Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, November 4th to 10th is Canada Career Week. The theme this year is Learning - Power for Life.

In the NWT we will celebrate Career Week with a series of events intended to emphasize that career development is a life-long process of managing learning and work. Thoughtful career planning gives us control of our lives and our careers.

Often the biggest challenge in reaching a career goal is knowing where to start. One of the goals of Career Week activities is to make people aware of the many places individuals can turn for help. Talk to a teacher, a school or career counsellor, friends and parents. Explore personal interests through volunteer work, continuing education, student exchange or apprenticeship programs. Check out resources available on the Internet and at NWT career centres.

Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife, a series of brown bag lunch workshops on education and career development preparation can provide useful tips. In other locations, interpretive displays, career planning workshops at schools and career planning open houses are only a few of the special events that will mark Canada Career Week. The events taking place in communities throughout the NWT are designed to increase awareness about the range of programs available to support NWT residents in their efforts to find and keep work, to change careers and to acquire additional skills.

Mr. Speaker, many events influence the direction of one's life. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to developing innovative career development supports for NWT residents. This will help to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to acquire the education and skills necessary to take advantage of new opportunities. This enhances further our ability to take control of our own careers and lives.

Career choices that suit individual lifestyles and personal priorities will create a productive workforce. This, in turn, will help the GNWT realize the goal of a healthy and diversified economy. I encourage each of you to get out in your community November 4th to 10th and participate in Career Week activities. Learning is power for life. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak on behalf of a constituent of mine who supports two children who are in elite sports programs. Just last year they spent $10,000 for the training expenses, including the airfares and the programs they have to attend for their swimming training in the south. Just last year they spent $10,000 and they have been doing it every year. They are not able to access any sports programs to help them with this cost.

Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, the Members in this House have been focusing their attention on the sports and recreation policy and I commend the Minister for circulating a discussion paper not too long ago. I have had a chance to take a look at it and it covers a lot of issues, but it does not really have any allocations for elite athletes.

I realize, Mr. Speaker, that the funds are limited and that we have a lot of need in this area. We need to support athletes at all levels. We should also respect those who work hard, really hard, to support their children to develop their talent to a maximum.

I would just like to ask the Minister to revisit or add to his discussion item a possible support program for elite athletes. As well, I would like to take this opportunity to give notice to the Minister of Finance, who I know is working on restructuring our income tax program, if there could be any possibility for tax deductions for those with low disposable incomes for families with elite athletes who have to incur extra expenses where they may be able to claim these as income tax deductions.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I would like to give notice to the government that this is an issue I will be pursuing in the days and months to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize an important group of people in our communities, our local volunteer fire men and ladies. I think we have to realize, with the circumstances that we have come to see in the last number of weeks, how important it is that the firefighters who volunteer their time to protect and ensure the safety of the Northwest Territories. These members of our communities put their lives on the line every time they respond to a fire in our communities. Most importantly, they volunteer their time at no cost.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important, as a government, that we start taking hold of the importance that these people play in ensuring the protection of the lives of the people and the property in our communities. Mr. Speaker, in a lot of our communities we have over 20-year-old fire trucks and outdated equipment. We have to give them the tools to do their job and give them the training so that they can do the best job expected of them. Mr. Speaker, we do have to realize that there are people out there who have volunteered their time and have put time and effort into ensuring that they protect the property in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, volunteer firefighters in our communities are having to raise money through bingos to acquire the equipment that they need and which is essential for them to maintain their equipment in our communities, and to ensure that they have the quality of equipment. Presently, a lot of that is outdated.

Mr. Speaker, as a government, I believe we have to put a higher priority on the firefighting protection in our communities so that we can ensure that the volunteers feel that we are showing respect for what they are doing; putting their lives on the line and not asking for anything, but for us to stand up and support their endeavours.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister some questions on this matter. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on an issue that has come to my attention, and it is in the area of day care and day care subsidies for establishing day care programs in a community, and how parents can access a day care subsidy to have their children in these programs.

It is unclear when a constituent looks at the matter. They have just moved into a community to try and see how things work, and there are some questions that have been raised that I think we need to clear the air on. That is the fact that there is an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that the message we are sending out there is clear. My understanding of the concern here is that, in fact, day care programs that are established out there and funded through this government sometimes lack inspection. I am not sure of that, but I would like to confirm with the Minister later on during question period as to how a program is established and how it is monitored.

