Thank you, Mr. Roland. Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues. I would like to welcome you back to the Assembly from a brief summer vacation, interrupted as it may be.

I wish to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

"Dear Mr. Speaker,

I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of the Supplementary Appropriations Act, No. 2, 2001-2002 during the Fourth Session of the 14th Legislative Assembly.

Yours truly,

Glenna F. Hansen

Commissioner"

As well, I would like to take this opportunity to say a couple of words. Since we met the last time, a couple of very momentous things have taken place in the Legislative Assembly, one being that the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell, was the first sitting Member in living memory to be married during his term.

-- Applause

I would like to offer congratulations to both Mr. Bell and Jill Taylor, his lovely bride as of the 14th of July.

As well, the honourable Member for Frame Lake achieved a milestone in his life on Friday. I will not say his age, but he is halfway there.

-- Applause

Congratulations, Mr. Dent. Congratulations, Mr. Bell.

Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday in Italy, Canada's Prime Minister told President Bush and reporters that the development of NWT gas is a priority for his government.

He said, "...no doubt about it, there will be a pipeline in the Mackenzie Valley. It is the only way you can get the gas from the Delta down to the market." He also said, "...if we have only one pipeline, it is easier than two."

These were welcome words for those of us promoting the development of our Territory's natural gas resources.

Mr. Chretien's comments not only reflected his belief that NWT gas should precede Alaskan gas to market, but more importantly, that NWT's aboriginal people are major stakeholders in this plan.

Our government has long maintained that gas from a stand-alone pipeline down the Mackenzie Delta can and should be allowed to address the energy shortage in the United States. In light of a recent drop in the price of natural gas, this less-costly means of getting natural gas to market is currently even more economically sound.

I believe that eventually sound economics, the private sector and our regulatory process will also determine the route of Alaskan gas, and that it too will flow to market through the NWT. By working closely with industry and with federal and aboriginal governments, both of these projects can be achieved in a safe, economical and environmentally sound manner.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for backing the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. His support is a most welcome step in addressing the many challenges that must be overcome before natural gas can flow to market from the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleagues today that Mr. Chretien's comments do not mean that our lobbying effort in Ottawa is complete. If anything, they mean that we must increase our efforts. Investment from Ottawa will be key as we continue to ready our Territory for this project.

In January of 2000, Dene, Metis and Inuvialuit leaders declared unanimous support for the proposed aboriginal ownership of a gas pipeline. This support was confirmed in June of that year when the Aboriginal Pipeline Group was mandated, on behalf of all aboriginal people, to pursue a means by which aboriginal ownership could be realized.

Last week in Calgary, the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, the Honourable Joe Handley and I met with gas producers, explorers and pipeline companies to ensure that these interests continue to be reflected in their efforts to develop Mackenzie Delta gas reserves.

Mackenzie Delta producers indicated that they will be ready to file a notice of application to construct a Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline by this fall. That means that there is much work to be done. We must work to ensure a deal is reached for aboriginal equity in a Mackenzie Valley pipeline -- one that offers maximum benefits to, and meets the terms and conditions of, the people of the NWT.

We must also complete our process of regulatory reform and continue to invest in infrastructure, training and the development of the NWT's business sector in order that NWT residents are in a position to fully benefit from the natural gas development that is now most certainly on the way. Mahsi cho.

-- Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Kakfwi. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today deals with something that is fundamental in the lives of all people -- having good, safe drinking water to consume for your use. Yet, Mr. Speaker, I find it awfully difficult, realizing the problems I have seen in the Mackenzie Delta with THMs in Fort McPherson, ...inaudible...context in Tsiigehtchic, and also H. pylori in water samples in Aklavik.

Mr. Speaker, what alarms me the most is that presently there is no environmental health officer in the Inuvik region to ensure the health and the well-being of the residents of the Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie Delta are being looked at and having someone there to ensure that the health of the people in the Mackenzie Delta is being monitored by ensuring that the environmental health officer is directing the Departments of Public Works and MACA to continue with its water samples and testing of the water to ensure that the health and the well-being of the residents that I serve is being upheld.

Mr. Speaker, what upsets me the most is that presently there are no time frames to the conclusion of the Fort McPherson water project, which was supposed to be in operation effective July 1st. It is way behind schedule. It looks like there may be a cost overrun. Yet, Mr. Speaker, this was supposed to be a priority of this government. The whole water issue was supposed to be a priority with regard to the health of what we see.

Yet with what is going on across Canada, with Walkerton and elsewhere in the provinces and other jurisdictions, we are seeing the results of not monitoring our water systems and ensuring the upkeep of the facilities in our communities is being worked on. Yet when we have systems that are breaking down under this government and nothing is being done about it, I for one feel that there has to be something done.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot stated with regard to improving the water treatment facilities in our communities. Yet, Mr. Speaker, I believe we are moving too slowly on this matter. I for one feel this government has to do more and they have to be more active in ensuring that we have safe drinking water in the Northwest Territories. With that, I will be asking the Minister questions on this matter. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, housing in Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories is a constant issue that merits our attention. I would like to again bring attention to it.

