Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues. Our first order of business is Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to provide an update to Members on the establishment of the NWT youth corps program.

The youth corps program is designed to assist in the development and delivery of specialized projects to support NWT youth as they develop their skills and contribute to their communities. To date three projects have been approved:

• • the Sahtu trapping industry training project
• • the Beaufort-Delta youth entry level skills project; and
• • the Inuvik fur trapping training project.

The Sahtu trapping industry training project is a partnership between the youth secretariat, the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Human Resources Development Canada, the Sahtu Divisional Board of Education, the Fur Institute of Canada and local community groups. In this program participating youth will have an opportunity to learn trapping and trapping industry skills, as well as gain educational upgrading and other personal development training. Most importantly, the program provides youth with a valuable experience of traditional culture.

The youth secretariat and the Beaufort-Delta District Education Council are sponsoring the Beaufort-Delta youth entry level skills project. Youth from around the region will have the opportunity to receive training in computer technology, the oil and gas industry and tourism, as well as educational upgrading in preparation for re-entry into the school system or job market.

The Inuvik fur trapping training project will allow youth in open custody to learn valuable skills related to trapping, on the land survival and basic safety so that when they return to their communities they will be in a better position to contribute to their own growth and development.

Discussions are underway to finalize projects in the Deh Cho, North Slave and South Slave regions.

Because this is a new initiative of this government, we are paying careful attention to how well each of these different approaches work in achieving our objectives of developing youth skills and leadership. The youth secretariat will be working closely with each of the project sponsors to evaluate project outcomes.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to advise Members that 19 smaller projects have been approved under the youth contributions project. This project provides support for small projects of $5,000 or less that assist youth in a range of development opportunities. Projects funded to date include support for students traveling to the Dream Catchers Conference, youth role model tours and junior ranger projects.

Mr. Speaker, our youth need strong support, good role models and the positive involvement of caring adults. With the youth secretariat, I am pleased to be able to assist in these areas and to provide NWT youth with support towards a stronger future for all of us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to be able to participate, along with dozens of other Yellowknife residents, at the launch of the United Way Foundation here in Yellowknife. This launch was kicked off last Wednesday, October 15, at the Fire Hall. The NWT it the 125th member of United Way Canada, Mr. Speaker. This provides another option for each of us to make the NWT and the times we live in a better place.

I would particularly like to commend the many volunteers who work to bring this very valuable part of our community to reality, particularly two constituents of Great Slave, Doris McCann and Bob Haywood. I also want to congratulate Lowell Ann Fuglsang, Don Babey, and Roslyn Smith, the new president of the United Way board, who are all instrumental in making this happen. I think a special thank you goes to former mayor Dave Lovell, who is the honourary campaign chairperson and a consistent believer.

This moving to the NWT would really not be possible, Mr. Speaker, without the cooperation and support of the federal and territorial governments. In this, I want to commend the Minister of Finance and his people for working with the United Way supporters to bring this opportunity to the GNWT's 2,500 employees. Contributions to United Way can mean financial support for agencies in the NWT, in Yellowknife, or any registered charitable organization in Canada. The payroll deductions approach can enable individuals and program participants to better plan their support for community social programs.

Mr. Speaker, we are among the most generous givers in Canada, and here is an even better way for people to plan their giving, help good causes, and even get those much-appreciated tax breaks. The first United Way fundraising campaign comes to a close at the end of this week, Mr. Speaker. I congratulate everyone who has worked so hard to make this a reality here in the North. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, communities depend on improvements to our infrastructure and capital in our communities. In most cases, infrastructure is old and needs to be replaced. Mr. Speaker, there have been several capital items in my riding, which seems to be ongoing and not really in construction phase but in the planning phase. Constituents in communities I represent are concerned in regard to how soon can we see these capital items come on stream and see them constructed in regard to budgets that have been presented to this House.

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the community of Aklavik's curling rink proposal, which has been brought forth to this House. The money has been approved in the capital budget of this government, but yet, Mr. Speaker, very little progress has been done in that area. The other project that comes to mind is the Tsiigehtchic water improvement program to improve the water in Tsiigehtchic for the residents of Tsiigehtchic by way of $100,000, which has been approved in last year's budget and a million dollars next year.

Mr. Speaker, there again, the community is waiting to see exactly where the plans are on exactly how soon can this project be implemented.

Mr. Speaker, the other project is in Fort McPherson, where they have requested that the fire truck in Fort McPherson be moved in the capital items, which was for 2004-2005, and also wanting to know if it has been reallocated for the years 2003-2004.

Mr. Speaker, as communities and as leaders of our communities, they are concerned in regard to the financial situation of this government. I think, Mr. Speaker, it is crucial that those projects succeed and be carried forth and completed in a reasonable time.

Mr. Speaker, we hear of capital projects in this government that are being fast-tracked to the detriment of small communities. In small communities, we do not have the human resources, engineers and what not, yet the government has access to those people. I think it is appropriate that this government does whatever it can to speed up these projects and see them come to light. At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs questions on this matter.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this week in Inuvik, the Beaufort-Delta leaders are once again meeting to go over issues of importance and further discussions on processes with self-government and work with this government, so I wish them the best in their deliberations and what they are doing. Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there as we are taking part in session here and I look forward to see the results of their meetings and the motions that would come out of them, and hopefully pursuing implementation of those motions with this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors on their continuing efforts to improve community support for the health of seniors.

Mr. Speaker, this association, otherwise known as YACCS, has been working for more than 19 years with partners, including the NWT and Yellowknife Seniors Society, and other agencies to do this work. Mr. Speaker, seniors over 50 are the fastest growing segment of the Northwest Territories population. We number 6,000 out of the NWT population of 43,000. I say we because, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I have joined that group. It is interesting to note, though, that on this side of the House, there are I think only two of us who are there, but we have many Members on the other side who are...

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, that is no laughing matter. Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife alone, I am told there are 31 individuals meeting the definition of dementia. Apparently, with an additional 35 seniors showing early signs.

Mr. Speaker, this condition means losing awareness while your body still functions. These seniors deserve a caring and compassionate level of care, and the government has an obligation to support them properly. The Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors are anxious to partner with the government in their quest to provide that care. Through Aven Manor and Aven Court, YACCS has been providing care for residents and patients with long-term care at Aven Manor. Mr. Speaker, they are full and they cannot properly meet the special care requirements of dementia and Alzheimer's patients. These patients need increased levels of care. There is no place for these seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Minister of Health and Social Services on that department's contribution of an initial $50,000 in planning funds, but I would like to remind him, Mr. Speaker, that this is only a beginning; there is still a long way to go. It is critical that the government plan to put real dollars towards the care of individuals in the North who have been the cornerstone by which this Territory was developed. We owe them that reasonable level of care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have stated in this House many times that I have worked closely with the Hay River Seniors' Society since being an elected almost three years ago. Today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to address a program administered by the NWT Housing Corporation. That being the Senior Citizens Home Repair Program.

Mr. Speaker, the Senior Citizens Home Repair Program is a program that provides financial assistance to seniors who own and occupy their own homes. The forgivable loan of up to $20,000 is to be used to repair or improve the condition of the client's home in order to make their home safer and enables seniors to maintain an independent lifestyle.

My problem with this project, Mr. Speaker, is that it is not offered to all seniors. Like most government programs, there is an income threshold in effect. A senior cannot qualify for this program if their household income is above $37,500 and this, Mr. Speaker, is a combined household income. Mr. Speaker, this government has spoken volumes about how our elders are one of our most precious resources and how much we value our elders. Well, Mr. Speaker, apparently we value seniors as long as they have not saved too much money for their golden years.

Mr. Speaker, I have stood up in this House on many occasions and criticized other government departments for the income thresholds they have in place as a prerequisite for their programs. I have always, Mr. Speaker, advocated for a sliding scale on government programs whereby if a person is over the income threshold they might not receive 100 percent of the program benefit but they could still receive a slightly reduced amount.

Mr. Speaker, seniors aged 60 and over represent approximately 6 percent of our population and in 20 years this figure is expected to double. Mr. Speaker, the economic spending power of seniors is something this government cannot afford to ignore.

Mr. Speaker, in June of 2000 the Legislative Assembly passed a motion recommending that the GNWT undertake a review of all programs and services offered to seniors in the NWT. As a result, Mr. Speaker, it was determined that seniors programs and services exist in a complex service environment and government departments have varying eligibility criteria which is confusing for seniors.

Mr. Speaker, our society encourages individuals to be productive and to go out and earn a living to provide for their families. Our seniors have saved...