With that, Mr. Speaker, speaking of children, I would like to send greetings back to my wife and children.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. It was nice to hear that spontaneous applause there. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to draw attention to Richard Van Camp, a young Dogrib Northerner from Fort Smith, who has just won a very prestigious journal literary prize.

Richard Van Camp's first novel, The Lesser Blessed, was published in 1996. A year ago the novel was translated into German and the German rights sold at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The translation of Richard's book has now won the youth literature prize in the juvenile fiction category. Richard says he is delighted to have won the prize, as I am, and as are all Northerners, Mr. Speaker.

He does not yet know what the monetary reward is connected to this prize, but whatever it is he intends to put it towards his masters degree in creative writing which he is pursuing at the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, Richard has been writing for ten years and has won several other awards before this, including awards for his two children's books, A Man Called Raven, and, What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? In 1997 he was also recognized by the Canadian Authors' Association as the most promising Canadian author under 30. Richard says that he loves the North and Northerners very much, and he intends to celebrate life in the North in all his writing. His second book, a collection of short stories called, Angel Wings Splash Pattern, is currently at the printers and will be released shortly.

I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that we are all proud that Richard is a Northerner and that he is doing such a great job through his writing of celebrating life in the North, both in Canada and beyond. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members in this House to join me in expressing our most sincere congratulations to Richard Van Camp. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at the big picture in the NWT we see tremendous economic opportunities available across the NWT. What really makes this all work and what brings it home are people at the community level and in the small- and medium-sized business sector.

Last Friday, Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to attend the annual general meeting of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, along with many other members of that organization in this community. I want to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to recognize the contribution of the Yellowknife chamber and its 450 member businesses. The chamber has been participating in the economic life in this community since 1946. That is 55 years, Mr. Speaker, longer than many of us in this Chamber have been around.

The chamber has been active this past year with the cost of living study and initiatives, a Buy North campaign and Small Business Week. It has demonstrated fiscal responsibility in its operations, and their efforts benefit residents and businesses across the NWT.

I would like to congratulate the new president, Mr. Speaker, Mr. David McPherson, and his new executive including vice-president, Shawnette MacNeil; second vice-president, Jerry Jaud; treasurer, John Taylor; and past president, John Ondrack. They, along with their directors, have a challenging and, I hope, rewarding year as they represent the business community of this city.

The chamber provides a focus and an opportunity for us as MLAs and government to consult and hear the opinion of the business community. I encourage the government to actively improve its communication in this area. As with all organizations, administration is critical for continuity and getting the job done, and I would also like to recognize Ellie Sasseville who has served the chamber for four years as their executive director and who is moving on. Dale Thompson, after 35 years in the service of this government, will be taking up the post of executive director. I wish them both continuing success.

Volunteerism is important to us all, whether it is in the social, economic, sporting organizations at the local, regional or national levels, Mr. Speaker. We should continue to recognize and appreciate their efforts. The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is an excellent example of this kind of contribution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you very much, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak on an issue that my colleague, Mr. David Krutko, spoke on today and which Mr. Paul Delorey and Mr. Steve Nitah spoke on last week. It is on the issue of community firefighting volunteers and the government's efforts to support the valuable work that they provide for our communities.

Mr. Speaker, the Legislative Assembly, in its document, Towards A Better Tomorrow, laid out a vision that the Members of this House wish to pursue. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, in support of this vision, developed seven goals, one of which is to reduce death, injury and property loss from fire. In its main estimates for the current year, MACA states that protecting the lives and property of all Northerners is a priority for MACA. MACA goes on to state that the department will also continue to build capacity through the Northwest Territories fire training plan.

Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, MACA is responsible for the office of the fire marshal, an office that enforces the Fire Prevention Act and regulations, as well as setting training standards and supporting the training of community firefighters.

Mr. Speaker, upon review of the main estimates published by MACA, I have noticed that the main estimates show a decrease in budgeted funding levels for the office of the fire marshal from $449,000 to $326,000 for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2001 to the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2002. This is a decrease of $123,000. The same main estimates show a decrease in the budgeted fire training allocations from $120,000 to $90,000 over the course of the last two years.

