Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6: oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a question first to the Minister of Housing, to Goo Arlooktoo. As it states here, what he just read regarding housing shortages in Clyde River and also 1998 and 1999. According to my way of understanding what the Minister said. Did he state that the matchboxes that are still left over, there are still seven, and also, are they going to be replaced? Is that his statement? (Translation ends)

The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

(Translation) You understood my question. Those old houses in Clyde River, the so called matchboxes, they are in existence still because there is a great deal of shortage in housing in Clyde River. There are no more matchboxes in any other communities. Also, there is going to be a new house being built up to 1999, a smaller house. (Translation ends)

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we commend them on their efforts, all alcohol and drug community workers in trying to upgrade their skills to provide services to all our constituents throughout the territories. We will be giving communities the flexibility by having the dollars at the community level or at the regional level if it is chosen to be held there to allow them to set their own priorities, and if training is one of those priorities outside of current funding, that would be available through the college, the Aurora and the Nunavut Arctic college program system that we have in place, then by all means if that is there priority they can, to complement those programs that the colleges offer then they would have the ability to do that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not have the specifics on the dollar amounts now. As I indicated, there will be some movement of dollars in the allocation dollars outside of Yellowknife to the regional level. It may be determined at that time that further dollars may be pushed out to the community levels, so that local municipal councils, band councils, local alcohol and drug organizations will have significantly more input into where they would see those dollars best being utilized, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would say that the actual specific dollars identified for training would be minimal. As it stands now in the whole scheme of the alcohol and drug funding provided through the Department of Health and Social Services, as you know, the focus has been on some of the treatment and the communities base programs. That is historically where this department has channelled their financial expenditures in that area, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I fully support what the Member is alluding to and the fact that the increased training of alcohol and drug workers is beneficial to all of us. We recognize that now. I am not trying to minimalize the question or the answer to the honourable Member. The fact is that the funding for training alcohol and drug workers specifically is not entirely held by the Department of Health and Social Services. The fact that I was trying to get to was that the Arctic college programs, both east and west, provide alcohol and drug training funds and they have students financial assistance programs that allow our constituents and the workers to access program dollars to upgrade their skills, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

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