Mr. Delorey, your time for Member's statement is up. Mr. Delorey, you have the floor.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, our society encourages individuals to be productive and go out and earn a living to provide for their families. Our seniors have saved all their lives and have been productive members of our society. Mr. Speaker, when they reach retirement these same seniors quickly find out that they do not qualify for government programs for seniors because they have worked hard and followed all the rules. They are damned if they do and they are damned if they don't, Mr. Speaker.

I commend the Minister of Education and his departmental officials for this year instituting a sliding scale for the Seniors' Fossil Fuel Subsidy. It is very welcome news for both myself and the constituents that I represent. Apparently someone is listening. I certainly hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Minister of Housing is listening to the needs of seniors and that he agrees to take the measures to allow more seniors to access the Housing Corporation's Senior Citizens Home Repair Program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted today to talk a bit about addictions treatment in the Northwest Territories. We know that most recently the Minister of Health commissioned a study that was recently made public, called A State of Emergency, Mr. Speaker, and it was done by Chalmers and Associates I believe out of Saskatchewan. It speaks to our current state of affairs and condemns, I guess, the current system that we have, so much so that it says we cannot simply add bits and pieces to what we have. We have to start at the ground level and rebuild the whole community addictions program system, and to simply add resources would be counter-productive.

I think intuitively all of us recognize this and I think that I have said over the past number of years that our legacy as a government and the last government has been that of closing addictions facilities. That has certainly not been an acceptable answer to what is indeed a state of emergency, Mr. Speaker. I think that we all know step one is to identify the problem but more importantly, Mr. Speaker, step two is to do something about it. We seem to feel the need to commission studies from consultants who are paid by the thousands and thousands of dollars and if we cannot put a price tag on something, Mr. Speaker, we seem to not take it seriously or devalue the kinds of things that the common people of the Northwest Territories have been telling us for some time.

Mr. Speaker, clearly we need to listen to the people who have been yelling at us over the last number of years to take action and to do something. Very recently, Mr. Speaker, there was an inquest in town at the Explorer Hotel to look at the suicide of a young woman in Yellowknife, a very tragic situation, and clearly I think, Mr. Speaker, preventable. Six very common sense local people got together to form a list of recommendations to bring forward to, among one of the parties at any rate was the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, as I go down these, and I will read them, they are very common sense and I think things that we should pay close attention to. They talking about widening the scope of services available through the existing treatment centres to include programs that focus on drug addictions. They also talk about funding the establishment of a medical detox facility...

Mr. Bell, your time is up for Member's statement. Mr. Bell, you have the floor.

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

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

Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I was hoping I only I needed it from you, but thank you, colleagues. One of the other recommendations is to ensure that the funding allocated to the treatment of mental illnesses and addictions more accurately reflects the prevalence of these illnesses in the patient population. And, Mr. Speaker, they talk of removing funding barriers for patients who require out of province treatment for medical illnesses and addictions. These are not $1,000 an hour or $1,000 a day consultants. They are everyday Northerners making some very common sense recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, we hear from our constituents, all of us do, and they tell us that there is no how-to manual if you are a parent who believes that your child, your 13, 14 or 15-year-old child, has an addictions problem. There is not a pamphlet that says, so you think your child has a problem here is what you do, but there needs to be, Mr. Speaker. This government needs to take this seriously. It is not just about the Department of Health. As a government we need to make this a priority and engage, as I have said, step two doing something about it. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that if someone requires a copy of their marriage certificate they would apply to Vital Statistics and remit a fee of ten dollars, but you may receive your marriage certificate with the incorrect date of birth recorded on it.

In 1970 Vital Statistics acquired a new system which changed the format of marriage certificates. Prior to 1970 all marriage certificates had the age of the person on them. Once converted to the new format, they required a date of birth and the system arbitrarily inserted January 1st of the year that coincided with the age recorded on file. Therefore, a person's date of birth became January 1st of the year of their age. If you would like to have a marriage certificate with the proper information on it, Vital Statistics then requires you to remit twenty dollars, along with an application to make a correction or change to your marriage certificate.

Vital Statistics say that they cannot amend the certificate without an application and a twenty-dollar fee. There would be no amendment to make had they not inserted the incorrect date of birth to begin with. This is a very time consuming process. What should take about a week then is now taking several weeks, as well as costing an additional twenty dollars to the applicant.

