Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there have been some recent reports of skinny, sick or dead caribou in the Northwest Territories, particularly in the Bathurst caribou herd. Concerns about lame caribou with lower leg lesions have been received from a number of sources, including Lutselk'e elders, barren-ground caribou outfitters and officials from Ekati Diamond Mine. Similar concerns have been raised by some hunters in the Beaufort region regarding Bluenose caribou.

I want to assure people that there is nothing unusual about these sightings and reports. Each report received by RWED officers is followed up. In the case of the Bathurst herd, samples were taken from 10 animals and sent to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre in Saskatoon to determine the cause of illness and/or death.

Test results and field observations suggest that this condition is consistent with a condition called "footrot", not to be mixed up with hoof and mouth disease, or necrobacillosis. It is a naturally occurring condition that turns up periodically in wildlife populations as individual cases or larger outbreaks. This condition is caused by naturally occurring bacteria that will usually only affect animals in poor condition with injuries or wounds that bacteria can penetrate.

Leg wounds from running over rough terrain or persistent exposure to wet ground provides an opportunity for this to occur. Infected animals often appear lame and can go on to develop a generalized infection resulting in death. It is important to note that footrot is not a contagious disease and is not spread from animal to animal.

A combination of conditions this year on the Bathurst caribou range could explain the higher than usual reports of lame caribou. This past summer was unusually wet, with some areas of the caribou range receiving 80 percent more rainfall than normal. As Members will recall, this past summer was also a prime year for mosquitoes and other insects. Caribou, like people, suffer from insect harassment. The animals can become skinny from running away from these insects.

Mr. Speaker, while there have been a few more reports of animals in poor condition this year, it is still considered to be within the range of normal occurrences.

The department is planning a survey of the Bathurst herd over the next few weeks to determine if conditions this summer have impacted calf survival or the overall health of the herd. We continue to work closely with community groups, outfitters and mining camps to document and investigate any additional cases of sick or dead caribou. I encourage any hunters who are encountering sick or dead caribou to report these incidents to their local RWED office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next Wednesday, November 7th, grade 9 students from across the NWT will skip school for the day, but they are not cutting classes. Most of them will spend the day at work with their parents, another relative or a family friend.

They are participating in the 8th annual Take Our Kids to Work Day. Since 1994, schools and workplaces across Canada have set aside one day a year for students in grade 9 to head out of the classroom and into a range of workplaces. The NWT is no exception. Over the past two years, more than 400 students have participated in Take Our Kids to Work Day.

Mr. Speaker, there are many advantages to an event like this. Take Our Kids to Work Day encourages a connection between family, school, the workplace and the community. It enhances a young person's understanding of the world of work. It helps students make the link between their education and their future and encourages them to consider career paths. More importantly, it is an opportunity to foster understanding and cooperation between schools, future employees and employers in the communities.

The theme of Take Our Kids to Work Day this year is "Experience, Teamwork and Safety." With an emphasis on workplace safety, students and employers will be briefed on appropriate behaviours that will help to ensure safety in the workplace. Students will also receive training on their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that the Workers' Compensation Board will join us in Take Our Kids to Work Day events. The Young Worker Program, administered by WCB, is devoted to ensuring that young workers understand all the issues related to workplace safety.

Take Our Kids to Work Day is one of many events planned for Canada Career Week, November 4th to 10th. "Learning -- Power for Life" is the theme. Mr. Speaker, one of the most valuable learning experiences these young people can have is acquiring knowledge about staying safe in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, I want to also thank the many businesses, industries and government offices that have agreed this year to again participate in Take Our Kids to Work Day. Your support of this program ensures its success and makes a credible learning experience for students. These students are the workforce of the future. The earlier young people begin to think seriously about and plan for a lifetime of learning, the more successful they will be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, concerns have been raised in this House about the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board's environmental assessment process as it applies to the process used by the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development to issue timber cutting permits. I would like to take the time now to clarify the process for Members.

The federal Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act was established to implement provisions contained in land claims agreements in the Northwest Territories. The act established the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board to undertake environmental assessments and panel reviews. The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development appoints board members who are nominated by First Nations and territorial and federal governments.

The review board is a public board that recommends ways to protect the environment from impacts that may be caused by a development. The environment includes biophysical, social, economic, traditional use and cultural impacts of the proposed development. The review board can also recommend to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development that a development be rejected because the impacts are too great.

The review board does not tell RWED to issue permits. The review board recommends whether or not the project can proceed and provides recommendations to mitigate any identified adverse environmental effects.

The environmental impact assessment process has three stages. These are the preliminary screening, environmental assessment and environmental impact review. Not all developments go through each of these three stages. Most go through preliminary screening and continue on through the permitting process.

Preliminary screening is done by the department or agency issuing permits such as water licences, land use permits and timber cutting authorities.

The review board does not issue permits or licences itself. Various government departments or the land and water boards issue them. However, if a project is referred to environmental assessment, the review board makes recommendations that may become terms and conditions of those permits or licences as approved by the Minister of DIAND. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today with sadness in my heart with the passing of our jijuu, Sarah Simon. As we all know, Sarah Simon celebrated her 100th birthday a couple of months ago. Sarah Simon passed away with her family around her at 5:05 this morning at the Inuvik General Hospital.

Sarah dedicated her life to her people and to her church. Well into her 90's, she continued to help the Gwich'in people and the people of the Northwest Territories by her involvement with developing a document which has just been released, the "Our Jijuu: Who are My Grandparents and Where are They From?"

At this time, I would like to send my condolences out to the Stewart family, along with Sue, Doris, John, Lawrence and Paul and also to her many, many relatives in the Stewart and Kay families. Today we have lost a treasure, a lady who committed her life to her people and to serving the church and all who knew her. Sarah has always been there with open arms to help everyone and anyone. She always took the time to assist with all of the children around her and with ensuring we had the faith to continue to work on and support the family as a unit.

Just recently, Mr. Speaker, I received a card from Sarah Simon:

Dear David,

I greatly thank you for your kind words at my birthday feast held in Inuvik. May God bless you as you serve the Lord by serving your people.

Many blessings in your work,

Sarah Simon

With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to again send my condolences out to Sarah Simon's family at this time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Indeed, the sympathies of the Assembly go to the family of Ms. Simon on their loss. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the past three years, the Department of Health and Social Services has commissioned numerous studies and reports totalling nearly $2.5 million. These have included the Med-Emerg report, the Minister's Forum, the Child Welfare League report, all coming at a time when several health boards have significant deficits. For example, Stanton Regional Hospital built up a deficit of $1.6 million.

Mr. Speaker, the most recent was the sole-sourced Cuff report, which reviewed our northern health care system. I believe it has missed the mark because it was written from a southern perspective.

Mr. Speaker, not everything in the report was wrong. Certainly the recommendations on board training and development were good. However, the Standing Committee on Social Programs has been saying the same thing for a long time. Mr. Speaker, that advice was free.

The recommendations on health care redesign were okay, but talking to the Northwest Territories Medical Association, again for free, could have resulted in more relevant ones.

The real focus of the Cuff report was governance. Mr. Speaker, from that focus, one might start to believe that by changing our system of governance, we could deal with most of the problems facing health and social services in the North. That approach is misguided. I bet if we eliminated every board and simply let the department run the system, we would still not save enough money to cover one year of forced growth in program delivery.

Alberta tried to solve their skyrocketing cost programs a few years ago by cutting health boards, much as recommended by the Cuff report. Recently, they announced that they needed to cut over a billion dollars again from health care. The Mazankowski report on the health system is calling for dramatic changes like increased use of nurse practitioners and delisting treatments for some common things. So Albertans might have to pay themselves to see a doctor for a sprain. Alberta is making the same mistakes that I think we have. They too are just fiddling around the edges of the problem rather than facing it head on.

The real problems facing our health and social services programs today are what are the expectations of the public of the health care and social services system and what can our system afford or support now and into the future? The department needs to address these pressing issues in order to deal with the big problem of sustainability.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a problem faced only in the Northwest Territories. Across Canada, health care costs have spiralled up 40 percent in the past four years. In Ontario, health services alone account for 43.9 percent of all government program spending. 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 your statement, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, honourable Members. In the Northwest Territories, we are nowhere near that proportion as found in Ontario and I doubt we are even close to what is found in most other provinces, but the demand for services is growing very quickly. Within the next five or ten years, we may be faced with having to find $100 million to maintain services the public expects to be able to access. We certainly will not save that much through changes in governance. We have to look far ahead, not just a year or two.

Mr. Speaker. I urge the Minister to take the initiative and start the dialogue. It will not be an easy one, nor will the answers happen as quickly as we would all like to see. However, if we do not start the discussion soon, we might run out of money for anything, but health care in the not-too-distant future. Mr. Speaker, let us get started. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to, as did my colleague for Mackenzie Delta, speak on the passing of Sarah Simon. I was fortunate to be able to attend her 100th birthday celebration in Inuvik. Many people from across the Delta took the opportunity to wish her well and give her many gifts. I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of this government there and wish her well also.

Mr. Speaker, one very important activity she was involved with, which was a lifelong journey for her that she spoke about, was her devotion to her Lord and Saviour. She provided that service to many people. She was a mentor to many people growing up in the Delta, as well as a counsellor to many.