Here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to have a buoyant economy fuelled largely at this time by the diamond industry. Our summer students are generally well employed, but local help wanted ads reflect increasing shortages in the trades and the service industry. Employment initiatives by the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and public housing approaches by the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation are welcome, but more affordable housing is urgently needed. Much more needs to be done.

People cannot camp at Fred Henne Park in December, Mr. Speaker. The housing situation in Yellowknife is critical, with less than two percent vacancy rate for rental accommodation. Detached units are virtually unavailable. The shortage of tradesmen is increasingly problematic.

Diavik and De Beers Snap Lake projects have still to come on stream. While the private sector is looking at a level new housing construction, some 60 new units are on stream in Yellowknife. High land and servicing costs, fuel, high taxes and a lack of tradesmen impact diversely on our buoyant economy. I guess we could ask a question, Mr. Speaker, "If we build it, will they come?"

The Housing Corporation should re-examine its administration of public housing to see if there are opportunities for improvement and a more integrated approach. How and for whom can more public housing be made available?

Emergency housing inventories in Yellowknife are over-taxed. I would appeal to the corporation to continue to support and provide immediate funding for the three family units at the YWCA and commit to sit on the Yellowknife Housing Coalition.

Mr. Speaker, our message is that our governments -- municipal, territorial, federal -- and the private sector must work together to remedy not only the increasingly critical short-term housing situation, but also to plan and manage and benefit from the short-and long-term prospects for development in Yellowknife and the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, health and social services has been on my mind and on the mind of my constituents quite a bit as of late. Mr. Speaker, I have come to see health and social services like a vehicle. The Minister and the department provide the steering and the engine with their money and their legislation and their regulation. Mr. Speaker, the health boards are the tires. They are where the rubber hits the road. They are what delivers the programs to the people in the communities.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that this vehicle is experiencing some significant mechanical problems. It is burning oil. Its gas mileage is not very good. We are enveloped in clouds of smoke and there is rattling and banging noises as it grinds away trying to take care of business.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, rather than going to a qualified, northern, full-service garage, the department decided to go south to a consultant, a specialist. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it turns out that this consultant's specialty was in shredding tires.

Lo and behold, once he looked at the vehicle, he said, "The tires are the problem." As we sit here, coughing and gasping in the smoke, pouring oil and money constantly into the engine trying to keep it running, which seems to spend, with steering problems, a lot of its time going in and out of the ditch.

Mr. Speaker, the people in my constituency are greatly concerned about the state of this vehicle that is so important to them and the programs and services that are so critical to the people of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, what we are seeing and hearing from the department does not provide much comfort that things are well in hand.

I would hope that the Minister would not be bound to implement the recommendations of her southern consultant and taking things at face value. The people are watching and are not blind. The people are definitely not stupid when it comes to what programs are important to them and how they want to see them delivered in their communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I must say that I am happy to be back here with you and the rest of my colleagues on both sides of the House. I hope that our visit this summer does not last for too long.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that is affecting at least two Hay River residents. I cannot help but notice, Mr. Speaker, how well my colleagues look with the advent of summer upon us. We are all taking the pleasures that our homes provide, whether it be a wonderful barbeque with family, sitting on our backyard deck or a quiet evening with our children.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the basic right of society is the right of shelter. Unfortunately, this is not the case for at least two Hay River residents that I referred to. Due to various circumstances, these two people were evicted from public housing in early December. These two people are indigent and, as such, are on income support.

Mr. Speaker, as these people were evicted from public housing, they are only entitled to an allotment from income support of $32 per month. You cannot even buy a cup of coffee per day, Mr. Speaker, for $32 per month. These two individuals, Mr. Speaker, are currently being housed in a tent at the Hay River campground and alternately at Louise Falls campground, where they have recently encountered a bear in their camp site, but were unharmed.

Mr. Speaker, I submit to you that these two individuals deserve more from our government than a tent in a campground 40 kilometres away from Hay River. I have contacted several government departments in an attempt to seek a solution to these people's predicament to no avail.

Mr. Speaker, I feel strongly that our government should have some sort of a safety net in place to assist people. It appears that in order to run a proper program for the homeless in our communities, there needs to be dollars made available from this government. There are too many roadblocks put in place to truly assist these people.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that these two individuals in Hay River are in a desperate situation and do need our help. They are not going to go away. We as a government need to assist these people in any way that we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been a Member of this Assembly for over a year and a half now and, as with my colleagues, I have worked hard to meet the responsibilities of this Assembly and the people of the Deh Cho.

One disturbing trend I have noticed, Mr. Speaker, is that I am spending more and more time advocating on behalf of my constituents who are having problems with the Workers' Compensation Board. It seems, Mr. Speaker, that the way the Workers' Compensation Board deals with its clients can at times be very arbitrary and contrary to due process.

One case that I am aware of, a client has had his amount of compensation lowered three times. Three times, Mr. Speaker, without ever receiving an explanation for the changes. You can imagine the frustration of my constituent.

I get the sense that in some cases, the WCB is assuming that injured workers are trying to rip off the system and consequently make it so hard for the client to access the program that they may go away. I do not mean to slight the staff of the Workers' Compensation Board. They work in very trying conditions and must deal with people who are facing a crisis and may not be at their best. They should be commended.