Mr. Speaker, we had this situation brought to our attention by a constituent in the process of getting a copy of their marriage certificate. This may sound like a small thing, but these are the little things that really annoy people.

If this was the private sector, Mr. Speaker, we would call this very poor customer service. It is not a very client friendly approach and it is a bureaucratic glitch which I want changed, and later today I will have questions for the Minister responsible for this. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize my constituent Allyson Stroeder who is the executive director of the Skills Canada Northwest Territories/Nunavut office and the good work that her office has been doing over the summer months.

Mr. Speaker, between May 30 and June 2, the 20 member Northwest Territories/Nunavut team competed at the National Skills Canada Competition in Vancouver, British Columbia. They had shown tremendous strength for 11 out of 20 participants ranked sixth or higher in their respective categories.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife's very own Mara Smith received the gold medal in the category of worksite safety. This is the first time a Northwest Territories competitor had won a gold medal at any event in these competitions and we should be very proud of this achievement.

I might also draw attention to the fact that this is a female competitor and winner. Something the organization has been working very hard to increase, is the female participation in these skills competitions with their conference in February called Power Up for Young Women, Power Up Conference, as well as the go-kart races they have in the summer time.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate other winners in this race: Adrian Green of Yellowknife in welding; James Cracknell of Yellowknife in web page design who came third; Chris Fournier of Yellowknife in web page design who came third; Dan Milligan of Yellowknife, TV/video production, who came sixth; Dustin Milligan of Yellowknife, TV/video production, ranked sixth; Amanda Lyons of Yellowknife, in prepared speech, ranked fourth; also Tyler McTavish of Yellowknife in plumbing; Margaret Butz of Yellowknife in hairstyling; Nicole Dennis of Yellowknife in hairstyling who came sixth; Richard Walsh of Yellowknife, graphic design; Janine Ruptash-Stauffer of Yellowknife, culinary arts; Tom Torravilk, of Yellowknife, in culinary arts; and Carolyn George of Yellowknife who came fifth in aircraft maintenance.

I will just close by saying it is with her dynamism and energy that this organization is being so successful in their endeavors and I would like to recognize and congratulate them.

-- Applause

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

Colleagues, I would like to direct your attention to the presence in the visitor's gallery of Mr. Henry Zoe, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly, I think the 12th and 13th Assemblies, Mr. Zoe.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize and I would like the indulgence of the Members to name some of the individuals in our gallery. I would like to recognize the class of Ms. Sarah McGary. She is the teacher of the grade 10 class at St. Pat's High School in Yellowknife here. The students will be in this Legislature, I understand, to hold a Youth Parliament of their own as a class in the next week. I hope Members bear with me, I would like to read off the names of the members, Mr. Speaker.

We have Tanis Baile -- Tanis is my granddaugher; Susan Baines, Talisa Cumming, Dominic Debogorski, Cheryl Fernandez, Jessica Gorin, Corrine Inward-Jones, Brittany Jones, Stephanie Laity, Michelle Latremouille, Mandy Lyons, Lindsay McKay, Gina Michel, Dezerae Pidborochynski, Sara Reid, Katherine Riviere, Melissa Weinkaut, and Megan Russell. Absent today are Carolyn Crouch, Dezerae Pidborochynski may be absent, also absent is Sara Reid and Katherine Riviere.

Please help me welcome the students and the names will be in the Hansard for their information, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome everyone to the visitor's gallery here and thank you for coming to watch the Members go about your business. Welcome. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services is responsible for vital statistics if I am not mistaken, so my question today is for Mr. Miltenberger.

Is Mr. Miltenberger aware of this unfortunate bureaucratic maze that people have to go through who are looking for copies of marriage certificates with proper information on them? Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, only in so far as what I have heard the Member say in this House today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my constituency assistant had the opportunity to call vital statistics and confirm whether or not this was in fact the case today and it was confirmed to her that this is the process that people must follow if they want to get a certificate with the proper information. What is the Minister prepared to do about this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will be confirming the facts as put forward by my colleague. My initial reaction is if in fact it is a government-generated problem then it is our mistake and it is very difficult for myself as an MLA to say that we should be charging people to fix the government's mistake so I will check and I will report back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would it be reasonable then to inform my constituent who has had this problem that in fact she will not be responsible for the $20 extra that she is being asked to submit with the application to get her marriage certificate corrected? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it would be best to indicate just what I have said in this House that I will check. It seems like a problem that needs fixing. I have been made aware of it in this House and now I will seek to remedy that situation and report back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs regarding my Member's statement. I have received quite a few calls from the leaders in our communities concerned about the capital projects that have been approved through this House, but yet, Mr. Speaker very little progress has occurred in that area.

