Thank you. Please be seated. Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, a key objective of this budget is to demonstrate that we are committed to a balanced approach which also gives priority to improving the social fabric of our Territory and its residents. This commitment involves working in partnership with other governments and the non-governmental organization community on development of a social agenda.

On February 28th representatives from the Social Agenda Working Group and I provided the Standing Committee on Social Programs with a progress report on their work. Today I want to provide all Members with a brief summary of this progress report.

Mr. Speaker, last June over 250 front-line service workers and decision makers from across the Northwest Territories met on the Hay River Reserve to discuss the need for a vibrant and effective social agenda. In their discussions, they delivered a clear message that development and implementation of a social agenda must be done in collaboration and partnership involving representatives of governments, but equally important representatives of the front-line service workers and non-governmental organizations who deal directly with social issues on a daily basis.

To ensure that the next steps involved meaningful collaboration and partnership, the Social Agenda Working Group was formed. Their task has been to develop a social agenda which can be used by all stakeholders as a framework to guide future actions and decisions. As reported to the standing committee, the working group is committed to producing a limited number of key, achievable recommendations aimed at improving the overall system within which social policy decisions are made and social programs and services are delivered. From the government's perspective, we are especially pleased and interested in a framework that will contribute to more effective cross-departmental coordination of policies, decision making and program delivery.

Mr. Speaker, in addressing these challenges the working group has met five times since being formed in early October. They are working hard. They are working by consensus. They are working in partnership. They want their work to be relevant and workable. However, given the complexity of their task we have agreed that their reporting time frame needs to be extended to April. In providing this extension, I have been assured that all of their work will be completed in time for recommendations to be included in the next business planning cycle.

Mr. Speaker, a strong social fabric for our Territory is high on this government's list of priorities. You are seeing this commitment reflected in our overall budget and in program initiatives of individual Ministers and departments.

In closing, I speak for all Ministers in thanking the working group for the contribution they have been and will be making to an NWT social agenda. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, March 4th to 10th is Education Week in the Northwest Territories. It is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the role that education plays in enriching and improving our lives.

The theme for Education Week 2002 is Changing Land... Changing Peoples. Communities are encouraged to celebrate Education Week by exploring the impact of change on the environment, lifestyles, cultures and languages of the peoples of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, early childhood programs, schools, learning centres, Aurora College campuses and libraries across the NWT have been invited to participate in Education Week. Groups and individuals are encouraged to celebrate stories and share memories of the past and present by recording them on paper drums and building a community drum display. Some of the drums created are part of the territorial drum display in the Great Hall here at the Legislative Assembly. I encourage each of you to take time to visit the territorial drum display and read about some of the change that has occurred in the Northwest Territories over the years. These stories will help us to learn about the impact change has had on the land and the people of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, it is no coincidence that Changing Land... Changing Peoples is also the theme of the Interchange on Canadian Studies 2002 conference to be hosted in Yellowknife in April. The interchange is a forum for young Canadians to travel, to meet other young Canadians, to hear from prominent speakers and to share experiences and ideas significant to Canada. The event is held in a different province or territory each year. The conference in the NWT this year is a unique opportunity to build on the theme, Changing Land... Changing Peoples.

Our annual celebration of Education Week is an excellent opportunity for each of us to reflect on the significant role education plays in our lives. As the Northwest Territories evolves into a self-reliant, economically viable territory, it is important that we acquire as much knowledge and information as we can, not only to understand the impact and significance of change but also to participate fully in that change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be able to report to the House on significant progress that is being made in the implementation of the early childhood development initiatives.

Our vision is that the NWT will be a place where children are born healthy and raised in safe and respectful families and communities that support them in developing to their fullest potential. Initiatives that the Departments of Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment are undertaking with our partners will go a long way in helping us achieve this vision.