Mr. Speaker, as you heard through Mr. Krutko, the thank you card is one that she reflects and looks back on as a service. Although this may be a sad day for the family and residents of the Delta and the Northwest Territories to lose someone as valuable as Ms. Sarah Simon, I like to put it in the picture that in her devotion to her Lord and Saviour, there is rejoicing going on now in the heavens above as they welcome her with open arms for the great work she has done. I am sure they will be sending blessings down to comfort her family.

Just to inform her family that my family and I pray for their peace at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Being a Friday, and as we begin to look forward to the close of the Fourth Session of the 14th Legislative Assembly, I was asked by my constituents to make a Member's statement in memory of a fond uncle and friend to many in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, I am speaking of the late Abe Okpik, first Eskimo appointed to the Northwest Territories Council in 1965. His picture hangs on the wall of the entrance to the Cabinet offices along with the many distinguished councillors.

We are proud of Abe's accomplishments. He was a Governor General Award recipient and named to the Order of Canada for his involvement with Project Surname in the 1960's. He was often referred to as a diplomat for the Western Arctic, although he spent much of his life, as he would say, patrolling the East. As his son Roy said in his obituary, Uncle Abe wanted to be buried in the East, but his spirit remains in the West.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the request to make this statement has been fulfilled by yours truly for the constituents of Inuvik Twin Lakes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other day, the Honourable Roger Allen indicated to this House that the United Nations has declared this year the International Year of Volunteers. I would like to mention a local group of volunteers today, Mr. Speaker.

The Yellowknife Community Foundation is a group of volunteers working to enrich the lives of others in our community. Ten years ago, a group of individuals got together to start a charity to support a variety of needs in our community. By 1993, the organization became a registered charity.

Mr. Speaker, they provide grants to support projects that advance the welfare of the needy and alleviate human suffering and poverty; assist in promoting arts and cultural events; assist sport, recreation and community development; assist and advance the provision of medical services; and also assist and advance other community activities or facilities of a charitable nature.

Mr. Speaker, the foundation has funds to support a variety of needs within our community, as I have indicated. They have also established three additional funds. Many of us are familiar with them. The NWT Fine and Performing Arts Fund, Jenny Gamble Fournier Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Mary Beth Miller Memorial Fund.

Mr. Speaker, the foundation receives both individual and corporate support. Corporate contributions do form a significant part of the foundation's working capital. I would like to acknowledge the following businesses in our community who are involved with the foundation: Artisan Press; Avery Cooper and Co.; Canarctic Graphics; Inkit; Gullberg, Wiest, MacPherson and Kay; Northern News Services; NorthwesTel; and RTL Robinson. Together, individuals and corporations have contributed approximately $200,000 to date.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge the board of directors of the Yellowknife Community Foundation today. Many people work behind the scenes in support of such worthwhile causes and often do not get the recognition they deserve. Current volunteers who form the board of directors are: Blair Dunbar, Ian Legaree, Doug Nelson, Tom Hall, Loraine Minish-Cooper, Connie Langstrom, Julia Mott, and Louise Vertes.

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely grateful to these individuals who are so giving of their time and talents and I ask that my fellow Members join me today in recognition of their efforts. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, November is National Diabetes Month. With an aging and less active population across North America, and I think we are included in that in the NWT, diabetes is becoming a more costly and serious problem for all health care systems.

It is estimated that four to six percent of the population have type 2 diabetes, Mr. Speaker. The Canadian Diabetes Association says that for every person who has diabetes, there is another who goes undiagnosed. Many people who have type 2 diabetes are not aware of it.

Some questions that I suggest asking are the following:

• • Are you 45 years of age or over?
• • Are you overweight, particularly around your middle?
• • Do you get enough exercise?
• • Are you aboriginal?
• • Does your brother or sister or a parent have diabetes?

If you have checked two or more of these, you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Having these risk factors does not mean you will get diabetes, but the risk increases. The advice, Mr. Speaker, is that we should all have our blood sugar levels checked at least every three years.

There are two important points to stress, Mr. Speaker. Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. Its onset may be delayed through healthy lifestyle choices, including a healthy diet, weight control, exercise and reduction in stress. Diabetes can be managed through proper monitoring, testing and lifestyle; eat properly, get enough exercise and do not smoke.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of the Stanton Diabetes Education Program, which is conducting screening and outreach programs in communities in the NWT, starting with Fort Simpson beginning on November 14th, which is World Diabetes Day.

Mr. Speaker, I would especially like to compliment two constituents of the Great Slave Riding, Mary Deans and Mabel Wong, who are making their own contribution to this awareness effort. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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