Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is where the people who are most affected are prepared to take action. I have been working with two of these people, Mark Zimmer and Barry Newman, both owners of small businesses in Yellowknife and both tenants, to develop a petition that will go into circulation today and hopefully, Mr. Speaker, will capture an audience across the Northwest Territories.

The petition urges two things. One is for the government of the Northwest Territories to create effective ways for tenants and landlords to resolve disputes regarding excessive rent increases, and the other is to work with developers to enable construction of affordable rental housing in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, this is not rent control. I want to state right now that I am not in favour of rent control. I will oppose any measure that tries to set absolute control in how a landlord runs his business. I must reinforce, Mr. Speaker, that the messages I am getting from my constituents cannot be ignored. We are not going to take the Minister's initial response as the final word and that is what this petition is about.

I want to congratulate Mr. Zimmer and Mr. Newman for taking the initiative and trying to make a difference. I look forward to bringing a well-signed petition back into this Assembly next February. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two groups in Hay River that I have been working closely with since being elected are the senior citizens and the persons with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, December 3rd is a very important day. That being the International Day of Disabled Persons. It is indeed my sincere pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to publicly acknowledge this very important date. I must clarify, Mr. Speaker, that while this day should be recognized, we should be celebrating the accomplishments of persons with disabilities every day of the year.

Mr. Speaker, persons with disabilities have every right to participate fully in our society and partake in all that life has to offer. They are equal citizens and are entitled to equal access to all programs and services offered by this government. It is truly a tribute to the betterment of society, Mr. Speaker, when government accomplishes things with people instead of in isolation. Our government functions best when we as leaders work side by side with citizens who are in the best position to convey their needs and propose solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard many times from constituents with disabilities in Hay River at the troubles and frustrations that they face when it comes to dealing with the bureaucracy that is government.

Mr. Speaker, the current provisions of the federal government disability pension are very prohibitive to persons with disabilities. The pension monies provided are very minimal, and often place a person with disabilities under a great deal of stress, especially when they are trying to maintain their own homes and an independent lifestyle.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the Minister of Education for the excellent program his department provides by way of a fossil fuel subsidy for seniors. The new sliding scale for seniors income thresholds, introduced by the Department of Education, is welcome news for seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Minister that while I am very pleased with the fossil fuel subsidy for seniors, I believe it should also be supplied for persons with disabilities living on a very limited income. Persons with disabilities, Mr. Speaker, are often attempted to maintain their own homes on an average income of under $12,000 a year. Mr. Speaker, I know from documentation I received about the seniors fossil fuel subsidy that seniors can receive a subsidy of 100 percent of their fuel cost if their yearly household income is between $35,000...

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, thank you, colleagues. Seniors can receive a subsidy of 100 percent of their fuel costs if their yearly household income is between $35,000 and $36,429. Many persons with disabilities have a yearly income of a lot less than $35,000. Please do not get me wrong, Mr. Speaker. The seniors receiving this subsidy have every right and justification for receiving it. I just think that low-income disabled persons should be entitled to the government's fossil fuel subsidy as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about one of the most important assets in our communities and in our lives -- our elders. Mr. Speaker, our small communities depend on our elders for knowledge, for support and also for being there for the family as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Fort McPherson has been requesting for some time that we consider a long-term facility in Fort McPherson to ensure that our elders can live out their lives in the community of Fort McPherson without having to leave the community and be put in long-term facilities either in Aklavik or Inuvik.

Mr. Speaker, this summer at the Gwich'in assembly, the community passed a motion at the assembly directing this government to consider the establishment of a long-term facility in Fort McPherson. Also, Mr. Speaker, there was a similar motion passed at the community assembly in Fort McPherson to work with this government to establish such a facility in the community of Fort McPherson to keep our elders in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, the community feels that they have the resources, they have the personnel and they have the ability to take on such a facility and to manage the facility within the community as a whole. Mr. Speaker, such a facility will ensure that the community members and the community do not have to continue seeing our elders leave our communities, and in most cases, not live out the rest of the time that they have with us in our home communities.

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this Legislative Assembly, I have been lobbying the Minister of the Housing Corporation and the Minister of Health and Social Services, to see what this government can do to carry out this important initiative. Yet to date, Mr. Speaker, I have not seen any correspondence or any information in regard to what the status of this correspondence to the Ministers are, so Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking the Ministers questions on this matter. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Darrell Beaulieu of N'dilo was elected as the chief of N'dilo for a three-year term.

-- Applause

From 1988 to 1997, Chief Beaulieu served two years as a Yellowknives Dene First Nation councillor and eight years as chief of N'dilo. Mr. Beaulieu has been a tireless worker for his community, as well as for the NWT. He is the past director and president of Deton'Cho Corporation. He is also the president and director of the Denendeh Development Corporation, and he served on the board of directors for Northland Utilities Enterprise Limited and Northland Utilities, NWT Limited, and Northland Utilities Yellowknife Limited.

He is also founding director and served as president of Deton'Cho Diamonds Incorporated. Mr. Beaulieu currently co-chairs the Education, Culture and Employment mine training committee, serves as vice-chair of the NWT Business Credit Corporation, and is a director on the board for the Northwest Territories Business Development Corporation.

As chief of N'dilo, Mr. Beaulieu is particularly interested in the settlement of the Akaitcho aboriginal claim and the importance to the Yellowknife Dene membership of managing the various governments and economic issues they face.

I congratulate Chief Beaulieu and look forward to working with him over the next years. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me a sense of satisfaction today that I highlight another small business that symbolizes a northern success story. They have been a vital contributor to my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes. Mr. Speaker, today I speak of Bob's Welding 1983 Limited, which has been in existence since that year. Bob's Welding, as the company is known locally, employs between 15 and 20 employees on an intermittent basis, depending on the level of business.

Bob's Welding has ventures in welding but it also does other business in household construction, gravel crushing, barging, and has investments in crane operations. Bob's Welding is owned and operated by Bob Gully and his family in Inuvik who are residents of Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Today I am pleased to extend my congratulatory remarks to a company that provides employment opportunities to the constituents of Inuvik Twin Lakes and to the residents of Inuvik.

Before that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment or two and on behalf of my colleague from Inuvik Boot Lake recognize Mayor Peter Clark from Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Member for Nahendeh for recognizing my constituent. I cannot see from here, but I would also like to recognize Julien Landry who is here to observe our pages from Kakisa and as Mr. Antoine has stated wears too many hats to mention. I would like to welcome him and Stan Sangris, the former chief of Jean Marie River to the House. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize two people from Yellowknife who are working to make a difference and I am happy to be working with them on the housing petition, Mr. Mark Zimmer and Mr. Barry Newman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a constituent of mine in the gallery, an avid political watcher and a watcher of what is going on in this House, Mr. David Lee Rose.