I would like to ask the Minister, could you give me an update regarding the status of the Aklavik curling rink project, the Tsiigehtchic water improvement project, and also the Fort McPherson fire truck?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen. There were a few questions in there. I will let you pick which one you want to answer. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member addressed three capital projects in three different communities. If I may, I could respond to Tsiigehtchic's water quality capital project. At this time, there was $100,000 for 2003 and $1 million for 2003-04. Public Works and Services is supposed to be visiting the community in November of this year to assess the water system operations and begin discussions on the new capital project with the council. Public Works and Services is also undertaking a filter testing program. That is called a macro filter system. It is supposed to be over and done with by the end of October, at which time they will be discussing the results with the community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these capital items have been in the works for some time. I have done my best to keep them in the ranks of ensuring the capital dollars have been approved through this House, but yet, Mr. Speaker, we seem to see very little progress on movement of seeing these infrastructure come to fruition and be constructed so people can use them.

I would like to ask the Minister, what are we doing to improve the resource people and allowing them more access to communities by way of our engineers, people within Public Works and Services. You mentioned a bunch of time lines, but I would like to know, what are we doing to have a better working relationship between communities and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Public Works and Services to fast track these projects?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Public Works and Services has been working...the question is to the Minister of MACA? Both MACA and Public Works and Services have been working with communities and trying to improve our consultation process and our communications on all of our capital projects, so that the communities are up to date on where the projects are sitting. At this present time, there is no plan to change any of the time lines as far as completion of the projects, including the fire truck for Fort McPherson and the curling rink for Aklavik. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, can he assure the House that we will see these projects completed by year end next fall, so that we know that we have a year, the money has been approved in the budget, and that those projects will be completed by the fall of 2003.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that Public Works and Services is putting out an RFP for the curling rink at this time. That is for the design of the curling rink. We are expecting the RFP to close at the end of October and award in November and complete the design. Take the design to the hamlet council and then proceed from there.

There is no intention to divert the project or slow it down in any nature. We do intend to complete it within the time lines.

The Member also questioned, Mr. Speaker, on the delivery of the fire truck for Fort McPherson. We are proceeding with a plan to update the delivery of the fire truck from 2004-05 to 2003-04. We already said that, I believe last spring when the same question was asked. We said we would consider moving it up at that time, so that is still in the plan. We are going to move it up by one year.

As far as the capital project for Tsiigehtchic's water system, once we decide on a filter system, if it is appropriate and satisfactory to the community and to Health and Social Services, if it brings the colours within standards and the community is happy with that, we intend to go forward with that and proceed, complete the project as planned next year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the construction season in the Northwest Territories is pretty short. I think it is crucial that we, as a government and as a Legislature, once we approve the budget for the new fiscal year, prior to April 1st, if we can have these projects constructed and the materials brought into our communities before the end of the barging season, which is usually in September.

I would like to ask the Minister, what are we doing to ensuring that we do implement these capital projects within the time frame that they are set, that we do not see cost overruns or projects being extended into the next fiscal year. What are we doing to improve that?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is considering all aspects of a project, as far as timing is concerned, what has to be done and what portions of the project have to be completed by certain times in order to meet the time lines of barge delivery, or winter road deliveries...all those things are taken into consideration as we plan the project.

All through that, there is the process of keeping the client informed as to what we have to have in place as far as funding is concerned by certain times. As far as approvals from the communities are concerned, those all have to fall in place in order for Public Works and Services to meet the deadlines. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Member's statement, I have advocated in this House repeatedly for the need to have GNWT programs adequately reflect the needs of all residents of the Northwest Territories. The current income thresholds in effect in our seniors programs do not allow for this. The current income thresholds in effect for seniors to qualify for Housing Corporation's Senior Citizen's Home Repair Program is $37,500, and this is for the entire household, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Housing, Mr. Allen. Would the Minister please state what his department is currently doing for seniors who have scrimped and saved for their retirement and find themselves in a position of being over the designated income threshold, and therefore cannot qualify for the Senior Citizens Home Repair Program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are working in concert with a number of agencies and interdepartmentally to try to find the most equitable method to deal with all seniors programs. We have also wanted to work with ECE and review how they had incorporated the sliding scale model in their delivery of programs to see if that would conform to the way that would best suit the seniors.

I may add that we also continue to consult with the various seniors' societies in the various communities to see what is most equitable to them as well, and affordable. That is what we are planning to do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pretty sure I heard the Minister say that they are communicating with ECE and checking out the sliding scale model to see if it would fit. Could the Minister inform this House where they are in those negotiations? Will the Minister commit that he is willing to look at a sliding scale for the home repair program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, at the moment, just to clarify, our current model is based on income testing. We would like to see how effective the other models work in the various other departments to ensure the seniors that may be one of the options that may be considered.

We will continue to consult with the seniors as we progress with this undertaking. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we should be doing everything in our power to encourage our seniors to remain in the North. Recent numbers provided by Statistics Canada for a census is a strong indicator that we need to focus our attention on the retention of our residents. Would the Minister please indicate to this House if he would be willing to commit to a review of the income threshold currently in effect for the Senior Citizens Home Repair Program? And to look at the possibility of raising that threshold in the manner that we are doing it looking at the...(inaudible)...for WCB that is currently being negotiated in this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, hopefully we will be able to give some comfort to the Member and also to the seniors across the Northwest Territories. One of the key issues that has been raised consistently is the concept of affordability. We will continue to work with not only the seniors but also the other agents who continue to support the seniors, not only in housing but in other areas of...for instance, the fuel subsidy program, the tax rebate program for seniors, and see if we can blend them together so that we have a unified approach to all of the programs that support seniors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, knowing full well that our seniors population is increasing dramatically and will continue to do so over the next several years, would the Minister state what his department is providing in the way of increased funding in order to adequately address this increase? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we continue to strive to complete the Seniors' Housing Strategy. It is now, I believe, up to trying to complete 96 units by next summer. We are also looking at continuing to support five seniors home repair programs that currently exist under our 11 homeownership programs, so hopefully with those, taken into consideration, we will be able to continue to support the seniors at all levels. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to ask the Minister of Health some questions about addictions and addictions facilities. I am wondering if he can tell me if the Nats'ejee K'eh facility on the Hay River Reserve is indeed a territorial facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, it is, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister aware that the recent report he commissioned suggested that this facility is only meeting the needs of a small portion of the population, an estimated 30 percent of the adult and youth population? It does not meet the needs of the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in, non-status, youth under 18 years of age, and Metis people, due to cultural practices? Is he aware of this?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, I am, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

So, Mr. Speaker, I guess it follows that all of these people in the Northwest Territories who are currently excluded from our addictions programming would want to know, what is the Minister doing for them?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Chalmers report indicated, we are obviously not doing enough. We are spending about $5 million a year. We have put together a response that is going to try to address some of the issues raised in this House by Members opposite in terms of qualifications, training, the pay for alcohol and drug workers. I am aware of the recommendation for a need for a detox centre. We are moving to make some adjustments here -- fundamental adjustments that will improve and better integrate that service with all the other services we provide at the community level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With this facility, given the Minister's comments, I guess I have questions about the governance structure. We know that Stanton Hospital is a territorial facility. It has a separate territorial board. I believe this facility comes under the Deh Cho Health Board, so I was a little surprised to hear the Minister suggest that it is a territorial facility. I am wondering if the Minister could explain this.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a territorial facility, the same way Trial Cross is a territorial child care facility that comes under the Fort Smith board. Nats'ejee K'eh has a relatively unique governance structure at this point, where they have their own board, which in turn reports to the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority, but that does not change the fact that it is a territorial facility open to all residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize if I have to smile, but the seriousness of this question is the fact that we assess rents based on total household gross income, between 6 and 30 percent for the majority of the communities across the Northwest Territories. That will help pay for the utility cost, and also to write down some of the mortgages that remain on those units. That is the purpose of our rent scales based on income. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, that is the case.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have the specific details to that legal question, so I will take it as notice. Thank you.

Thank you. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.