Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday I joined the members of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society and the Alberta Alzheimer's Society NWT Chapter for a Walk for Memory. The weather didn't cooperate with us, but the importance of this cause and the urgency did not go unnoticed.

As has been mentioned many times in the House, Mr. Speaker, the need for a facility that would provide programs and services for the elders who are inflicted with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is becoming urgent. I understand that the Minister has a proposal from the Yellowknife Association for Concerned Citizens for Seniors to expand the Avens Seniors' Centre to accommodate this need, and I would like him and the government to give this serious consideration and find a way to work with YACCS to see this proposal become a reality.

Mr. Speaker, the proposal is sound and it will not cost the government extra money. It's about having the vision and foresight to spend the dollars wisely, and I believe it speaks very strongly to the need for the government to work cooperatively and in partnership with community groups like YACCS to serve the section of the population who is most vulnerable, as well as their families.

The facts are very compelling, Mr. Speaker. The annual growth rate of seniors in the NWT is high at eight percent, higher than any other parts of Canada. By 2012, we will have 2,635 seniors. In 20 years, we will have 4,600 seniors. Sixty-five percent of seniors will be aboriginal and many are moving to Yellowknife to be closer to their families. We also know that one out of every three Canadians over 80 years of age is affected by Alzheimer's disease, and twice as many women as men have it. Currently, Mr. Speaker, 58 percent of all residents in long-term care facilities in the NWT have some form of dementia. A significant portion of that are in moderate to advanced stages.

Mr. Speaker, these numbers should steer us in the right direction. We will need to take care of these elders and a hospital setting is not the answer. It costs a lot more money and it doesn't give the elders the respect and quality of life that they deserve while living with this affliction, and we cannot continue to place all the burden on the families and on facilities not designed for this purpose. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause