Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the critical state of repair of the Hay River Centennial Library. The Hay River library was built in 1967 and serves as the literary centre of our community, along with housing the territorial library services branch providing cataloguing, storing and circulation of territorial books and records.

The government released a technical status evaluation report in September 1998 and again in November 2001. In both of these documents, the building was identified as being in drastic need of repair. There are items identified for maintenance and repair that were rated as unsatisfactory, requiring a priority action with service life of zero years. The priority item I am most concerned with is the roof and the roofing membrane which was reported in 1998 with a zero year's service life.

The summary of the evaluation report indicates that the roof has reached the end of its duty cycle and should be retrofitted in the very near future before leaking begins to deteriorate the structure and finishes. Low levels of insulation and the absence of continuous air and vapour barriers are resulting in poor thermal efficiency and uncomfortable conditions for the building's occupants. In the Minister's response to my recent correspondence he confirms that limited service life was found in the roof system, which urgently requires upgrading and membrane replacement. It is also noted that there have been zero capital dollars spent on this building during the past five years.

I understand that these repairs will be identified in the 2004 capital funding list which I believe will delay these upgrades and repairs until 2005 or 2006. The 1998 technical status evaluation report clearly indicates that the repairs were rated as mandatory at that time. That was over four years ago. My constituents are impatient with the government's lack of action and intention given the condition of the library building and I will be referring to the issue of the aforementioned repairs in my questions to the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment in question period today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause