Thank you. Please be seated. Colleagues, I understand that Her Honour, the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, is prepared to enter the Chamber to give the Opening Address. Mr. Clerk, would you please attend to and escort the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories into the Chamber.

Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues and special guests in the gallery. Prior to proceeding to the orders of the day, I would like to, on behalf of all Members, thank her honour, Commissioner Hansen, for attending to this opening of the Fifth Session of the 14th Legislative Assembly and for her opening address to us. A very special thanks goes out as well to Mr. Bill Gilday and the 17 members of the choir from the Sir John Franklin High School. Thank you for singing our national anthem so beautifully. It is always a delight to have you visit our Assembly.

I would also like to express our profound gratitude to the members of the Detah Drummers, and to thank them for their gift of music to us today, and to Pastor Connie Landstrom for serving as our chaplain today. Thank you for your prayer and for your words of inspiration to us.

I would like to welcome all Members back from a well-deserved but busy break. We can also look forward now to four weeks of productive and important work in this Chamber.

Orders of the day, item 3, Ministers' statements. The honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the Budget Address on Wednesday, February 20, 2002. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Item 3, Ministers' statements. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I join yourself and the rest of my colleagues in this Chamber for what I hope will be a very productive session. We as legislators have some very interesting and complex issues to discuss over the next several weeks and I look forward to some very lively debate.

A number of activities have taken place in Hay River over the last few months and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of these with the Members of this House. In late November, the Hay River Kiwanis Club hosted the international president of Kiwanis, Mr. Brian Kunat. It was quite a coup for the Hay River Kiwanis Club to host this international president. Mr. Speaker, my sincere congratulations go out to all members of the Hay River Kiwanis Club, and particularly Mr. Ed Dakin, club president and my constituent, who did a superb job of organizing Mr. Kunat's visit to Hay River.

In December, Mr. Speaker, Hay River hosted Members of the Legislative Assembly as we held our caucus meetings there. I was very pleased that my community could host these meetings and I want to thank my colleagues for choosing Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to our meetings, my colleague Jane Groenewegen and I hosted a community meet-and-greet. This was a chance for the community of Hay River to meet the MLAs from around the Northwest Territories. The meet-and-greet was a resounding success with over 200 people in attendance. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Katl'odeeche Drummers, the Filipino Dancers, the Harry Camsell Choir and Diamond Jenness Handbell Choir for providing entertainment. It was wonderful and very well received.

Speaking of entertainment, Mr. Speaker, I would have to say that the highlight of the evening was watching Premier Kakfwi, Minister Handley and Sandy Lee as they attempted to perform their version of Filipino dancing.

Mr. Speaker, in December, the Honourable Roger Allen, Minister of Housing, attended a meeting with the Hay River Seniors Society. At this meeting, Mr. Allen announced his intention to have an independent living facility for seniors erected in Hay River. I am very encouraged by Minister Allen's news. I have worked very closely with the Hay River Seniors Society since becoming an MLA and I think it is high time that this government devoted more resources to our ever increasing seniors population.

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to report that things were reasonably quiet over the holidays and I was able to spend some time at home with family and friends. It certainly was a most refreshing break.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank...

Mr. Delorey, your time for your Member's statement is up. Mr. Delorey.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, tragedy struck in January of this year as Mr. Kole Crook of Hay River was killed in an airplane crash that also took the lives of two sisters from Tulita and a pilot from Nova Scotia. Mr. Speaker, Kole was a very young man of such promise and truly an accomplished musician. He spent thankless hours performing throughout the Northwest Territories and Canada. He was a talented fiddler who was always willing to share his gift. He will be truly missed and my sincere condolences go out to the family.

Mr. Speaker, in mid January, Minister Miltenberger came to Hay River to meet with the workers at the hospital and lay out his action plan to address their concerns. I understand that these talks are ongoing and I look forward to some very positive outcomes in addressing their concerns.

Also in January, I had the privilege of attending the launch of a wonderful book entitled "So That Our Voices Are Heard." This book is about forest use and changing gender roles of Dene women in Hay River and I encourage Members of this House to obtain a copy.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, recent media reports have quoted Minister Ootes as saying that we can expect to see more funding for day cares in the Northwest Territories. I certainly hope those reports were accurate and if so, I congratulate the Minister. Financial support for day care has not kept up with inflation. Rates have not changed since the early 90s. The increases are long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, day care funding is a big issue across the territories. Facilities in both Yellowknife and Hay River have recently run into financial difficulty, but I know many facilities across the Northwest Territories are constantly struggling to make ends meet, often through bingos, raffles and bake sales. Mr. Speaker, we have nearly 3,700 pre-school age children in our territory. As this government's early childhood development plan notes, the most critical time in a child's development is before they turn six. An investment in good childcare yields a two-to-one payback in economic benefits. Our kids' future is too important not to make this investment.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Programs, of which I am a member, has consistently asked that more funding be put into early childhood programs like day care. Minister Ootes' response is welcome. Now we will be watching tomorrow's budget to see if the new funding will be sufficient to address the shortcomings in the current system.

However, Mr. Speaker, increasing funding for day care will not likely solve all of the problems. The department also needs to provide better support to boards and organizations that run day cares. I hope the Minister will also develop a process to provide training for volunteer boards in areas like accounting and administration. We will all reap the benefits of such an investment.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the volunteers who sit on boards for day cares and the generally underpaid staff who work in the centres. We owe them our gratitude for a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Merci, Mr. Dent. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first let me start by sending greetings back to my wife and children. Mr. Speaker, as is well known, jobs are the back bone to a healthy community and economy. Mr. Speaker, the issue that I raise today is to speak on the news that came across the Northwest Territories that the Department of DIAND was looking at transferring jobs to the Northwest Territories. There will initially be 20 jobs and possibly 50 jobs, which is a remarkable turn-around when initially a study was done by that department and said that no jobs would be coming to the Northwest Territories, so it is good news indeed.

My concern, Mr. Speaker, is where these jobs will end up in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, it is well known that the activity that is increasing here in the Northwest Territories centres largely around oil and gas development. In fact, a billion dollars worth of activity over the next couple of years, including the two previous, will be done in the Beaufort-Delta region. So, Mr. Speaker, my issue is that I will pursue this government to ensure that as those jobs from DIAND move North, they move North to where the activity is, not just to the headquarters where development seems to happen around government. In fact, we can dig out numerous jobs and growth in this government since division to show that headquarters has done rather well in growing over the last number of years.

My concern, Mr. Speaker, is to ensure that as jobs move to the North, whether they be through this government or the federal government, that those positions are put in communities that can use the jobs as well as provide for the work that is done in the regions, not that everybody has to come to Yellowknife to see someone from government, or get their permits or applications in. In fact, I think it is time for this government to take a page out of what happened in Nunavut and look at some devolution of jobs and those responsibilities to the communities. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be questioning the appropriate Minister. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the Olympic Games that are underway in Salt Lake City, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate all participants and medal winners thus far of the 2002 Olympic Games.

I believe this is also a good time to recognize our very own NWT Olympians, the Firth sisters. Originally from the Mackenzie Delta, Sharon now makes my riding of Range Lake her home.

Until the bronze medal won by Beckie Scott in cross-country skiing in Salt Lake City, Sharon held the record for the best showing by Canadian women skiers. I might also add that of the seven medals that Canada has won so far, five have been won by women, one by a man, and the other gold by a man and woman pair. So as the sign says, Canadian girls rule.

By fortuitous coincidence, I had the opportunity to drive with Sharon to Fort Resolution from Hay River last week. I learned that the Firth sisters were four-time Olympians, representing Canada in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics. Knowing what an honour and how tremendously difficult it is to make it to the Olympics even once, I am astounded at the lack of profile we are bestowing on the Firth sisters.

I was really happy to hear Sharon Firth speak up against the bad habit of smoking by youth and the athletes to a great impact. I believe everybody heard it, Mr. Speaker.

She has a lot of credibility to speak on behalf of the young people and athletes and I would really like to see the government make the point of making the most of Sharon Firth as the NWT's ambassador for young people and athletes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today on the changes coming. I believe the changes coming are to the detriment of our elders, disabled, and single parents, and people who live on fixed income.

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the harmonization of income assistance and public housing.