A key element in a comprehensive early childhood development program is early and effective screening. The Nipissing screening tool is a tool that will be used to screen children until they enter school to detect developmental delays and permit the planning of effective interventions that will allow a child to reach their full potential. This screening tool was chosen because of its ease of use and adaptability to the communities and cultures across the NWT. Training health care providers on the use of the tool began on February 25th and will continue through March 2002. All regions will have received training by the first week of April. By this spring, the Nipissing screening tool will be used across the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, supporting parents and children in their own homes is another key element of the early childhood development initiative and is the basis of the family visitor-child development support program. This program focuses on promoting the interaction of the parent with their child by supporting and improving parenting skills in their home. Family visitor-child development workers will help families of children under the age of six access community resources. Their primary focus will be on helping parents with children who have developmental delays. They will be able to provide tools such as learning and coping strategies to aid in overcoming the delays. Three health authorities will begin hiring and training existing staff as family visitors early in the new year. By 2004, we anticipate that there will be at least one family visitor in every community in the Northwest Territories.

Healthy family kits and school readiness kits will be offered to every family in the NWT with pre-school age children. Kits will be appropriate to developmental milestones. Families will receive kits at five stages in their child's development. The first kit is scheduled for completion in April 2002 and will then be provided to every family of a newborn. Child development resource kits will be ready for distribution this spring for use by family visitors. The kits developed are based on age and developmental categories important to child development.

Training on the best use of these kits will take place during the next fiscal year. These kits will be especially helpful to those families with children who have developmental delays. Finished products or a multimedia campaign will be ready by this summer. Airtime for two video public service announcements created by the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities has been purchased as part of the public awareness campaign and were aired in December and again in February and March. Our thanks go to the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities for allowing us to use these.

Mr. Speaker, our children are central to the future of the North. The early childhood development initiatives are focused on helping every child get the best possible support during their early years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Early Childhood Development Action Plan, to which my honourable colleague, Mr. Miltenberger, referred, supports the work underway to develop a comprehensive social agenda aimed at improving the quality of life for all NWT residents. Early childhood is the foundation for healthy development. All children need support and nurturing.

Many children in the NWT receive that support and nurturing from their families. Efforts in the home are enhanced through a range of early childhood programs and services offered at the community level. This government's role is to support communities and families in their efforts to provide every child born with the best possible start in life. We have a responsibility, Mr. Speaker, to ensure support is provided efficiently and effectively, in partnership with other government departments, other levels of government and with non-governmental organizations.

In developing the early childhood action plan, Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services recognized significant opportunity to work together building on successful programs and services already in place. Some programs will be enhanced. Other programs, like the ones outlined by Mr. Miltenberger, are in development. The government is committed to ensuring that a comprehensive range of programs, intended to support early childhood development, is available to all NWT residents through an integrated service delivery model.

Mr. Speaker, an integrated service delivery model breaks down barriers between program providers by encouraging discussion that identifies mutual goals. It promotes collaboration and reduces duplication of programs and services. Early childhood program providers from across the Northwest Territories have already begun reviewing the options available for integrating services at the community level. The goal of many communities is to establish child and family resource centres to deliver a range of complimentary programs and services.

Research shows that the most effective way of fostering early childhood development is through a multi-faceted continuum of programs ranging from health care to positive parenting and early literacy. Increased interaction between parents, children and other members of the community promotes social well-being, as well as the intergenerational transmission of language and culture.

Mr. Speaker, Northerners have long recognized the need for quality early childhood programs and services. It is a priority for our government to work together and with our partners to ensure that all NWT children get the best possible start in life. When our children grow up healthy and are able to realize their full potential, we will have developed our greatest resource -- our people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 Minister Steen, as Cabinet's representative on the Board of Management, gave notice of motion for first reading of Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act and the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act. As Members know, this bill is not a government initiative and, accordingly, the rules of Cabinet solidarity do not apply. Ministers will be allowed a free vote on this bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that is very pertinent to a large segment of the population in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the group that I am referring to is our seniors. Our seniors population is aging at a very accelerated rate and we can no longer afford to ignore this fact.

By the year 2018, Mr. Speaker, the total number of seniors aged 60 and over in the Northwest Territories is expected to increase to over 7,000. Our seniors population is expected to experience a 180 percent increase. The rate of increase among our seniors population far outweighs the rate of our total population.

Mr. Speaker, we as a government have to work collectively to ensure that there is no reduction in programs and services to seniors as a result of this population growth.

Mr. Speaker, our senior citizens have all worked very hard to be productive members of our society for many years. They have scrimped and saved for years in order to own their own homes. The sense of independence that maintaining their own home provides them is very important to our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, our government has put in place several programs over the last few years that have attempted to address a burgeoning seniors population. One such program, Mr. Speaker, is our Senior Citizens Home Repair Program, administered by Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Under this program, Mr. Speaker, senior citizens can apply to the Housing Corporation for up to $20,000 in assistance to cover the cost of repairs for improving the condition of their homes.

Mr. Speaker, this aids in making the homes of our senior citizens safer and healthier to live in at the same time as assisting the seniors in maintaining an independent lifestyle.

Mr. Speaker, the financial help that our senior citizens receive from the Housing Corporation comes in the form of a forgivable loan. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation criteria for eligibility states that in order for the senior citizens to qualify for the Senior Citizens Home Repair Program, they must be 60 years of age and older and have resided in the Northwest Territories for at least five years, one year of which must be continuous prior to their approval.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the senior citizen must be in core housing need. The client household income cannot exceed the income threshold for their community and the house in which a senior citizen intends to undertake repairs must be owned by them outright.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Your time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. Delorey.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. This brings me to the point of home-ownership. Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, our senior citizens have worked diligently to retain their homes and the independent lifestyle that home-ownership affords is very comforting to our senior citizens.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation requires that the senior citizen sign over their mortgage to the Housing Corporation for a period of ten years, as the mortgage will be required for security against the home repair loan. Mr. Speaker, I have grave concerns about this government policy that requires a senior citizen to sign over the mortgage of their home that they have worked so hard to retain.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will have further questions for the Minister responsible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to make my Member's statement today about some of the activities that took place in Hay River over the weekend. Friday night was the annual Hay River Chamber of Commerce banquet. I would like to say congratulations to President Doreen Farrants and their newly sworn in board of directors and executive.

It was billed as the 25th anniversary of the chamber in Hay River, but as newspaper stories from as far back as 1962 were shared, they clearly made reference to the activities of the Hay River Chamber, so the chamber is more like 40 years old, but only filed annual reports with the societies registry for the last 25 years.

I had the privilege of having been the Chamber of Commerce president for the years 1987, 1988 and 1990, and served on the board of directors in various capacities for a number of other years.

Past presidents Bob McMeekin, Barry Ashton and myself were asked to share our memories of the chamber. Bob reminisced about some of the amazing business community efforts in the early days of establishing the chamber, and Barry talked about the very proud history of the business community in Hay River.

As a chartered accountant and very active member of the business community, he was keenly aware of the number of businesses in Hay River which have seen the participation of two and many three generations, companies started by the parents, now owned, managed and operated by the children and even the grandchildren. Statistics indicate that only ten percent of family-owned businesses make it to the third generation, so Hay River must be some kind of anomaly.

My recollections of my years with the chamber mostly focused on the relationships and although we accomplished a lot of work, we had much fun in the process -- the weekly luncheons, the special initiatives, the celebrations, rallying the troops and even tackling the government on occasion, are all things that I was reminded of and realized how much I had missed in the last six years.

At the annual banquet each year, the chamber also recognizes the citizen of the year. This year's recipient for 2001 was Ron Cook. Ron is just about to retire as the town's recreation manager. What a deserving recognition this was of Ron's remarkable contribution to so many aspects of community service in Hay River. The bonus is that Ron and his wife Gail plan to continue living in Hay River in their retirement.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, when it comes to private sector activity per capita, Hay River is the business capital of the North. With the resource of our many business people dedicated to the economic well-being of Hay River and fair treatment of this government, we plan to hold onto that distinction for many years to come.

Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the K'amba Carnival planning committee, who this year again, for the 19th year in a row, put on a wonderful K'amba Carnival. Mr. Speaker, I entered the axe-throwing contest. My colleagues will be relieved to know that I did not win. Thank you.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

What a shame. Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to again address the issue of ammonium nitrate storage in Enterprise in response to Mr. Handley's comments of February 22nd, where he stated, "Ammonium nitrate is not as dangerous as some people think it is."

Let me begin by giving an example of an ammonium nitrate storage facility in the city of Toulouse in southwest France. On Friday, September 21, 2001, a huge explosion occurred in the outskirts of the city. The explosion occurred in a warehouse in which granular ammonium nitrate was stored. The amount stored in this warehouse is said to be between 200 to 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Let me describe the impact of the Toulouse explosion. The blast blew out windows in the city centre three kilometres away and created a 50-metre diameter crater more than ten metres deep. Experts said the explosion was equivalent to an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale. More than 500 homes were lost and 11,000 students stayed at home after 85 schools and colleges were damaged. Twenty-two people were killed on site, six nearby, and one died in hospital according to the regional officials. An electrical goods store about 300 metres away from the storage facility collapsed about 45 minutes after the explosion.

Mr. Speaker, the exact cause of this terrible accident remains unknown to this day, although at the time a spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Paris attributes this accident to an "incident in the handling of products."

Mr. Speaker, you can therefore well appreciate the concern and anxiety that the residents of the settlement of Enterprise have, given that Polar Explosives have recently built a depot in the centre of the community to house ammonium nitrate. This facility was built with no consultation or discussion with the community leaders and seemingly little scrutiny from the territorial government officials.

Mr. Speaker, my information is that the disaster in Toulouse resulted in an explosion from a warehouse that housed 200 to 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. A report in News/North on Monday, February 25th states, "Polar Explosives built the depot to truck 23,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate this winter to diamond mines in one tonne bags."

Mr. Speaker, if only one percent of the amount of ammonium nitrate that is being shipped over the course of a year is stored...

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. McLeod.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask, what assurance can this government give to the residents of Enterprise that what happened in Toulouse will not happen here? What safety regulations are in place to ensure that this facility is a safe facility? What monitoring agency is responsible for ensuring that residents of Enterprise are not killed in an explosion similar to Toulouse?

It alarms me greatly, Mr. Speaker, to read of the seemingly slipshod manner in which the facility has been built. Mr. Speaker, the News/North report of February 25th states, and again I quote, "the depot was set up without safeguards, including a fire code requirement for fencing." This situation is quite intolerable, Mr. Speaker. There needs to be an immediate and thorough investigation into this facility in Enterprise and a complete report prepared. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on an initiative the Minister of Health and Social Services just spoke about, and that is early childhood development and the work of this government.

Mr. Speaker, it is an important area to focus on and try to help out as a government, to be out there doing our part to ensure that families start off in a healthy and secure environment.

Mr. Speaker, with a lot of the initiatives that have been started to date, one could say we were tinkering or working around the edges of media campaigns. I would be interested in how the Minister is going to respond when I ask him later about what is in a child development resource kit or a healthy family kit.

Mr. Speaker, the important thing is that we do have to give parents, especially new parents and those looking at families, information to understand what can occur during a pregnancy, because a lot of our problems in the Northwest Territories, we have heard it for a number of years now and there has been some work started in the area of FAS/FAE. It is something that we have to try and stop. It is something that is completely preventable if all of the precautions are taken. Mr. Speaker, it is not something that is hereditary. It is a result of one's actions while being pregnant.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard suggestions that as a government if we are going to really do something and really make a difference, we are going to have to get tough with how we treat and look at these situations. It is no longer good enough to work around the edges, so to speak, Mr. Speaker, we need to get to the core of the problem and start trying to do something as a government and possibly even look at legislation in some cases, to see what we can do as a government to prevent this kind of occurrence from continuing.

It would take strong political will to try and move in these areas because we would have the very same situation as trying to impose wills on people who have the freedom of choice when it comes to what they do and how they carry on with their own lives. Here in the Northwest Territories we have bad examples of what happens when mothers take to drinking while they are pregnant and the rest of society has to pick up the tab, so to speak, and try to work with those children who are left to deal with the problems that occur as a result of FAS/FAE. I will have questions for the Minister. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest challenges we face in our communities is the delivery mechanisms for programs and services that we deliver on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a program to transfer programs and services to communities. The current policy of the government is community empowerment programs.

The fault of the program is not the program. The program that transfers does not have enough resources to allow the communities to properly administer and deliver those programs and services for the residents of the Northwest Territories. The programs that have been transferred to date are income support workers, mental health workers, economic development officers and, in some cases, renewable resource officers.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, the programs that have been delivered have been delivered from 1994 onward and we have not seen increases in those amounts in over eight years. Mr. Speaker, the work that these people do is just as crucial as any government employee's is. The human resources that are needed to run these programs have to be qualified. The financial resources that we need to pay and accommodate these employees to carry out their responsibilities has to be adequate.

The transfer of community programs is there to improve social and economic conditions, not to burden them with a lack of people and a lack of resources. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories' transfer of programs and services has forced communities, because of the lack of resources, to transfer those programs and services back to this government because of the inadequate resources to administer and hire the people to carry out those responsibilities.

Mr. Speaker, one of the key positions that I talk about is the mental health workers in our communities. The mental health workers program assists communities dealing with health and emotional matters such as suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, violence and looking at the problem we have with FAS/FAE in the communities.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these people have just as many rights as government employees in the Government of the Northwest Territories, but they do not have a union or someone there speaking for them. We hear about programs for pay equity, for equal pay for people who work within the Government of the Northwest Territories. The employees we have in our communities carry out the same responsibilities and the same duties as any government employee, either in the social services area or the health area.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is crucial that this government increases the amount of resources that it presently transfers to communities to ensure that those programs and services can be implemented and supplied with the financial means and the professional people to do them. At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services questions on this matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the good work done by the WCB Legislative Review Panel in its review of the WCB legislation. Mr. Speaker, this panel submitted its final report in December 2001 and public input is being sought on the report.

The report, Mr. Speaker, is titled, Act Now, and it says a lot. It is also significant to note it is an acronym for Accountable to stakeholders, Compensation that is fair, Transparency in decision making, Non-adversarial adjudication not litigation, Operations that are respectful and responsive, Workplace safety to prevent work-related injuries.

Having participated in some of these meetings, Mr. Speaker, I believe these are very clear and meaningful headlines that reflect closely what the stakeholders were telling the panel. I have had a chance to review the report itself and I appreciated very much the informative and organized way in which the report sticks to what the panel heard from the stakeholders. I also found it very helpful to read the background statements and the context the panel is giving to what conclusions it is arriving at from the information and the input they heard from the public.

Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a very good piece of work and the chairperson, Ms. Louise Vertes and the panel members are to be recognized and congratulated for the good work and the commitment they have shown in this work. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to urge both Ministers responsible for the WCB in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to push this important work forward and to implement the findings and the recommendations in the report as much as and as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I was watching the closing ceremonies of the 19th Winter Olympic Games it provided me with some memorable thoughts of the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in which I participated. The memory of the atmosphere and the new friendships that were developed of which some remain today.

One important way of keeping the Olympic flame glowing in the minds of our young athletes is to give them the opportunity to compete in games of their own. Mr. Speaker, today I want to convey that very real message to my young constituents of Inuvik Twin Lakes who are destined to participate in the Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland or in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

I want to personally congratulate and extend my most heartfelt good wishes to the Inuvik Twin Lakes competitors in each of the following categories: in speed skating, Alyssa Carpenter and Chris Lennie; in hockey, Kelly McLeod and Phillip Harry; Arctic sports, Paden Gordon-Ruben; dog mushing, Josephine Arey; cross-country skiing, Shaylene Allen.

Part of the mission's staff and regional coordinator is Theresa Ross, who is now scheduled to participate in the Arctic Winter Games as an official.