However, Mr. Speaker, compassion, understanding and consideration have to be provided to the WCB clients. They have to be informed of changes to their benefits prior to their cheques being received. Board staff must assume a less adversarial role in dealing with clients. I am hoping that the review of the Workers' Compensation Board will take into account the views of injured workers who are having problems in accessing benefits and will recommend positive changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to give an update on the activities in my community of Inuvik. Mr. Speaker, I have had opportunity to see a lot of activity going on in the construction area -- trucks busy hauling gravel to fill in lots, develop new infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, it has been many years -- over a decade, in fact -- since we have seen this kind of activity in the community, as well as in the region.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a lot of work by a lot of individuals in the community to see some of the projects get off the ground, so to speak. I was able to take part in a ceremony at the female young offenders site, the site blessing. As well, I was able to go for a short little tour of the foundation that is being worked on for the new hospital in Inuvik, which will again benefit the constituents of the region.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we must also look at is when development comes at such a fast pace, we must ask ourselves, are we truly ready to meet those demands that are placed on the infrastructure and community and the residents of that community?

Mr. Speaker, we have heard through other conferences of the concern that has been placed on the social systems that we have. I have heard from members of Turning Point as to some of their concerns of trying to address the increased impacts of having more cash flow through the community. There is a good side of development and there is a bad side.

Another side that we have to look at, Mr. Speaker, on the infrastructure side, is from the municipal government side. Mr. Speaker, in trying to develop and be prepared for development as is occurring in the community I represent, the municipality is facing some difficult times in trying to ensure that they are meeting the needs that are being placed on it, from the housing side of the scale as well as from the business side, having proper industrial lots and development that is going to meet that need.

As well, Mr. Speaker, for example, our sewer systems need to be addressed, as there are more people coming to the community and placing a demand on those services.

Mr. Speaker, hopefully this government will be working with our community to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our residents. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this very beautiful July summer day, when our constituents are, I am sure, out there enjoying the summer in and out of the city, I wonder if I could take this opportunity to update my constituents on the best form of communication that I could suggest, which is my website.

As you will recall, Mr. Speaker, it was launched over a year ago, and I have had much success in communicating with my constituents and informing them about my activities. I could inform you that I have had as high as 500 hits a day and up to 800 during our very busy time of last March.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform my constituents again that they could find all of the statements that I make in this House and outside on my website. As well, I have new sections in my website. Called "What's New," I have a detailed report about my schedule, where I have been and where I plan to go. We have also loaded dozens and dozens of photos from all of the events I have been attending. As you know, Mr. Speaker, I have been travelling across the NWT attending assemblies as part of my job as a member of the Special Committee on the Sunset Clause and Self-Government Implementation.

I would also like to inform my constituents about a new section called "Sandy's Library," which is a section where I download documents that I receive as a Member of the Assembly, where there is no encumbrance with copyrights or anything like that.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank those who have visited my site and have provided me with positive comments that encourage me and my staff to work hard to keep our site current and fresh.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my CA, Stephen Dunbar, a summer student who has worked really hard to make my website the vision that I have for it. As well, I also have a summer student, Ryan Chenkie, who is a grade 9 student who is a computer whiz. He has helped a lot as well. It is Stephen's birthday today, so I would like to wish him a happy birthday as well. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. I think there was probably about three subjects in there. I would like to remind Members that Member's statements should stick to one subject. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon, colleagues, and welcome back. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about a fine and exemplary citizen of Yellowknife who has worked north of 60 both for pay and as a volunteer, and has benefited so many people here in the North for the past 30 years. Tom Eagle came to the NWT in 1971 as a military man in charge of setting up cadet corps in the NWT and the Yukon. He was part of a contingent of military people chosen for transfer to the North, based not only on their military standing, but also because of their volunteer involvement.

The intent was to have the military presence create a positive impact on the North. Tom says he cannot thank the Armed Forces enough for bringing him to the NWT.

While serving with the forces here, Tom was instrumental in establishing cadet corps in Yellowknife and in other communities in the NWT, Yukon, and what is now Nunavut.

Following his retirement from the Armed Forces, with 25 years of service, Tom became Commissioner Hodgson's assistant for five years. He says he thinks back to working with the commissioner with great pleasure, not only because of the work itself, but because it gave him an opportunity to visit every community across the Arctic and begin treasured friendships with many people, including most of the leaders of today.

Tom then went on to work for the Government of the Northwest Territories for a number of years, during which time he took on several tasks, including helping to set up the NWT Housing Corporation, the political development of aboriginal people, and helping youth to become organized.

From the time of his arrival in the North, Tom was involved as a volunteer on the board of the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre. The accomplishments from those early days include the purchase of the present Tree of Peace building, the taking over of the Camp Antler program, the formation of the business arm of the Tree of Peace, and the setting up of adult education at alcohol and drug and employment outreach programs.

Tom was part of the establishment of friendship centres in Fort Rae, Hay River, Rankin Inlet, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Fort Providence. He also served a two-year stint as president of the National Association of Friendship Centres.

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

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