Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to advise Members on recent developments in the Northwest Territories sports and recreation system.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that over the course of the last few months, Northwest Territories sports and recreation partners and MACA staff have been working hard to develop a new governance and financing model for sport and recreation service in the Northwest Territories. They have made significant progress and we are on the verge of moving forward with two important advances in this area.
In the very near future we will finalize the design of a new Northwest Territories sport and recreation partners' council, and implement revisions to the Western Canada Lottery Act regulations.
The Northwest Territories sport and recreation partners' council will be structured to bring together the major sport and recreation partners and regional representatives in a common forum to set policy and make decisions on the allocation of resources. The council will report to the Minister of MACA and will be accountable to its membership for streamlining decision-making, improving program coordination and identifying new ways to access resources.
The council will be supported in its activities by an updated set of regulations under the Western Canada Lottery Act. The changes to the regulations will both ensure that the proper controls are placed on these lottery programs, while allowing the lottery to seek out new opportunities to increase revenues, so that ultimately communities and participants in the sport and recreation system will benefit.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will table a document titled "The Northwest Territories Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity System." This document, along with the discussion paper I circulated to all Members on the changes to the Western Canada Lottery Act regulations, spells out the government's commitment to supporting community, regional and territorial sport and recreation services.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the next steps in this process and to working with our partners and communities to continue to improve sport and reaction services in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause