Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our Student Financial Assistance Program continues to be the best program of its kind in the country. We provide some of the highest benefit levels to encourage more and more of our aboriginal students and those who were schooled in the Northwest Territories to further their education and to return to the North and to contribute and prosper in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most exciting statistics that I have the pleasure to share with you today about the Student Financial Assistance Program is that more and more people from all age groups and from every remote corner of the Northwest Territories are completing a post-secondary education because of the support that this program provides.

in just this past year alone, the number of people applying from all over the North in places like Tulita, Wha Ti, Aklavik, Holman, Paulatuk, Lutselk'e and Wrigley are up by 3.5 percent over the previous year and we are seeing increases despite a very positive job market. people are increasingly seeing the value of furthering their education, of laying the foundation of a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

Mr. Speaker, it is for these students who are taking such an important step in their lives that we continue to improve the service that we provide. We must ensure that our programs continue to address the new ways that students are learning all around the world, through correspondence courses and now over that World Wide Web.

To ensure that our students have access to these learning opportunities, we introduced for the first time this fall on of the best distance learning programs of its kind available in Canada. Now students can stay at home with their families if they choose and still complete their education with financial support from the government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, although students with disabilities face many of the same challenges as other students, they often encounter barriers related to their disabilities. in responding to their needs, the department raised the level of support that it provides to students living with disabilities through the Northwest Territories Study Grant by 60 percent. For the fall 2002 semester, the value of the Northwest Territories Study

Grant has been raised from $5,000 to $8,000 per year. This is over and above the grant and loan assistance that we provide to other students.

Through the additional support ht we are making available. I like to think that we, as people of the Northwest Territories, share in a desire to support the success of all students, including those with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, we have a very positive economic outlook, making it possible for many of our new graduates to live a prosperous life in the Northwest Territories. We have noted, however, there are new graduates who require a little extra time to get started in their careers and also in repaying their loans. To ensure that these students get the bets start in life that they can, we have increased the income thresholds for our Interest Relief Program so that those who are experiencing difficulty have the time they need.

Mr. Speaker, our students are our future. If they are to build a better world for us tomorrow, then we need to give them the tools that they require today. However, a strong, educated workforce requires a considerable investment on our part. That is why we spend $12 million each year on the Student Financial Assistance Program. I can tell you that investing in our students is the best investment that this government makes each year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week the first Northwest Territories Chapter of the United Way was launched in Yellowknife. I am pleased to announce today that the Government of the Northwest Territories has agreed to allow employees to donate to the United Way through payroll deductions.

Mr. Speaker, the United Way plays a very important role in fundraising efforts on behalf of charitable organizations. The local chapter is committed to building a strong and healthy community by responding to health and social service issues in our communities. Individuals can also choose to direct their gift to any registered charity in Canada or any of the 90 plus charities registered in the Northwest Territories. These are listed on the Yellowknife United Way Chapter's website at www.yellowknife.unitedway.ca.

Mr. Speaker, the United Way is a widely known and respected institution in Canada which has established a presence in the Northwest Territories and are in the midst of the inaugural campaign. I understand that along with the GNWT, the City of Yellowknife and the federal government also offer this voluntary payroll deduction service to their employees and that the Union of Northern Workers and the Northwest Territories Federation of Labour have given support to this campaign.

It is expected that the first United Way payroll deductions from participating employees will likely begin in January 2003. Employees from across the Territories will be able to access this service and will be able to indicate which registered charity they wish to contribute to.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the GNWT is able to play a part in assisting the United Way efforts to raise donations. I believe this will greatly benefit charitable organizations across the Northwest Territories who continue to work hard for many good causes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, sometimes as Regular Members we feel we bring constituency issues to Ministers, senior bureaucrats and to the floor of this House and we might as well be having a conversation with ourselves.

Although the solutions seem simple and prudent to us, the ability to get a timely and favourable response at times seems next to impossible. It can be very discouraging. Recently I had such an occasion to share such a constituent issue with Minister Jake Ootes regarding student financial assistance. It was a gap in the system that was not necessarily affecting a lot of people but creating serious hardship for the families and students that were affected.

My constituent's issue concerns students who are attending university but seemingly not belonging to any jurisdiction. We live in a very mobile society. We have students who may have received a good part of the K-12 education in the North. One example of a gap which existed is when one parent may have left the North and they shared a joint custody for a portion of their school years.

Even if the financially contributing parent was living in the North, the student's subsequent residency in another jurisdiction was affecting their access to student financial assistance.

Another scenario is a student growing up in the North, the family leaving prior to the student's entrance into post-secondary education. Now the parent is returning to the North, still being financially responsible for their son or daughter, but the student is being denied access to financial assistance because of their intervening absence from the North.

The problem presents in establishing residency for the purpose of accessing student financial assistance. Our Student Financial Assistance Program did not allow for recognition of a supporting parent's jurisdiction of residence or allow the students to re-establish their northern residency within a time frame consistent with other programs and services, thus making the student disqualified in the jurisdiction where they were attending school, because their family lives someplace else, and being enrolled in school they couldn't spend enough time at home on holidays to re-establish their residency. The student then would not be considered to be a resident anywhere.

When this situation was brought to the attention of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister Ootes, he and his department quickly recognized the deficiency of policy in this area and have committed to addressing the issue.

I can tell you this will come as very welcome news to some post-secondary students and families in my riding, and I would like to thank the Minister today for his timely action in response to this issue. Occasionally, some things happen that renew my confidence as an elected representative on behalf of the people that I represent. I would like to thank Mr. Ootes and thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, we marked Family Violence Awareness Week in the Northwest Territories, a time to pay attention to the problem of abuse in the Northwest Territories. Many of us participated in activities marking that event. Family violence is a serious problem in northern society.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the work of the front-line involved in ending violence, such as shelter workers, counsellors, police officers, social workers and the people offering victim services.

Though often hidden, one of the most disturbing forms of family violence, Mr. Speaker, is elder abuse. That form of violence has been a key concern of the NWT Seniors Society, who held their annual general meeting at the Baker Centre here in Yellowknife last week.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Seniors' Society can celebrate many accomplishments since their establishment in 1983. Over the years, the society has worked in partnership with other seniors' societies and with government and related organizations to improve the independence and quality of life for seniors in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, last year, they partnered with the victims' assistance committee to host workshops in Hay River and Yellowknife. The workshops concluded with a final report entitled "Taking Action on Elder Abuse."

Out of the Yellowknife meetings came a powerful list of goals. The first on that list was legislation to protect older adults. Mr. Speaker, the seniors society feels that our current legislation does not lend sufficient protection to elders in the Northwest Territories. In Alberta, they have several acts to increase the protection of elders. They have passed the Dependent Adults Act, the Nursing Homes Act, and they have the Protection Against Family Violence Act.

Mr. Speaker, our current legislation does not permit immediate protection from family violence like elder abuse. Police cannot obtain immediate protection orders over the phone. Victims are re-victimized by having to follow often overwhelming, cumbersome, time-consuming legal processes to obtain the protection they need immediately. Many are incapable of dealing with this volume of bureaucracy and process.

Mr. Speaker, many times I have asked the Minister to move quickly to enact family violence prevention legislation similar to that found in Alberta, PEI and most other Canadian jurisdictions. He keeps saying that they are studying the issue and makes no promise to move things along.

So again today, Mr. Speaker, I urge the Minister of Justice to reconsider his and his department's position and take immediate steps to implement an act protecting families against violence. I also urge the Minister to consider further specific legislation to protect those who have contributed so much and who will continue to be important teachers, caregivers and role models -- our elders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to raise a matter that directly impacts the settlement of Enterprise. This matter is directly related to the handling of dangerous goods, and more specifically, that of ammonium nitrate within community boundaries.

Mr. Speaker, we are all aware that Enterprise is located such that it sees the majority of highway and rail traffic, both of which transport a large quantity of dangerous goods. In addition to ammonium nitrate being handled within the community, last winter's fuel haul to the mines alone was in excess of 10,000 loads -- all of which passed through Enterprise.

Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Enterprise, Ms. Winnie Cadieux, has informed me that positive steps are now being taken to address the concerns that were raised regarding the handling of ammonium nitrate within the community. Polar Explosives, the company handling the ammonium nitrate, has indicated a commitment to consult with and keep the community informed with respect to its activities in the area.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear that productive meetings have taken place between the Settlement of Enterprise, Polar Explosives, Government of the Northwest Territories representatives and other stakeholders. From these meetings, an understanding was reached and a committee was formed from a cross-section of the meeting participants. This committee is tasked with the responsibility of addressing matters related to the movement of dangerous goods within and through the community.

Mr. Speaker, as we are all aware, the settlement of Enterprise is a direct conduit for the passage of dangerous goods. Because of its location, Enterprise has identified a potential economic opportunity with respect to the handling and storage of not only dangerous goods, but waste products as well. This opportunity has spurred an initiative by the community to explore the feasibility of establishing a dangerous goods and regional waste management site that would be used for potential economic opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage and recommend to this government that it continue support to the Settlement of Enterprise by committing appropriate financial resources required to plan and research the feasibility of establishing a dangerous goods and regional waste management site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes and I would like to congratulate those who were elected in the recent elections in Inuvik. Elected to the town council for Inuvik were George Doolittle, Arlene Hansen, Derek Lindsay, Alfred Moses, Denny Rodgers, Cheryl Sharpe, Marja Van Nieuwenhuyzen and Clarence Wood.

We would also like to congratulate those who were elected to the Inuvik District Education Authority, and they were Jeffery Amos, Sue Clarkson, Shauna Grant, Judy Harder, Deanna Marie Jacobson, Shauna MacKay, and Ruth Wright. We would also like to thank those who spend time in those bodies working on behalf of our constituents through their previous work and those that ran but did not choose to run again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak to the nursing shortage issue at Stanton. In case there was any doubt left anywhere, it is critical to get our staff complement up to a full complement at Stanton.

A recent publication by the Journal of the American Medical Association, I think the report just came out yesterday, Mr. Speaker, spoke to the issue and studied the issue of over-worked nurses. Their findings indicated, Mr. Speaker, that for each additional post-surgery patient that a nurse has to take on, their increased chances of mortality are 7 percent greater.

I think, Mr. Speaker, this is a clear indication that we need to do something quickly about our staff shortage issue at Stanton. Last week, I spoke to it already in the House, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT came out in the local media indicating that we feel we have very competitive wages for nurses. And it would look the case, Mr. Speaker, when you look at entry-level nurses right out of school and we talk about minimum pay for nurses, we are high. I think we are second in the country when you adjust it for cost of living and for other bonuses, Mr. Speaker.

But if you look at the maximum rank, we find out that we are pretty middle of the road. We are about fifth in terms of other jurisdictions. Those are the nurses we are in critical shortage of. Clearly when we hear that the ICU is not reopened because we don't have the nurses with specific training and experience in order to re-open ICU, we know it's not just a matter of plugging nurses with lower levels of experience or lower skill levels in there, because I believe that there are no vacancies in those areas, Mr. Speaker.

So it is about addressing this critical shortage of experienced and skilled nurses, and we still continue to stand here, Mr. Speaker, as a government, and argue that, well, we are middle of the road. We consider that competitive. Mr. Speaker, it is not going to get it done. I would suggest that if the Minister and the department, and indeed, this government, cannot recognize that, we are truly going to be in dire straits for some time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to also talk about the crisis at Stanton Hospital due to the shortage of staff. Mr. Speaker, as Member for Yellowknife South has already mentioned, I do not think we need to look at numbers or status to tell us what the real problem is with respect to the shortage of staff at the hospital.

Mr. Speaker, everyone tells us that our package for wages and benefits is just not competitive, and it really does not matter what the national status is or whatever, because the result is showing by the shortage of staff.

Another thing that really, really comes up all the time is the housing shortage. I have a case here that I could tell you, and that I want to tell the Minister about that. It illustrates what a problem housing and the cost of living and the cost of housing is having on these people on making a decision to stay here.

Mr. Speaker, in the beginning of September, I had a lady come to talk to me. She is a registered nurse. She is aboriginal. She was trained here and she has worked as casual staff at the hospital for a very long time. Finally, this fall, she had a job offer to work as a permanent nurse. She is a Northerner. After much consideration, she had to turn down that job because she just could not afford to buy a house and she could not qualify for any government programs that are available because she was already making money. She just did not make enough money, even with nurses' wages, to live here. She is a Northerner. She went to the recruitment office, they dismissed her. "We can't do anything for you. Go away."

She was totally shocked, as would be any reasonable person, after all she has heard about the lack of nurses and how the government wants to attract nurses and they want to attract northern nurses. Nobody wanted to help her.

I wrote a letter to the Minister. The Minister wrote me back three weeks later saying, "We will have our compensation person call her." I talked to her yesterday and she did not hear from anybody. She heard nothing. She has left town. She said to me, "Tell the Minister if he wants me to work on a casual basis, I am ready. If he will fly me in and put me in a hotel and pay me the wages he is paying for everybody else." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the past few weeks and again at a constituency meeting last week, I have heard more and more evidence of how low and middle income people are getting hurt in the housing crunch here in Yellowknife. Consider, Mr. Speaker, the case of the 60-year-old single woman who saw her rent jump by 12 percent of January of this year and just received notice that it will rise by another 14 percent this coming January. A $205 increase in just over 13 months.

Consider the single pensioner living on his own trailer on a rented lot who saw his monthly rent soar by 66 percent, from $300 to $500 and then months later was essentially evicted.

Consider the plight of 61 individuals and families on the waiting list for the five transitional housing units provided by our government and administered by the YWCA.

Consider the lack of choice or opportunity for the 150 people now on the waiting list for public housing through the Yellowknife Housing Authority.

Now, Mr. Speaker, consider that our Landlord and Tenancy Act offers no legislative right for tenants to appeal what they feel may be unwarranted rent increases or related disputes. The only provision that it makes is that a landlord can increase rents in any 12-month period and must give 90 days notice. There is no other mechanism for rent management.

We do have a territorial rentals officer but he has no guidelines or appeal mechanism for helping either tenants or the landlords who have issues around rate increases.

Mr. Speaker, in a lot of other areas we have mechanisms for making appeals. We can appeal court orders, job offers, compensation claims, tax rulings, student financial assistance, even parking tickets, but we do not have a way of addressing something that affects thousands of Northerners every month and that is the rent that we pay for our homes.

Our legislation can offer more help if we create a practical way for either side to have their case heard and adjudication. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, a few months ago, MLAs in this Assembly asked our Minister of Justice to consider looking into ways to manage this. We did not get the answers that we had hoped for.

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

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two people, Julien Landry, he is the chair of the Deh Cho Education Council and a great supporter of the education system. I would also like to recognize another member of the Auditor General's staff, Roger Simpson, an acquaintance for some years now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I made reference to the long-term facility in Fort McPherson. Mr. Speaker, there have been several motions passed in regard to the Gwich'in Tribal Assembly in Aklavik this summer and also a community assembly. There has been correspondence that has been passed back and forth between the different Ministers, the community and myself.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Fort McPherson has a population of about 1,000 people. They have a seniors' facility which had been built some 30 years ago, but yet, Mr. Speaker, we continue to have to send our elders to Inuvik or Aklavik to the long-term care facility there.

I think, Mr. Speaker, it is time that we devolve that authority to the communities to ensure the communities take on that responsibility and also deliver those programs in affected communities.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, has he been able to take the time to see if there is a possibility to work with his colleague from the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to establish such a facility in Fort McPherson?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the concern raised by the Member. We have a file with some extensive documentation. At this present time there is no funding in the department's capital plan for any new facilities.

The new hospital in Inuvik has had an additional eight beds added into the design which will bring the total of 32 beds in the Inuvik region for long-term care. We are however looking at expanding the home support services and supported living programs that we deliver across the North where I think there is room for us to help accommodate the intent of the people of Fort McPherson to keep elders in their home for as long as possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have established those facilities in other communities in the Northwest Territories. With this program, we have the Minister of Health and Social Services along with the Minister of the Housing Corporation who both together have to move on these initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned a couple areas where he is looking at transferring different programs such as the Home Care Program and Community Wellness Program. We have a lot of programs being delivered in the community of Fort McPherson right now and I believe that we do have the capacity in the community to deliver these programs for our seniors.

I would like to ask the Minister, have you consulted with the Minister of the Housing Corporation to look at the possibility of establishing a new seniors' facility in Fort McPherson with the opportunity to consider taking on this responsibility down the road?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Housing and I have had preliminary discussions. If it is the wish of the community to have issues addressed with the existing seniors' facility in terms of the deficiencies and inadequacies then that is clearly an existing program that is there to be looked at.

If it is, as I understand it to be, a request for a long-term care facility then that is an issue that falls within, at this point, the mandate of Health and Social Services and as I just indicated, there is currently no funding in the capital plan for any new long-term care facilities in the Northwest Territories. We are looking at trying to, as I indicated, expand our home care and supported home living programs which is where I think there will be room to try to accommodate the interests of the people of Fort McPherson. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my statement that the facility in Fort McPherson is some 30 years old. It was built back in those days when we did not have the luxury of having good accommodations for an area for the family and community to get together. All it is is a bunch of rooms that facilitate individual members, but there is no room there for couples.

I would like to ask the Minister, would he consider looking at the possibility of a replacement of the existing facility in Fort McPherson?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do remember touring the facility with the Member when we were in Fort McPherson and I can appreciate and I recollect the state of the facility and the concerns that the Member raised.

I will commit to revisit this issue with the Minister of Housing to see if it is an issue of improving or trying to address deficiencies in the current facility. We will see what is possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the Minister is going to look into this but I just would like to remind the Minister that there is a financial cost to a renovation of this facility. I believe the cost we are looking at is somewhere around half a million dollars.

I would like to ask the Minister, under the financial restraint we are in, would it not be appropriate to replace the facility with a new facility rather than strictly renovating the existing facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct, there are financial restraints that we all must deal with and as I indicated there is no money in our capital plan for any new proposed long-term care facilities in the North.

My discussions with the Minister of Housing will focus on what is potentially possible in terms of improving the current structure that is there and the program that is currently being delivered there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an unofficial survey of municipalities taken in 2000 indicated that there were very few persons with disabilities that would qualify for a fossil fuel subsidy. It is a difficult thing for municipalities to quantify.

However, in 2000 the municipality of Fort Smith had six people that would have been eligible, Inuvik had one person, and Hay River, to the best of my calculations, would have had less than a dozen. We are not dealing with a large group of people, Mr. Speaker, but we are dealing with a very large need.

I am aware, Mr. Speaker, that the Minister for Disabled People and the Minister for Seniors is Mr. Miltenberger. I would like to direct my questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

I would like to ask the Minister, what programs does he currently have in place dealing in the area of a fossil fuel subsidy that could be accessible to persons with disabilities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a good subject. What may not be available to some individuals is the possibility of accessing income support, Mr. Speaker, in the event that individuals have inadequate income they can then apply for income support to assist them and through income support, we provide income support clients, they receive fuel payments and housing costs, Mr. Speaker. That is an opportunity for individuals to access should they wish to do so. It is a financial means test on it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not think it is that simple for persons with disabilities to get access for fuel subsidies, particularly through low income.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier in my Member's statement that we as legislators have to be vigilant in remembering the needs of persons with disabilities. Would the Minister please state if he would be willing to open up the fuel subsidy program to persons with disabilities who receive a federal disability pension and fall below the approved income thresholds?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned there is a possibility for individuals to access our income support program which does cover fuel costs. That is available to individuals. Also, Mr. Speaker, there is a Disability Steering Committee partnership which was launched under the direction of the Premier and that has the ADM of Health and Social Services and the Council of Persons with Disabilities as co-chairs. They are putting forward a report that we expect will be brought forward before the year ends.

Through that process, perhaps this issue can be addressed if there is a gap beyond what we can provide, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister says that there is a process in place that persons with disabilities can access. I would like the Minister to commit to reviewing this program of fuel subsidies and make sure that this program is available to persons with disabilities using the same criteria that is used for seniors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will ensure that the Disability Steering Committee partnership is made aware of this, I think that is the appropriate process to use in order to address the honourable Member's question.

I totally agree that we need to ensure that we look at this but I want to do it in the proper fashion, Mr. Speaker, by ensuring that we look at the total issue, where the gap may be.

As I mentioned, we have our particular programs in place and if there is an oversight there or a gap then we can address it through the steering committee to see how we address it, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has been addressed to me on a number of occasions from persons with disabilities. Now that winter is upon us, this program is becoming very much timely.

Would the Minister commit to some timelines to when we can get some answers for persons with disabilities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Disabilities Steering Committee partnership is looking at November as a possibility of bringing in an initial report, so I can make sure that we address that with the disability steering committee immediately.

In the meantime, if Mr. Delorey has specific cases that we could look at in case of hardship, then we can certainly see what we can do to help out. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to give a categorical guarantee that all projects in the business plan will be completed. I can give the Member assurances that we will make every effort to make sure those projects are completed, but recognize that there are circumstances beyond our control, sometimes that makes it impossible to complete some projects. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, other than those that were tabled and discussed in committee of the whole yesterday, I don't know of any other cost overruns that we are looking at for the balance of this year. There may be some, but I am not aware of any right now. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, none that I know of. It may give some comfort as well. Yesterday I said that we would give a monthly update on any special warrants, or any special warrants that come forward. I will certainly make sure that we do that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is not just myself but all of us in Cabinet who make every effort to ensure that our estimates on any project are as accurate as they possibly can be.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

Having said that, we have in fact had some discussion about the need possibly to have more detailed estimates of proposed capital projects in particular where we felt there may be some question about the accuracy of the initial estimates. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is further to my statement I made this morning. Mr. Speaker, every information that I have is that the operation of many units at the hospital are still at a critical stage. Everybody is still working extra shifts and extra hours to keep the system going and to keep it from falling apart.

Mr. Speaker, as the example I gave indicated, there is a serious lack of understanding on the part of the department and the Minister about what the solution may be to this problem. My question to the Minister is when will he stop looking at the computer database and listen to all of this technical information? When will he stop doing that and listen to the real people who tell him that the real issues are housing and benefits? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have travelled to 32 communities since last November and I, as well as the people who work in the department, make it an ongoing habit to talk to what the Member referred to as real people. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe he has addressed any of the aspects of the various serious question that I asked, which is that there are real people doing real work at the hospital, taking care of the people, telling them that there are not enough people to do the job. When will the Minister stop saying that he is paying them enough and that they are being competitive when the real situation shows otherwise? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that I am aware of. I am paying attention. I do acknowledge and recognize where we stand in terms of salary and compensation and benefits. We have a document in the works that is being re-written. It just came through a review from the Social Programs Committee that will speak to some of the issues in regard to recruitment and retention, which will be brought forward to Cabinet here in the next few days, so we are looking at this issue very seriously on a regular, ongoing basis, not only in terms of making sure services levels are maintained, but how do we address some of the issues, both in the short term and in the long term? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while the Minister continues to shuffle his papers and defer action by having a review after review and study, I am here to tell the Minister that there are real people turning down jobs at the hospital because they cannot afford to live here. What is the Minister doing about it other than shuffling papers, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of housing is one that affects many communities. I know in Yellowknife, which is the victim of its own success, the cost of living is prohibitive, especially on the housing side. The Government of the Northwest Territories is not in the housing market anymore. We are trying to look at options to deal with that issue. I also would like to commend Mr. Braden for his initiative and some of his constituents in terms of trying to deal with what I see as incredible rent gouging that goes on in this community that makes it impossible for people to live.

We have to work as a government on this one, but we are coming forward with options through Health and Social Services. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know if everybody heard it, but he said everything but answering my question. Commending Mr. Braden, that is great -- housing is a problem. My question is what is he going to do about that, because as he stands here and, speaking the way he does and not dealing with the issue, his staff is not answering any questions about recruitment and retention. When people go there and say "I can't take this job because I can't afford to live here" there's no answer. What is he doing about that, Mr. Speaker?

I don't appreciate him answering nothing.