Mr. Speaker, these games provide enormous motivation for the competitors from my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes and I know they will do very well. Like the 19th Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Arctic Winter Games will inspire these athletes to compete in their own circumpolar games, develop new friendships and they too in the future will pass a similar torch onto others.

I want to wish the athletes from my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes the very best of luck and do enjoy the competitions whether you are in Nuuk or Iqaluit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mrs. Groenewegen on Monday, February 25, 2002, regarding revisions to the Affirmative Action Policy.

The Grant Thornton report, provided to Members in January 2001, recommended a move from the Affirmative Action Policy to an employment equity approach. This recommendation has been accepted but will take some time to implement. Initial research to determine best practices and the most appropriate way to make this change is underway. This work includes reviewing previous work such as the report of the working group on affirmative action and human resource management and other reviews of the Affirmative Action Policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Jennifer Tilden who is with the CBC here in Yellowknife and reports on matters throughout the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Welcome to the visitor's gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my responsibility in Transportation on this matter will be with the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and the regulations that are part of that piece of legislation. Certainly, if there are specific issues that can be better handled with regard to transporting ammonium nitrate and other toxins I would be very much open to reviewing the legislation. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issues with regard to highway speeds, transportation of wide loads, oversized loads and so on falls within the Highways Act, not the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. I am certainly open to looking at that continually.

Each year before the winter season starts, we hold a number of meetings with the truckers and with the mines on what is being transported and we will continue to do everything we can to improve the safety and expediency of those materials. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, in answering the question, there are two pieces of legislation. The honourable Member asked about transportation of dangerous goods. That is under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. If there are ways of improving that, I would be happy to do that.

When we deal with issues like the speed the trucks are travelling and the hours they carry extra-wide or oversized loads, that is a different piece of legislation, but I am certainly open to looking at both of those pieces of legislation if it can improve the safety and the use of our highways. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, we are in the middle of our trucking season for hauling materials up to the mines. I know my department is meeting almost on a daily basis with either the truckers or the mines, with communities, with whoever is dealing with specific issues, so they are dealing with that on a daily basis. If there are specific issues of any community then I would certainly like to talk on those ones.

When it comes to reviewing our legislation, I would like to meet with the truckers once they are over their busiest period and have time to do so and look to see whether or not there are things that we should be changing in the legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Honourable Vince Steen, Minister of MACA, regarding the storage of ammonium nitrate. I would like to ask the Minister, can he tell us what the requirements are to set up a facility and depot for the storage of dangerous goods in the communities? What are the regulations? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are two separate pieces of legislation that could be used to control the storage of dangerous goods. One is under the City, Towns and Villages Act. Municipalities may put in place by-laws to control the storage. Secondly, the storage of dangerous goods is regulated by Municipal and Community Affairs under the National Fire Code of Canada. So under either one of these pieces of legislation the storage of dangerous goods would be addressed. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, could he tell me if the community of Enterprise is in a position to pass such by-laws as he has indicated?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure whether Enterprise would have the authority to pass the by-law. That is where the fire code would kick in. It would be under that legislation that the storage would come into play. In this particular case of Enterprise, the assistant fire marshal went in there in December and inspected the storage facilities of RTL. There were a number of deficiencies found. RTL was advised in writing of the deficiencies. RTL responded accordingly by improving the storage to prevent access by anyone, providing a spill control contingency plan for the product, and preparing an emergency plan and procedures, which are prominently posted in the outdoor storage site.

Since that time, the assistant fire marshal has been into the community on three separate occasions and is satisfied that the facilities now meet the standards of the fire code.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister has indicated, the fire marshal assistant has been to the community at the request of the community on three different occasions. The community, however, is not satisfied. I would like to ask the Minister, can the fire marshal allow the companies to bypass the requirements as per the legislation when it comes to temporary facilities? The facility in Enterprise is certainly not under lock and key and is not in an enclosed area. Can you tell me if there are other rules for the temporary storage?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will have the department respond to me on what the fire marshal can and cannot do as far as allowing for temporary storage, but I believe the report I have suggests that the storage is now meeting the standards of the fire code. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider it as my understanding now is that all that is required is a fire permit or a fire certificate from the fire marshal to set up a depot. I believe that there should be stronger legislation to enforce the handling and the storage of facilities in the community.