Mr. Speaker, I have a real problem with the way this program is being delivered and being imposed on people without really understanding what the implications this program will have on our elders and our seniors who presently live on a fixed income by way of a pension, or a disabled person who may be in a housing unit who may have a disabled pension because of their disability. The same thing applies to senior mothers with children who may be on part-time employment and who may not meet the required needs that they presently try to offer to and exist on. In most cases, people are struggling out there to maintain the pensions that they get, the disabled pensions, and the income that single mothers get to raise a family and also try to find a job.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the timing of the implementation of this program, April 1st, is being rushed. I feel that it is unjust to not ensure that all bases are being covered and that an evaluation process is in place so that clients understand that they have a right to appeal. There is a Tenants Act which ensures that notification is given before any increases or any rates are put in place. What happens to those people who do not meet the requirements of the new amendments made with regard to incomes? Where do those people go in the communities that do not have housing available? Right now, the vacancy rates in most communities are at zero. People are on a waiting list of 70 to 80 people, yet they are overcrowded in houses where they have, in some cases, up to eight people living in one dwelling. Where do those people go?

Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister questions because I have a real problem with the changes taking place and being imposed on the people most at need. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 4, Member's statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you are aware, yesterday in the Great Hall of this Assembly, the Social Planning Coalition, along with the Standing Committee on Social Programs, hosted a session of the poverty game. Mr. Speaker, it is a board game in the style of Monopoly but, as should be apparent, it involves very little money.

The Social Planning Coalition approached the committee a couple of weeks ago with suggestions that we host this game in the Great Hall. We thought it was a great idea. The purpose was to heighten awareness of poverty and around the issue of income support. It also gave Members and other invited guests from the community a chance to see the kinds of decisions income support recipients are faced with on a monthly basis.

Mr. Speaker, it was enlightening to say the least. The character I played, a 36-year old mom with four kids, ran out of money two-and-a-half weeks into the first month.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Standing Committee on Social Programs has lobbied hard for additional money for income support. Last year, along with the rest of my colleagues, the members of the Accountability and Oversight Committee, we were able to see $700,000 in funding restored to the income support budget. Mr. Speaker, we continue that effort and tomorrow we will see if the government has been listening.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you indeed to all my colleagues who came out to support the Social Planning Coalition.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 4, Member's statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Kole Crook who, as I am sure everyone knows, passed away on New Year's Eve. He was 27 years old. Kole was an extraordinary young man. This was so evident, as literally hundreds of people from many communities and all walks of life gathered on the Hay River Reserve to pay respect to his memory.

To say that Kole loved music does not adequately describe what he conveyed and how he made people feel when he entertained and performed for groups large or small. He communicated through his music.

He was an avid outdoorsman. The first thought I had when I heard that a small plane had gone missing with a pilot and three passengers, and Kole was one of them, was that if they survived the impact, Kole would be able to take care of them.

Kole was not attracted nor motivated by the comforts or convenience of modern living. He had a deep understanding of spiritual things and I believe that is what gave him the perspective of someone who seemed to have lived much longer than 27 years.

Kole truly had his priorities figured out. His life was a demonstration of his respect for his creator, his genuine love of people, his remarkable knowledge and reverence for the land, and his fun-loving sharing of his God-given talents, which included music and story-telling.

Kole will always be missed by his family and those closest to him, and to them we continue to offer our sincerest condolences. We thank them for sharing him with so many people. I believe there has never been a funeral which brought so many people together from so many places in the history of our Territory. Hopefully, this demonstration of how many lives Kole touched will sustain and comfort his family in the years ahead. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 4, Member's statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the heels of the statement by my colleague, Mr. Bell, I would also like to talk about the poverty game that we staged here in the Great Hall yesterday. Along with other members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs and the Ministers of Finance and Education, Culture and Employment, I took up the invitation of the Social Planning Coalition to engage in this. My persona, Mr. Speaker, was a woman named Barbara who lives in Fort Good Hope. She is a 36-year old woman with four children; twin boys, age 14, a daughter, 10, and a son, 8. As Barbara, here is my financial situation, Mr. Speaker.

I receive $851 in salary, plus some federal child benefit, which was clawed back, by the way, by this government. I received another $1,045 in food and $125 in clothing from the Income Support Program. My monthly income was $1,665 with a family of five in a community where the cost of food is almost double that of Yellowknife.

What initially struck me -- and something that I learned through this game, Mr. Speaker -- was the complexity of filling out the paperwork. There were 18 pages that clients have to go through. It is really hard if you have lower literacy skills just getting all of these papers together.

It again forces me to taking a look at real life choices through Barbara's point of view. Whether to buy my daughter new boots for 20 bucks or used ones for ten. Whether to declare the $300 that I got from a boyfriend and thus cheat the system or try to borrow $20 for milk at the end of the month only to find out that my friend was just as broke as I was.

Individuals at all levels are facing more and more difficult choices, Mr. Speaker, as life becomes increasingly complex. It is particularly true if you are living on income support and on the edge of poverty. An increasingly complex set of choices and decisions have to be made everyday and it again reinforced the message for me for government to provide every opportunity for a sound education, and for each individual to take the responsibility to stay in school and take advantage of it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the people from the social coalition for bringing this game to us.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to extend my congratulations and my thanks to a young Yellowknifer who represented my constituency and my Ministry in the recent Youth Parliament. Leslie Merrithew did a fantastic job, as did all the other young parliamentarians who were here for the Youth Parliament, debating the issues that face us all here in the Northwest Territories.

Even though Leslie was the youngest, she certainly held her own amongst the others. She praised the Side Door for Youth, which is an important project here in my constituency, Mr. Speaker. She also provided a good explanation of the pupil-teacher ratio as the Minister representing the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

It is great to see a young person such as Leslie having such a good grasp of the issues and understanding the intricacies of government programs. Leslie says that she really enjoyed her time here as a member of the Youth Parliament. She said it was fun and that the experience definitely helped her understand the issues here in the Territories.

Her stint as a parliamentarian inspired her, and I believe she is applying to become a page here in our Legislature and no doubt we will see her again. When she finishes high school she has an interest in mathematics. She wants to become a high school math teacher and possibly some day become a politician. Mr. Speaker, I hope this House will join me in offering congratulations to Leslie Merrithew and all the Youth Parliamentarians who served us so well a couple of weeks ago. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Antoine. Thank you. Item 4, Members' statements. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to recognize Chief Rick Edjericon and Chief Peter Liske with the Yellowknife Dene Band.

-- Applause

Thank you. Welcome, gentlemen. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a rare privilege for me to recognize just about my entire family in the Legislature today. Earlier my daughter Carmen and an exchange student, Karen Hatner, from Sweden, were in the choir from Sir John Franklin School. Sitting with us today are my wife, Valerie, and my mother, Esther. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

You did not miss too many. Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure this afternoon to recognize two of our pages from Inuvik Twin Lakes, Dwayne Drescher and Renie Edwards, and also three lovely ladies sitting in the gallery: my wife, Vanessa, and Betty and Sue. Welcome to the gallery.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Mr. George Tuccaro, who is now semi-retired and greatly missed on CBC Radio and Television. I would like to wish George all the best on his retirement and we will have to see you entertaining us here and there and everywhere, but you will be there. All the best.

-- Applause

Mr. Tuccaro, the voice of the North. Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a great deal of pleasure for me to introduce someone who is with a tremendous organization, the Salvation Army, we are all familiar with it, Captain Karen Hoeft from Yellowknife.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Any further recognitions of visitors in the gallery? Thank you. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the Members to recognize and thank those people who have taken the time out of their busy day to come and see their Legislative Assembly in action. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Housing regarding the harmonization of income assistance and public housing programs.

Mr. Speaker, my concern with this harmonization is the timing. This harmonization is supposed to take effect April 1st. Knowing that the notification has just been given to the clients and tenants, I would like to ask the Minister, with regard to this process, do you believe that is adequate time for such an implementation, realizing the implication this has on the residents of the Northwest Territories?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we are cognizant of the problems that exist in the communications strategy. We are working on a new action plan. We anticipate that we will be able to defer the implementation date -- at least, we are proposing -- until October 1, 2002. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for that. I believe a lot of the clients who depend on social housing would like some breathing space to ensure that they have due process in place to allow them to ensure that they are being heard.

