Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since being assigned to the portfolio of Justice at the end of March, I have looked at this issue. The Members will be aware that in June of 1998, the Cabinet of the day decided to locate a new young offenders facility in Yellowknife based on recommendations from the departments in a report. The decision to locate a new facility here in Yellowknife was made in June, 1998. In the fall of 1998, in September, the Financial Management Board approved a submission by Justice to undertake major renovations to address the severe crisis at YCC, namely the overcrowding and the substandard conditions to which inmate and staff were faced with.

Since the beginning of April, I have reviewed this file on request from some Members who wondered why the previous year Cabinet had decided, without much discussion or input from Members to locate the young offenders facility in Yellowknife. I spent a number of months looking at this issue debating and discussing with the staff the merits and pros and cons of that. I also discussed the phase renovations, seven years planned renovations to YCC and was advanced the suggestion that we could save considerable money, time and disruption to staff and inmates by taking a new approach of just, as somebody said, instead of replacing your car bit by bit, just buy a whole new car. I bought the suggestion that we should just go for a whole new building of the adult correctional facility and combine that with the young offenders facility. In response to the Member's question, as the Minister responsible, I have reviewed the options of looking at relocating. It is not cost-effective. There is very little, in fact, no time left to consider other options. The Cabinet stands by the decision made. I would note under the previous Premier and previous Ministers to locate the young offenders facility here in Yellowknife and to not address relocating or building a new facility at that time, but simply keeping the adult facility here as well. There are many, many arguments to be made as to why, in the interest of the public and of the inmates and the staff of this government that the adult facility remain here and that it is the most logical location for the facility. Thank you.