I would like to ask the Minister, would he consider legislation that would require storage facility certification in order to set up a depot? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the honourable Minister for Transportation indicated before, this whole issue of transporting large quantities of dangerous goods at one time is coming to the point where we have to review all the legislation pertaining to this. I would most certainly have the department involved in this see whether or not we are in fact addressing the concerns of the community and meeting the standards set out in the National Fire Code of Canada. 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 Premier and it is in relation to his reply to the oral question asked by Mrs. Groenewegen that he made today. Could the Premier advise the House, what is the difference between the Affirmative Action Policy and employment equity?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take that question as notice. Thank you.

Thank you. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, regarding my Member's statement, I believe this government has to do more when it transfers programs and services to our communities. In order for it to work, they need adequate resources, both human and financial.

I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services a question regarding the mental health workers positions that have been transferred to communities since 1994. Mr. Speaker, it has been over eight years. To date, the amount that has been spent, set in 1994, is $50,000. That is what the communities receive.

Mr. Speaker, mental health workers play a key role in our communities, especially with the high number of suicides, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental problems that we find in our communities. I would like to ask the Minister, is your department looking at trying to bring this injustice to order by allowing increases to bring their salaries and wages in line with other professions doing similar work?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue is going to be addressed through the Addictions, Mental Health and Family Violence Strategy. It has been raised a number of times. It was raised when we reviewed the main estimates. It has been raised in relation as well to the alcohol and drug workers. There is a very clear recognition that there is a discrepancy between what is paid for NGO staff and what is currently paid to GNWT staff. We are going to try to start to address that in that strategy. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these employees have been waiting over eight years to see their wages increase. I would hope that they do not wait another eight years. How soon can we see an increase in the wages of the mental health workers in our communities?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intent is to have a strategy done by this spring and a subsequent action plan in place before summer. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I heard the Minister state that he had hoped to have it in place by this summer. I would like to ask the Minister, will that also include such things as benefits which are presently delivered to other professions within the government?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this strategy will attempt to identify and address a host of issues as they pertain to addictions, mental health and family violence and the need for adequate resourcing, the kind of service that is currently delivered and improvements that may be required in terms of qualifications, in terms of standards, in terms of the gap, as indicated already, between NGO staff and what is paid to GNWT staff. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to make it retroactive from April 1st of this fiscal year? If it is going to come to effect this summer, that he makes it retroactive from April 1st.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I commit to clearly keeping in mind the suggestion from the Member as we look at the final draft, the final work being put into this strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works and Services, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the question is probably better addressed to my responsibilities as the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs. MACA does not have any program in place to fund multi-purpose complexes at this time. It is still in the discussion stage at this point and it depends on what kind of direction we receive from the Assembly on this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been discussing this issue with my department. This is not a new initiative that is being proposed by any one community. It has been in the works for a while, but what has to be addressed is if it is a multi-purpose complex, then the community has to address the O and M funding after the complex is built. They have to address where the O and M funding would come from. For instance, if it involves some social programs in the complex, then the proposal would have to show some funding coming from that department as well. Therefore, it is not just a matter of the capital funding. It is a matter of the O and M funding as well. The department says it is not as easy as it sounds to address the proposed program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the complex was in fact designed for more than one use, in other words, from the recreation aspect of it, MACA would fund that. That would include funding for utilities. However, if the complex was designed in such a manner that it also can accommodate some social programs like day care or whatever else the community wants to design it for, then some of that capital funding would have to come from those programs as well. Furthermore, the community would be expected to obtain the O and M funding for that aspect of the programs in the building from the other departments. That part has to be sorted out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister for MACA, I most certainly would follow up on the suggestion. I do agree with the Member that it is a good initiative and there would be cost savings in the long run. I will follow up on whether or not we can have some kind of a multi-complex funding program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.