Mr. Speaker, I fail to see how MACA can state that, on one hand, the protecting of lives and property for all Northerners is a priority for MACA, while at the same time it slashes the budget for that very activity. Mr. Speaker, there have been recent media reports in The Deh Cho Drum that have highlighted concerns in the Deh Cho communities over the resources given to community firefighters. Although these concerns focus primarily on the recruitment and retention of firefighters, they also relate to equipment and training.

I do not have direct knowledge of the situations in other Members' constituencies. I presume these issues apply across the North. Mr. Speaker, I suggest that these concerns over service levels and resources are directly linked to these budgetary cuts and lack of attention being paid by this government to critical services for our communities.

Mr. McLeod, your time for your Member's statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is critical that this government gives sufficient resources to our community firefighters to do the job right. Linkages between resources for volunteer firefighters and the lives that have been lost in our smaller communities is simply too direct for us to ignore.

Cutting budgets and essential safety services that can affect our small communities in such a tragic way is of no economy, at all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to an issue today that is vital to the people of the Northwest Territories. The issue, Mr. Speaker, is securing the future of our seniors. Mr. Speaker, our seniors population continues to grow at a very rapid pace. CBC Radio has reported that by the year 2006, there will be more seniors in the Northwest Territories than there will be teenagers.

I have spoken at great length in this Assembly about this government investing in our aging population. By the same token, Mr. Speaker, we as legislators cannot afford to overlook the fact that seniors are significant contributors to our local economy. Mr. Speaker, what is needed is a full review of existing programs and services to our seniors. This review should not only reflect need, but should also serve to provide equality for all seniors.

Mr. Speaker, one issue that I have heard several times from my constituents is the issue of parity for all seniors. Government programs and policies currently in place do not always allow for parity for all seniors. Mr. Speaker, one such policy is administered by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs under the auspices of the seniors' current Property Tax Relief Act. This act, Mr. Speaker, allows for seniors below a certain income threshold to apply for property tax relief from municipalities.

Mr. Speaker, this government speaks over and over about Maximizing Northern Employment and other initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for our Northerners. An aspect of a decent quality of life is the ability of individuals to maintain a certain standard of living. Our seniors have worked in the North for many years and many seniors have done a lot towards planning their future. To this end, Mr. Speaker, many of our seniors enjoy a decent quality of life. This puts them in an unenviable position of not qualifying for a number of government programs.

I believe it is high time, Mr. Speaker, that our seniors are recognized for their valuable contribution to our society. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the committee review that has been underway by the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development, it has become abundantly clear that the road toll bill as presented is not gaining any public support, but it is also obvious that our highways are in serious need of improvement.

Mr. Speaker, if, as I expect, the toll is not approved, we may not be in a position to fix them as quickly as we would like. However, that is not to say there is nothing we can do. With $6 million earmarked for the road to Rae, it is still years from completion. The Minister of Transportation must ensure that the resources of his department are focused on the safety of the public who are travelling on those roads.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents have made it very clear to me that they do not feel safe when travelling on the highway to Rae. I have been contacted by constituents on numerous occasions about these concerns and we must move to address them in some manner.

I note, Mr. Speaker, one alternative that has been proposed to the highway road tax, and that was made by the Dogrib, Deton'Cho Corporation and RTL. They advanced an independent plan to finance accelerated construction over the ten-year pay-back period. I do not believe that these plans were seriously considered. Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, these should be revisited.

In the meantime, short of having roads which are safe for our residents, there must be safety procedures implemented. First must come proper emphasis on maintenance. Just because construction may be on the horizon, we cannot cut back on maintenance. That is the best way to ensure public safety on all those highways that are in poor shape, like the section between Yellowknife and Rae.

The second step, I think, has already been undertaken by the Minister with the announcement on October 26th of the new 1-800 phone number.

A third step that I think we can consider was suggested by a constituent who had a very scary trip on the highway between Yellowknife and Rae last summer. That constituent suggested we consider signs. I know many of us travelling in the south have seen those electronic signs on highways, that are over the highway and warn about icy patches ahead, or construction. I think we should suggest the Minister consider signage to be located at the commencement and end of unpaved sections on Highway No. 3, signs that could be updated frequently by department staff and clearly display the current road conditions and warnings for drivers of that section of highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak to this Legislature coming to the end of a very difficult time for us all. I think it is time to close the cover on this chapter in our history as a Legislature. I can assure Mr. Lafferty, and I know he already knows this, that this indeed did not amount to a cover up and I am very proud of that and I think this whole Assembly should be very proud of that.

