Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Good Morning. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements.

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr, Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to inform this House about a new home ownership pilot program that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation launched December 1st. The corporation believes that this new program will assist this government with one of its most important objectives; that is, stimulating and developing the economy. Mr. Speaker, economic growth in the Northwest Territories requires one thing above all others. It requires people and people need somewhere to live. Many people are moving between communities for work and wish to put down roots. Every day, workers from across Canada fly into the NWT to work. At the end of their shift they fly out again to their homes in the south.

To qualify for the program a family must not already own a home in the community where they are buying a home, must have financing for the remainder of the purchase price of the home and the purchase must be finalized by March 31, 1999. This program applies in all communities of the Northwest Territories. MDAPP is a pilot program until the end of this fiscal year. After that, it will be assessed to determine if it should be renewed.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT has over 250 private homes that sit empty. Let us give people the chance to buy these homes. With so many homes sitting empty, our construction industry is idle in many places. The construction of new homes which creates employment for northern workers and causes northern businesses to grow cannot occur until these empty homes have been filled.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that homeowners tend to have a greater interest in the prosperity of their community. The government believes MDAPP will create more homeowners and strengthen all our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to inform Members about the recent development of the School of Community Government. This is a collaborative effort between MACA, Aurora College, a number of GNWT departments and non-government organizations.

Mr. Speaker, this government understands the many challenges communities are faced with. We have recognized the need to improve health and wellness of individuals, families and communities; reduce dependency on government; and strengthen and develop community governments. In this way, communities can become more sustainable and self-reliant.

The School of Community Government has been designed with these goals in mind. More specifically, the purpose of the School of Community Government is to improve the capacity of community governments and non-government organizations. In the past, training programs have been available from many different sources. There have been growing concerns that the lack of coordination affects the suitability and availability of training. Mr. Speaker, the School of Community Government will offer a coordinated approach to training opportunities.

MACA is working closely with Aurora College to develop a school which will provide an expanded range of training programs. The School of Community Government will deliver training in broad areas including: - political development and governance; - community management and administration; - works and works management; - public safety; - community development; and, - recreation and lands

Mr. Speaker, to make sure the training needs of community governments can be met, MACA is investing with other training providers such as Aurora College, GNWT departments, Nunavut Arctic College, professional associations and private industries. We expect that a shared approach to this program will allow us to pool our financial, administrative and instructional resources. This will provide increased training opportunities for communities.

Mr. Speaker, the School of Community Government represents an exciting opportunity for communities and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Communities will be able to access quality training, tailored to their needs while developing and expanding their capacity and responsibility. I am proud that we are able to contribute to the development of communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, working in the justice system is sometimes a thankless task. There are sensitive issues to be balanced such as: victim's and offender's rights, the public right to know versus privacy concerns and finally the perception that the justice system simply does not fit with the people it is supposed to serve. Every day, justice system workers deal with these pressures. I would like to recognize these people by telling you briefly about three experiences I have had in the past couple of months which convince me that justice policies and initiatives, while always in need of constant re-evaluation, are going in the right direction.

Late this summer I dropped by the Iqaluit Courthouse. It happened to be a Friday morning when Justice of the Peace Court was in regular session. I was pleased to notice that courtworker, Enook Petalaussie, was acting as a defence representative. Mr. Petalaussie was born and raised in Cape Dorset. He told me that he regularly conducts first appearances, sentencing hearings, bail hearings and trials in Justice of the Peace Court and also in Territorial Court. I was impressed with his abilities.

I saw lawyer Robert Gorin outside the Courthouse. He was taking a short break before returning to do some more pre-court interviewing. Mr. Gorin is on the legal aid panel of lawyers and I am told that he makes himself available as a resource to courtworkers when he is in Iqaluit.

I was glad to meet Mr. Neil Sharkey, who is the head lawyer at Maliganik Tukisiiniakvik, the legal aid office in Iqaluit. We had a good talk about the lawyer/courtworker mentoring system. This system will be of great assistance to the new court system in Nunavut on April 1st.

I mentioned in the last sitting of this Assembly that the Department of Justice is expanding the bush camp alternative for offenders. I recently visited Charlie Burke's and Gerry Morin's camps. After seeing their camps and hearing their comments, I am convinced more than ever that we are headed in the right direction in this area. These camps are doing effective work. It is my hope that, with help from my department, they will become even more effective in the future.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to meet all too briefly with justice staff at the Yellowknife Courthouse building. I was impressed with their positive attitude they bring to difficult jobs serving a public that naturally has high expectations.

Mr. Speaker, these are just three examples of how, every day, justice system workers are serving the public. They are deserving of my gratitude and I am pleased to be associated with them. I now ask all Members to join me in thanking these hard-working people who are putting our policies and initiatives into action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Sport North Federation hosted a Coaches and Volunteers Symposium in Yellowknife last weekend.

This symposium was developed for coaches and sports volunteers from communities across the Territories. Approximately 125 Northerners from all regions attended the symposium. Discussions focused on three areas: community coaching, high performance coaching and volunteerism. It is only through the active participation of many coaches and volunteers that more people are trained in this important area. I am happy to inform you that the initial feedback from the participants to the symposium has been very positive.

Mr. Speaker, sport and recreation is more that a pastime. It is a positive and essential contributor to community wellness. For this reason, I am pleased to announce that regional coaching seminars have also been organized for Rankin Inlet on December 4th to 6th; Cambridge Bay on January 15th to 17th; Iqaluit on January 29th to 31st; and Inuvik on February 20th to 22nd. These regional seminars will focus on the delivery of National Coaching Certification Programs for sports chosen by the regional recreation organizations. The training will help to increase the number of certified coaches available to work with northern athletes.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, many activities are being planned for the winter. These include: regional workshops in sport first aid, the Speak Out Program on Harassment and Sport Development Camps in Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Wha Ti, Rae-Edzo and Fort Providence. This training reflects the department's continued commitment to develop sport volunteers at the community level.

Mr. Speaker, our young people are our future. Their positive development relies on experiencing a good quality of life in their own communities. Sport and recreation contributes in a significant way to the quality of life in the north and coaches are the key to making this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you all know one of the communities I represent in the riding of Tu Nedhe is the community of Fort Resolution. The community of Fort Resolution is the oldest established community in the Northwest Territories. It is over 200 years old. It has a rich culture and it has many very strong family ties. People in Fort Resolution live in a small community on the shore of Great Slave Lake. They have learned from their fathers and forefathers that whenever anybody is in need in the community that they come forward to help. We have seen that many times in our community when we have lost a loved one. We have seen that many times in our community when we have had marriages. The whole community shows up. The community is there to support each other and, once again, they have come through.

I am proud today to say I am the MLA for Tu Nedhe. I do represent the community of Fort Resolution. I have had many elders and other people get up at 5:30 this morning to no knowledge of my own, drive to Hay River, get a on plane to fly here and be here today to hear what I have to say and in support of me. I would like to thank Dotti Mandeville, Dave McNabb, Ewan Hunter, Jayne Miersch, Wilfred Giroux, Eva Fabien, Rosa and Norma Lafferty, Sharon Lafferty, Henry Mandeville, Arthur Miersch, Toni Lafferty, Jonas Beaulieu, Jennifer Beaulieu, Lloyd Cardinal, Trudy King, Violet Beaulieu and Cara Carriere for making the long journey from Fort Resolution. I appreciate it and with that, mahsi cho. Thank you.

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize an initiative in the Fort Simpson constituency of Nahendeh. Nats'enelu, Mr. Speaker.

Nats'enelu is a Dene word that you and I understand, and Steve. It is a word with the concept of sewing and meeting together to sew. It is founded by a non-profit organization, the Nats'enelu Society in the early 70s. It is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Dene-inspired crafts, clothing and lifestyle items. It was incorporated in October of 1997 with the intent to train and implement the considerable skills that numerous local Dene craft people have.

Mr. Speaker, a Montreal-based designer, D'Arcy Moses, has been providing classroom and practical training to local people in Fort Simpson. There is a wide variety of quality products now available. Research and development over the past year has yielded a number of new ideas which are now in the process of being marketed. This ribbon shirt that I am wearing, Mr. Speaker, is an example of one of the new products that is available in Fort Simpson from the Nats'enelu Society.

Concentration now is based in three areas and it is Deh Cho coats, Dene dolls, Dene lifestyle items such as bush articles used by local hunters. There are seven full-time people in the house-production workers, three part-time marketing and support staff and approximately 25 to 30 homeworkers, where they do piecework in their homes. The three Deh Cho communities should provide bead work, tanned hides, crafts and dolls to Nats'enelu on a piecework basis. All staff are very dedicated to this unique enterprise, Mr. Speaker. They recognize the opportunity that Nats'enelu presents for the promotion of traditional Dene skills and economic rewards of owning a business.

The year 1999 will be Nats'enelu's most progressive year yet, Mr. Speaker. Plans for expanding the production facilities, training new staff and aggressive national marketing program will make Nats'enelu poised to enter a new era in creating a positive awareness of Canada's Dene culture. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and good morning. Mr. Speaker, yesterday afternoon the Hawker-Siddley 748 airplane, departing from Iqaluit to Igloolik, was unable, as I understand, to sustain power and ran off the Iqaluit runway. Some minor injuries were reported but the four crew and three passengers are all safe. Mr. Speaker, emergency services in Iqaluit reacted very quickly to the scene of the incident and by all reports, the professionalism shown was second to none.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank EMO from Iqaluit, the Iqaluit RCMP, the hospital staff, fire and ambulance workers for a job well done. Mr. Speaker, we are now awaiting for investigators to arrive in Iqaluit from the proper investigating authorities and organizations in the south to find out the cause of the crash. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.