Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly in the Premier's former response, the idea of alternative and cleaner energy in the North is a very noble endeavour on the part of this government, which I support. There are other ways besides hydro to get cleaner fuel. In terms of the customer base that the government is looking at, has the Premier ever heard of natural gas as an alternative to hydro and as an opportunity to diesel being a viable option? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, interestingly, I have heard of it.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I might say as well -- I don't want to give information on companies who have expressed interest -- one of the companies who has expressed interest in hydro potential in the North is a company that's in the business of transmission lines for natural gas. People do not think of these things in stovepipes, but rather look at combinations of energy. So I am not surprised that companies look at all of the alternatives, including hydro and natural gas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Time for question period has expired, however I will allow a few more supplementaries. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also respect the aspirations of the people in the Sahtu to have more affordable access to power supply. However, it seems that maybe some of the information out there isn't as complete as it could be in terms of the viability. For example, to get the hydro from where it's generated to the communities and then powered down requires substations and transmission infrastructure that's worth millions and millions of dollars. Has anyone taken the community as a case profile and applied the economics to it to give us any kind of an idea how many years we would be looking for some kind of a payback on diesel replacement? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, that's the kind of pre-feasibility and feasibility work that's ongoing. We know we have to step up the power to have it carried and aligned long distances and we have to step it down again when it comes to a small community. There may, Mr. Speaker, be situations where it just isn't cost effective to step it down as you go past a very small community. But those are studies that have to be done yet, Mr. Speaker. There is considerable work to be done on both the Taltson project to bring it to the permitting stage and also on the Bear River project. So we need to look at both of these.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you in the case of the Taltson one, the initial work we've done shows that it would not be worth it, for example, to take a high voltage power line within 50 or 80 kilometres of Lutselk'e, step it down and then carry it at a lower voltage line into the community. It would be more economical for us to provide the power in an alternative way for that community in that scenario. We have not worked it out for each of the communities along the Mackenzie Valley. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 7, written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu region has recently witnessed an increase in the volume of traffic driving our winter road.

1. Given the period the winter roads are in operation and the increase in oil and gas activities, what types of tracking methods are used by the department to keep track of numbers of vehicles?
2. How many accidents were reported within the Sahtu winter road system last year?
3. How or what steps have the department implemented in the Sahtu for safety measures?
4. What are the policies to handle emergency responses for travellers within the Sahtu region?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Be nice to the Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My written question is with regard to organizations that presently receive year-to-year funding.

1. What are the names of year-to-year funding organizations?
2. Length of time that each organization has been receiving year-to-year funding?
3. What is the life of each financial commitment of its expected sunset each year?
4. How is each financial commitment renewed, either by agreement, business plan or other reason?
5. What is the amount of each commitment?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 7, written questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Honourable Charles Dent, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

1. What portion of funding to divisional education authorities is allocated to assist families who reside outside the education district but have children registered in the DEA schools?
2. Is the funding at the sole discretion of each DEA?
3. What options, besides the home schooling option, would families have to address this problem?
4. What direction is the Department of Education intending to take to eliminate this old problem?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Item 7, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board.

Would the Minister provide a list of the total amount of grants, contributions, or any other agreements to the Deton' Cho Corporation or any subsidiary companies owned by them, through all GNWT programs for the five years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following news release entitled Annual Conference of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers of Health, Vancouver, B.C., October 16 to 17, 2004. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, October 21, 2004, I will move that Bill 17, Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. The Minister responsible for FMBS, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 13, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2004-2005, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The motion is in order. To the motion.