Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to take that question as notice. I do not have that information here. Thank you.

Thank you. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs regarding my Member's statement on above-ground swimming pools. In my statement I indicated that the swimming pool in Fort Providence is beyond repair and on the verge of collapse.

I would like to ask the Minister, would he consider providing funding for the construction of a new pool in the Hamlet of Fort Providence? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department at this present time does not have a policy in place to supply funding for pools in communities. At one time there was a program in place whereby they did this, but it expired or was removed in the days of cutbacks.

At the present time, the department is aware that the community has a pool that is fairly old and they were aware that it reached the point where it has to be replaced, however, this is the first report that the community has a request and I will certainly have the department consider the request.

However, we are going to have to work out how we are going to approach the Financial Management Board because there is no policy.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised at the Minister's response. Last year I made the same request and at that time I was told there was no policy. The Minister states there was no request, this was the first time. I am quite surprised to hear that. In fact, other communities have received funding since then. Fort Liard has received funding. I wanted to know if the Minister could tell me how that community can access funding when the communities that I represent were refused. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has advised me that the funding for Fort Liard may have been obtained by them switching their priorities around whereby they may have had it in the budget, funding for a community hall or a recreation complex and they turned it towards a pool instead, but I would have to get back to the Member to really confirm that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I am surprised at the Minister's response. In Fort Providence we had budgeted dollars for a curling rink and we asked of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs whether we could use those dollars to build a swimming pool. Again we were refused.

I would like to ask the Minister, how can one community transfer dollars from projects that were identified in that community and convert it, but others cannot?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the community had money in the budget for a curling rink and there is still some money sitting there for the curling rink. However, there was no indication that I am aware of that the community wanted to use this funding for a swimming pool rather than a curling rink.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, from the Minister's response then, I take it that Fort Providence would be eligible to convert those dollars that were earmarked for a curling rink and the building is right now partially completed, those dollars could be then used for a swimming pool.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how much this swimming pool is going to cost, but I believe that the funding that is sitting in the budget for the repairs for the curling rink were in the nature of $50,000. I do not know, if that is what the community wants, well then that is what the department will sit down and negotiate with the community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, I was trying to figure out what to ask today of the many things I could ask, and received this letter from a resident in Yellowknife asking me about the high gas prices in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, this person points out to me that in St. Albert in November the price of gas per litre was 46.4 cents. I called one of the local operators this afternoon and the rate in Yellowknife is 82 cents per litre. I also know, Mr. Speaker, that in Edmonton in October it was up to 63 cents, but it went down to 56 cents, now it is 46 cents, and this was in November. I am sure it is lower now.

My question to the Minister of Finance is, could he give us a simple and clear answer as to why the price in Yellowknife is almost double the one in Edmonton? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately I do not think there is any one simple clear answer as to why the price differs in Edmonton compared to Yellowknife. There are a lot of factors including the transportation costs, the mark up costs, the costs at the processing plant, the competition that occurs between retail gas stations in Edmonton. There are a lot of factors that come into play here, Mr. Speaker.

I can assure the Member that our taxes have not changed on gasoline so that has not at all contributed to any price increase. I will also undertake to have the department take a look at the recent increases that have taken place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, thank you. In looking at the budget address, it has indicated that the government is going to have $160 million in operating surplus this year, yet we have the highest fuel tax in comparison to Nunavut, Yukon and Alberta at 10.7 cents per litre.

Would the Minister, given the good times we are having, consider reducing the GNWT portion of tax to alleviate some of the problems? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.