I would like to ask the Minister, is there going to be an appeal process or some process for notification, that if a client feels unjustly imposed on where a major increase may affect their pensions or the cost of living, will there be a process in place to ensure that due process takes place, where a client can appeal this process if they do not accept what is being imposed on them?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, in the implementation process, we hope to re-evaluate the administration of the program, where we will be able to set out some specific guidelines, where the clients may appeal if there is no satisfaction to their application. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me, will there also be a process spelled out regarding eviction of individuals who may not meet the requirements of these changes?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, hopefully we can evaluate in the context of previous policies and make sure that those policies will be upgraded as well to meet the demands as raised in this question. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister assure us that before any drastic changes are taken or this program has been implemented that they will allow for full debate on this issue in the Legislative Assembly?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we heard the message yesterday that we need to re-evaluate the communications strategy to this policy. We are prepared to do that. As I indicated earlier, we are prepared to propose a deferral. The balance of the program or policy will certainly be taken into consideration. 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 Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Legal advice was provided to the department and I had the department look at examining the policy base and what inter-jurisdictional is done and our view of the various forms in other areas, of how they treat income from various sources. The result was that IBA should continue to be considered as unearned income, Mr. Speaker. IBAs are considered a private contract in regard to the relationship between a contractor and a developer and the Dogrib people, in Mr. Lafferty's case. Education, Culture and Employment has no way of knowing the details of that, so IBA income is paid directly to individuals and such income will continue to be considered as income. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The original legal documents were provided to Cabinet, which I cannot share. Also, there was advice given to the department in this respect. I believe it was verbal advice. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. I am not sure if that is a proper question. I will allow the Minister to respond to it if he chooses. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question is here.

Your last supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have looked at the regulations, Mr. Speaker, and the advice provided is that this should continue to be considered as unearned income. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today focuses on one of the most serious issues here in Yellowknife, our housing crunch. My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Vacancy rates have dropped from about 5 percent three years ago to virtually zero today. Rents have increased about 9 percent over the last two years. I appreciate the Minister informing this House, Mr. Speaker, of how recent developments on the federal infrastructure program and funding that will go out to provinces and territories, how might that additional funding be applied to assist in alleviating the crucial housing situation here in Yellowknife? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, if I may, the affordable housing initiative will alleviate some rental housing shortages in the Northwest Territories, especially in the urban centres. Hopefully an investment of $25,000 per unit would help put more affordable housing into the major centres, as well as the non-tax-based municipalities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek some clarification on that. Is there a $25,000 funding opportunity for people who want to build houses in tax-based communities in the NWT? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the point of clarification, yes, we are prepared to assist at a capped amount of $25,000 per unit for either new construction of rehabilitated units, or a number of other units. That may help alleviate the housing shortage. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is this program available right now or are details still being worked out for its implementation? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to advise the Members here that this program will come into effect on April 1st of this year and will run concurrently for four years. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the other areas related to this is the availability of land. It is one thing to be able to assist people to build houses, but if the land is not available we have a bit of a catch-22. In terms of providing infrastructure, that is water, sewer and this kind of thing, is there anything the department or its partners can do to bring some additional options to the City of Yellowknife for infrastructure? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot speak with regard to community infrastructure such as water and sewer, but specifically to the construction of new houses, I am going to have to try to get back to the Member on that question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, following up on my Member's statement earlier today. Mr. Speaker, most day cares in the Northwest Territories are operated by boards made up of volunteers, and volunteers need training and support. Most of the volunteers who are on boards right now are not professionals in accounting or administration. Will the Minister initiate a training program for day care board members?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, this was one of the issues that arose during the concerns expressed about the viability of day cares and their concerns with respect to being able to operate in an efficient manner. I have asked my department to ensure that we follow up with the concern about board competencies, board training and so forth, so there will be some follow-up on trying to provide assistance to the boards in the Northwest Territories. We are looking at more than just day cares, but day care is an area of my concern, so I have asked them to specifically look at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to hear that the Minister is following up on the issue but I did not hear a clear commitment that he would make sure that a program of support was initiated. So I will ask the Minister again, is he making a commitment to initiate a program that will support board development for day cares?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course the comment on the program of support may have some interpretation, so I have asked my department and instructed them to come forward with suggestions on how we can tackle this particular issue and bring me recommendations of how we can proceed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that goes beyond just Yellowknife or Hay River, which are two communities that made the news recently with significant problems. Will the Minister ensure that if he has a program developed it is available throughout the Northwest Territories in all communities?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the honourable Member is absolutely correct. It is not just a large centre issue. There are issues in Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River, Yellowknife and Fort Simpson. All of the communities may be very impacted by this. Yes, it will be across the board and across the Territories. Thank you.