We did, as a committee, make some very difficult recommendations. I think we made those recommendations because we felt we had to, and the whole process to this point was open, was public, I believe it was fair and even-handed, Mr. Speaker, and I do know that the public had questions about the ability of a committee of MLAs to discipline its own. I think we have answered those questions, Mr. Speaker.

I do want to thank the committee members for all of their time and effort. It has been a lot of work. Mr. Lafferty, in particular, had to come up to speed and he did so very quickly. He was not in this process from the beginning, not having been on the Board of Management, but he did a lot of work in a very short time. I thank him for that. Mr. Handley obviously needed more work like he needed a flat tire on his way home on that beautiful road on Highway No. 4. We know how much work he does, so I appreciate the extra effort he put into this. Mr. Roland and Mr. Miltenberger had to basically spend their summers away from their families travelling and working with this committee and that was much appreciated.

There is some good news, I think, that can come out of this. I think we saw it here yesterday with the amount of support displayed in this House and in the community for the Premier and for this government. It is clear to me that this Premier, Mr. Kakfwi and his Cabinet, are clearly on the right track. I hope we as a Legislature can take this momentum and build on it.

Mr. Speaker, I truly hope we have achieved closure and I thank my colleagues for all the support during this trying time. We will, Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, be measured on our ability to move forward from here. I hope we take that very seriously and can achieve great things in the last two years of our mandate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to congratulate the NWT's Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Hau Than Huynh. Hau and his wife April Tran are constituents of mine. They own and operate Arctic Jewellers in Centre Square Mall.

The Business Development Bank of Canada, which gives out the annual National Young Entrepreneur Awards, made an excellent choice when they decided to honour Hau because he is such a fine example to other young Northerners in the business world.

Hau comes from a family of jewellers with two aunts, an uncle, a cousin and a brother in the jewellery business. He began studying jewellery making with his cousin in Vietnam when he was still in school and only 14 years old.

He says he loved the work from the very beginning. He especially loves creating new designs. Hau says he finds Yellowknife a particularly exciting place to be a jeweller because of the Yellowknife gold and NWT diamonds with which he can work.

He started his business, Arctic Jewellers, in 1999, ten years after he emigrated to Canada and only a year after he came to Yellowknife just to visit. His business is doing very well, having doubled in size in the first year. He attributes his success to his hard work, skills and determination to solve any problem which arises. He is a goldsmith who designs and creates original jewellery and also repairs jewellery and watches right in his store. Hau says he was very surprised and, of course, thrilled to receive the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

His expenses to go to Edmonton for the presentation were covered by the Business Development Bank and his mentor, Fred Hunt, president of Nunasi Corporation, also assisted with travel assistance for his wife to attend the ceremony.

Hau says that this is an example of why he loves living and working in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in congratulating Hau Than Huynh and his award. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was hoping I would have been able to read my Member's statement yesterday, but today is a good day as well.

Like most of the Members of the House, I had the opportunity to travel to my home riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes on Saturday to help celebrate Ingamo Hall's 25th anniversary. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday in my Member's statement, I advised my colleagues of all the good programs and services that the Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre provides.

Today, I want to congratulate those members who make these programs so successful as the elected officials of the board. In the annual general meeting of the Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre, Mr. Barry Greenland was acclaimed once again as the president. Ms. Shirley Kisoun assumes the role of vice- president. Rosa Kisoun remains as the secretary treasurer and Bernice Furlong as a member at large. Melissa Kisoun is the newly elected youth representative on the board. For those remaining board members, I encourage you to keep up your enthusiasm and dedication to the success of the hall.

Mr. Speaker, in any event, you will find a super efficient worker that makes an event as large as an annual general assembly succeed. In the background of this year's AGM, Ms. Veronica McLeod and her staff of volunteers were a tireless bunch of workers, working hard in preparing the feast and providing snacks and refreshments during the old-time dance.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge in the House today the efforts of the board, its staff and the many volunteers who make daily contributions to the success of this fine institution.

In closing, I want to congratulate those members who put their names forth to sit on the board, in which I know you will continue to keep the level of services intact. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, as the Premier shared yesterday, the Native Women's Association held their AGM here in Yellowknife. Although I was here in Yellowknife I did not attend, because I had been invited as the Minister responsible for the Status of Women and did not feel that it would be appropriate to go.

