Thank you, John for getting there. My question to the Minister is in regards to the allocation. I do not know who you could blame this one on, it has been ongoing a number of years, especially in relation to Aklavik. Statistics I have pulled together over the last nine years show for that size of community of over 800 people, the largest community in my riding averages out to about $300 per person. Yet, in other communities, using Kakisa with 39 people, get almost $450 per person. This is an issue that I have raised in the House several times over the last year, in which the point is not a question of putting blame on anyone. You can not blame what has happened in the past, but you can try to resolve it and find a way to have a fair, equitable way of distributing funds based on community need and the size of that community. Also to have a way of evaluating that it is fair, that you do not see a large discretion from one large community, yet there is a smaller community which is receiving more funding. In regards to Aklavik, they have never had a project over $1 million in the last nine years. The question I would ask the Minister is have they looked at a possible way of finding a formula that can be used to ensure that everybody has been fairly treated in regards to the allocations?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman In regards to the whole question about the distribution and fairness, we can try to determine that, but it comes to what we have in front of us and on paper. Regarding Arctic Red or Tsiigehtchic, the original allocation for 97/98 was $376,000, yet what they are receiving in this budget is $42,000. In regards to a cut of almost 90 percent of the original budget, you talk about fairness in taking the cuts and distributing them, that has to be seriously looked at.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Another question regarding Tsiigehtchic, residential development, in which they will be receiving $40,000 over five years. Yet we are finding the population of Arctic Red has grown significantly, especially with the downturn of what is happening in the Inuvik region, where we are finding a lot of families are moving from Inuvik back to Tsiigehtchic as there is no employment or activity happening in the Inuvik region or Inuvik itself. All these people are going back to the communities they originate from, which is having a strain on the demand of property, housing units, and services. How do you evaluate basing $40,000 figure on a five-year residential development?

When did it go off?

--Laughter

In regards to the population reviews, we are basing our plans on five years, upon demand or need and we find out there is a real influx into a community. Is there a way to do another evaluation to bring those numbers to the exact amounts that we are dealing with in those communities?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regards to the Premier, there were letters sent to all communities from the Premier, asking communities if they have items they want to put into the 97/98 capital budget. Those responses that came back to the Premier from those communities, how have they been taken into account, allowing them to be put into this capital budget?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding the letters that were sent, especially from my riding, the issues that were raised in those letters were essential to the communities to bring out their frustrations that they are trying to deal with at the community level in regards to demands, not only from the public, but from the counsellors, mayors, chiefs because they are finding there is a real concern through not having a ten-year capital plan. Since I have been elected, people are starting to see the light, because now it is on paper and they can see exactly how they have been treated in the last 10 years versus what the other areas have received. The demands in regards to the water/sewage subsidy have been cut, they are cutting back in some cases. Arctic Red River is finding a real population boom, especially in their school. They have a school that was built in 1940 which they are still using. Also some communities, such as Tsiigehtchic, do not have an airport. The only transportation link they have is when the road system is open or the ferries are in. These letters that are sent, the people that sent them to the Premier, contain issues in there they felt as being essential. I do not think it was asking to put a wish list together and take it out. They are saying look, this is the problem we are dealing with, how can we fix it? Those were seriously thought out concerns and I believe they should be taken seriously.