Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Declarations de deputes. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on the need for additional funding and attention to take care of our special needs students in our school system. I do not think I could do this better than a very articulate testimonial of one of the parents. It goes like this:

"I was recently involved in a parent-led campaign that sought to have a full-time education assistant assigned to the grade 2 class at J.H. Sissons School in Yellowknife. At that time, the class was made up of 27 students. Nine were being counselled to encourage more positive behaviour and at least five were known to be below the academic level for that grade. Two were later identified as having special needs due to either a mental or physical handicap.

This entire class, including the high-end special need student, was in the care of only one teacher. The school teaching staff have been assisting these children by providing counselling and program support. The time they are able to dedicate is limited to a few hours each week as their services are shared by numerous other high-need students.

Eventually, testing of the children was done and the two special needs children were identified. In January, these two students began sharing one education assistant for half of their school day. Another child was placed in the Strategies for Success Program, which helps students become better and more positive learners. These actions are helping the children involved but it does not address all of the high-need children in the class.

Six families moved their children to another school as they felt the class make-up did not promote a healthy learning environment for their children. This move, which was upsetting to all involved, may have been avoided if:

1. funds were available to provide immediate help when it is needed;
2. administrators were trained and equipped to identify and respond to high and special needs students in their schools; and
3. pupil-teacher ratios were reduced when high-need students are involved.

This may mean the schools are funded in the future based more on the needs of the students and not just on the number of students enrolled."

Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude by lending support to her suggestion or her plea to the Minister, which says:

"I strongly urge you to direct whatever resources you can towards developing a strategy for early identification and support of high-end special needs students. The investment will appear small in comparison to the cost to society...

Ms. Lee, your time for you Member's statement has expired.

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

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Ms. Lee, you may conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I would just like to conclude her urge to the Minister, which says:

"I strongly urge you to direct whatever resources you can towards developing a strategy for early identification and support of high-end special need students. The investment will appear small in comparison to the cost to society if these children do not receive the support they so desperately need at an early age."

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too have concerns in regard to the land pricing policy of the Government of the Northwest Territories, especially with the major increases that have been noted, such as in the community of Aklavik, where the property values have been assessed at $13,000 per lot.

Mr. Speaker, this policy only came into effect in 1997 but there is no room in the policy to consider there was a land freeze as a result of land claims being settled in the Mackenzie Valley, where people were only in the position of leasing property through this long-term lease from the 1980s to the 1990s. The prices presently there are unacceptable to the residents of the Mackenzie Delta and Aklavik.

I think it is clear, Mr. Speaker, that we as a government have to do more to reflect the wishes of the residents of our communities and the homeowners in our communities to reflect the realistic costs of trying to live in our small, isolated communities. Mr. Speaker, this is one more burden on our residents with a cost that is unforeseen, uncalled for and one that had no public involvement in implementation.

Mr. Speaker, this government has been funding municipalities and settlements for a number of years through the MOPE and SOAP program, which identified resources to communities to allow for the building of roads, culvert costs, power poles and other associated costs within our small municipalities. Now, Mr. Speaker, we are in the process of clawing back dollars for those development costs and putting it on the shoulders of the residents of our communities.

Like my colleague from the Deh Cho, I too will have questions to the Minister on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Declarations de deputes. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. Declarations de deputes. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an important time of the year for the people of the Mackenzie Delta, especially for a majority of my constituents in the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes. The cultural importance I am speaking of is this is the time for rat trapping season, as we call it back home.

The season for trapping for later spring hunters lasts March 1st to June 15th annually. Rat trapping plays a significant role in the lives of Inuvik Twin Lakes, as it brings families back onto the trap line to harvest these resilient little rodents, Ondatra Zibethica.

The ratting season also gives an opportunity for people to go out and enjoy a traditional lifestyle. To put it mildly, get a good wind burn and enjoy the return of long daylight. Fresh tea and bannock beside a good fire alongside the lake seem to put the people back into a refreshed state of mind.

Mr. Speaker, I want to pass along my sincere good wishes to all those who are going to enjoy this annual practice to which I can safely say that I am envious of at this time of the year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. That brings back a lot of fond memories. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Volunteers play an essential role in Yellowknife as they do in all Northwest Territories communities. Recent surveys show that Northerners lead almost all other Canadians in the amount of volunteering they do. In 1999, 41 percent of Yellowknifers over the age of 15 participated in volunteer activity. The national average was 31 percent.

I was pleased to take part in the official launch of the International Year of Volunteers, which took place here in the Legislative Assembly in December. Several of the volunteers singled out for special recognition were Yellowknife residents. Among these, three were Cappy Elkin, Meryl Falconer and Ann Peters. They were recognized for their work with a number of activities and events, including the Stanton Regional Hospital Foundation, the Breast Cancer Awareness Program, Girl Guides, the Guild of Crafts and Folk on the Rocks.

I would also like to recognize a few of the volunteer organizations operating in my constituency of Yellowknife Centre. The individuals who volunteer for these organizations are, through their efforts, making Yellowknife a better place to live. The Yellowknife Women's Centre has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. It exists because a group of volunteers decided they would improve the situation for women in this city. They started out as a small, on-the-job training program in 1991 and continued to increase and improve services they were providing. Last year, they assisted approximately 400 families.

The Yellowknife Food Bank has been operating for a number of years, always relying completely on volunteers to deliver this service.

The Side Door is a no-cost hangout for youth in the Yellowknife downtown core. About 100 young people a week take advantage of the Side Door's activities that are geared specifically for them and find a listening ear when they need one. The Side Door is a volunteer board and also has volunteers working with youth and helping to manage the organization.

Mr. Speaker, there are many other organizations in Yellowknife which would not be able to carry out their mandates if it were not for the involvement of volunteers. There are many, many more volunteers that I could possibly name, but it is important and very appropriate that we show volunteers that we appreciate them because our society is greatly improved because of their efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, at this time, I would like to recognize in the gallery our Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Ms. Carol Roberts.

-- Applause

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 Lee Selleck in the press corps and also the guests in our gallery. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you. I would like to welcome everyone who is here today to observe your Legislative Assembly at work. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs. Last year, I raised a question about the fairness of lotteries, especially large-scale lotteries which cross boundaries and have substantial prizes attached to them. However, because of the percentage of licence fee established, they do not become economic and therefore people of the Northwest Territories miss out on the potential benefits of these lotteries, and also being able to contribute to worthy causes such as the Canadian Cancer Society. I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what progress he is making on reviewing this situation with large-scale lotteries that cross our boundaries? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has reviewed the current fee structure and the revisions are currently being drafted by the Department of Justice and will take effect April 1st of this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.