Now that I have heard what a wonderful time was had, I am sorry that I was not there. I know from past experience what an enriching experience it is to get together with women. I have found the time that I have spent with the Grandmothers Council to be so rich.

When women get together, they are a force to be reckoned with. When those women are God-fearing women who believe in the power of prayer, then they really are a force to be reckoned with. Five such women are in the gallery today. If you represent one of these women in this Legislature, I can assure you that you are in their prayers and by that, you are very blessed. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a lady who is originally from Fort McPherson, but now lives here in Yellowknife, Ms. Annie Kaye. Welcome.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to recognize Muriel Betsina, a band councillor and a good member of the N'dilo community. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. I would just like to recognize a couple of constituents: Florence Barnaby from Fort Good Hope and Alphonsine McNeely, in the gallery.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Any further recognitions of visitors in the gallery? The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the other members of the Native Women's Association who are here with us. I would also like to recognize Rene Fumoleau who, many, many years ago, christened my son in the church here in Yellowknife. Thank you.

-- Applause

Very good. Any other recognitions of visitors in the gallery? I would like to take this opportunity to say welcome to everyone who is here. I see parents of pages here, so welcome to your Legislative Assembly.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the Western Harvester Assistance Program is a program that was established a number of years ago to give harvesters in the Northwest Territories the same level of benefits that Nunavut harvesters got as a result of their claim. That program has been going on a number of years. If communities have not accessed the program yet and are interested, there is still an opportunity to do it. There is no final date by which they would have to apply. It is a one-time funding that is made available. It has to be matched. I would be happy to have the department give the details to any community interested. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, this is a program that was meant to match a benefit that was given to Nunavut. It is one-time, the communities are only eligible for it once. The intention was that they would use the money to set up a trust fund from which they would take the earnings and reinvest that back into the harvesting industry. There are a number of other existing programs that certainly the harvesters can benefit from, but these are certainly not the magnitude of the Western Harvesters' Support Program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe most communities have, over the years, accessed the program, but if there are some who have not then certainly we would be pleased to work with them on putting in their application. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, certainly we would be interested in looking at new programs. If the Member has any suggestions, or anyone else does, I would be very interested in doing that. The harvesting and traditional economy are important to many of our people, and we would be very appreciative of any suggestions on how we can improve the programs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Transportation and relate to my statement about highways earlier today.

Could the Minister of Transportation tell us whether or not the unsolicited proposal that was made by the Deton'Cho Corporation and RTL to advance the construction on Highway No. 3 was given any consideration by his department?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the proposal was considered by the department.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister wants me to use up more of my questions. Can the Minister advise why that proposal was rejected?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe there were two main reasons why the proposal was not accepted. One of them was the time frame they put forward to do the job. There was a suggestion that they were going to complete the highway, rather than what we are suggesting here. Even with the accelerated plan we have proposed, we thought that the very minimum we could do this in would be three years. The plan that was proposed to us said two years. We did not think we could do that. It could not be managed in two years. There would be a lot of outside equipment required in order to advance it to two years rather than three. A lot of the benefits of the project would have gone south rather than staying in the Territories.

The second main concern was the financing aspect of it. It was suggested that over a ten-year period we could finance this road through a financial scheme that was proposed whereby the Legislative Assembly would approve a financial plan and we would pay off the expenses of this project over a ten-year period. I believe the department put some thought into that, and that we would basically be in the same situation if we simply went out and borrowed the money ourselves. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does that mean that the department could go out and borrow the money and advance the construction on that highway without having the road toll?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is something that would have to be addressed more towards the Minister of Finance; but from the department's perspective and from the advice we were given, if it was a matter of borrowing, the government could probably get better rates themselves rather than having it financed through a third party. That did come into play.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From what the Minister has said though, it sounds like we could finance for the same amount of money that we have in the ten-year plan right now. For the same amount of money we could spread the program out over three years and this government could borrow the money and not have it cost any more. Is that what the Minister has agreed could happen?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that the only plan the department was looking at was what we put forward through the highway toll bill whereby, rather than borrow simply on a system where we would pay back, we also had a plan where we were raising the revenue as well, and that would reduce the amount of borrowing.

