Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to present the final report of the Special Joint Committee on Non-Tax-Based Community Affairs.

The Special Joint Committee on Non-Tax-Based Community Affairs started its work in April 2002. Its purpose was to identify the actions that the Government of the Northwest Territories can take to improve the quality of life in these communities. The committee held community consultation workshops for representatives from three different groups of communities: the eleven smallest communities, the nine mid-sized communities and the seven largest hamlets and charter communities. The committee also initiated several research projects to increase their understanding about the GNWT programs and services in these communities.

Twenty-seven of the 33 communities in the NWT are communities which are of interest to the committee. These 27 communities differ from the regional centres and Yellowknife in more than just population. They have a larger percentage of aboriginal residents than the regional centres. More of their residents participate in hunting and fishing activities and speak their aboriginal language. However, the residents in these communities have lower levels of educational achievement and have higher unemployment rates than residents in regional centres. Although these 27 communities are growing more slowly than the tax-based communities, they have higher crime rates. The GNWT programs and services that are delivered in these communities seem to be delivered at lower standards. The GNWT facilities are getting old, but the new corporate capital planning process does not seem to be able to accommodate the needs of these communities.

Based on the consultations with community leaders and on the results of the research projects, the committee Members have proposed changes to the GNWT's corporate capital planning process. The GNWT cannot explain how it plans for its new facilities or how it makes project funding decisions. Many people think that the GNWT is not keeping up with the capital funding needs of the smaller communities, because it is building new large facilities in the regional centres, such as the correctional centre in Yellowknife and the hospital in Inuvik. The committee Members also heard from many community representatives about the importance of prevention and development programs in their communities. They were told that the funding arrangements for these programs do not support a comprehensive or sustained community effort. The committee has proposed a new approach for these programs. The Members have asked the GNWT to organize its service standards more clearly and to increase access to housing in these communities. The GNWT should also increase its support for the community constable program. To conclude our report, the committee identified some changes that could be made to the GNWT organization so that it could provide better support to the small communities.