and alcohol. Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, we consume alcohol at a very high rate compared to the rest of Canada. The people that do drink, 15 years and over, that drink five or more drinks when they do sit down for a drink, is 25 percent, compared to the rest of Canada which is 8.8 percent.

When we take this into consideration, I am concerned that we would be considering a reduction in funding in this area. When research shows for every dollar we spend on chemical addictions, we save $2 to $10 in health care costs. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we heard the Premier say, effective leadership sometimes means bringing change and making hard decisions. Decisions, that in the short term, may seem to hurt more than they help, but in the long run, will change lives for the better. Mr. Speaker, the same could be said, that decisions made in the short term could have long lasting negative impacts. I believe that we, as Members of this Assembly, need to be sure that the decisions we make are truly going to have a long lasting, positive impact. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.