The financial aspect of this whole plan to accelerate Highway No. 3 is not something that we were considering separate to what was being proposed by Robinson Trucking and the band. They were suggesting that we were going to do the job over two years and finance it through a borrowing process. We did not, as a department, feel that this would do any good. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I spoke of day care programs and subsidies. I would like to know from the Minister what is required of an organization or an outfit that would establish a day care program, or a day care home? What are the requirements that need to be met and how are they monitored? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The applicant has to go through a needs assessment process, Mr. Speaker, and then they have to apply for a licence and meet the fire and health standards. They have to pass our department's inspection for such things as safety, provide $2 million in liability insurance and provide statistics on the proposed number of children that they intend to use for the day care. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So then, in fact, there is actually a process that has gone through before a licence is given. The Minister said a needs assessment then pass an inspection. So there is an actual, physical inspection of these day care homes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Speaker, yes, that is correct. There is an inspection process that they must go through.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister then inform us as to who would do those inspections? Are there people in communities? Is it regional level? What level would that come in? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have the exact details as to the exact individuals in departments who would be involved, but let me tell you that our department monitors licensed day cares and it is monitored by our regional offices, Mr. Speaker. Headquarters provides the licences based on the information provided by the regions.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister inform us what is involved in a needs assessment for a group or an outfit to qualify for this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have that information with me here, but I will ensure that it is provided immediately to the Member after the session today or tomorrow, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs regarding my Member's statement, realizing the importance of our volunteer firefighters in our communities and the time the volunteers give at no cost to this government, the service we all realize is important in our communities. In that light, they put their lives on the line every time they respond to a fire.

I would like to ask the Minister, exactly what is his department doing to ensure that our volunteer firefighters are equipped and have the training that we require of them to fight these fires?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I am pleased to advise the Member that the first step we are trying to do is take an inventory of all the firefighting equipment in the communities. Once we can ascertain that level of firefighting equipment and what it is intended for, we will then try to put into place some training programs and provide the volunteer firefighters with updated training programs and updated standards as required to fight any type of fire in their community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we ensure that we have the equipment, as I mentioned in my statement. I know for a fact that we have fire trucks in most of our communities that are almost 20 years old. Mr. Speaker, we have to make sure we have the equipment and the resources in the communities, such as fire trucks, the tools so they can do their jobs.

I would like to ask the Minister, how soon can we see this equipment replaced in our communities, such as fire trucks and fire equipment, so they are equipped to do the job?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since this is detailed, I would like to have some time to have our department, especially the fire marshal's office, do an inventory of the equipment and an inventory of the community needs, then begin to look at implementing training programs so that the volunteer firefighters will have the most up-to-date and efficient equipment.

As for the age of much of the equipment, we are finding that in the assessment of that equipment, it is seldom used. So I think the important thing is to get an idea of how often is it being used for a fire practice, and get an idea of the amount of time spent on it and see if we can at least get an idea of where that equipment is being used and how often. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hope the Minister does not lose sight of the fact that we should also be talking to the volunteer firefighters themselves because I feel that they should have a say in what equipment they determine they require.

Right now, there are volunteer firefighters who are raising funds through bingos, bake sales, 50/50 draws, just so they can purchase some of the equipment that they require. I would like to ask the Minister, exactly where do the firefighters themselves fit into your idea of ensuring they have the equipment to do the job?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we definitely want to review the importance of this item. The other Members of this House asked me last week what are we doing for the volunteer firefighters. There are a number of initiatives we would like to consider. Some of them are to talk to the fire brigades to see exactly what the needs are. It is difficult at this time to ascertain those needs.

Perhaps one of the good things I can announce today is that we want to put more funding into the fire protection for the communities so hopefully, that is part of the overall strategy we can employ. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we also have to realize that we do have a growing population in a lot of our communities. We have a lot of new infrastructure which, in most cases, is two or three stories high. I would like to ensure the Minister also takes that into account when he does this review and ensure the equipment that is there for the community also meets the need of the community in regard to exactly what infrastructure is there and ensuring they are able to do the job when they are fighting these fires.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly appreciate the comment and the question because we want to put emphasis on training the volunteer firefighters to meet the ever-growing demands, the different type of structures coming into the North. There are very different building methods so we did get prepared for that, as well as trying to update our fire brigades on some of the new technology that is being introduced into the North as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.