Mr. Speaker, yes, we do have the policy in place in which we have the local housing authorities who have signed on implement that policy. Right now, as I stated, we are making efforts to get the local housing authorities to collect from more people in arrears to the tune of $500,000. Basically at the end of the day, we're hoping to bring in more revenue to the local housing authorities. There again, it shows you that we are making efforts to bring more revenue back into the corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's about time that this government looked at hydro power in the Sahtu and the high costs that we have in the Sahtu. Mr. Speaker, I heard somewhere that the Sahtu community of Tulita pays almost $400,000 for power. That's a high cost. I want to ask the Premier what is he doing to ensure that people in the Sahtu are going to see a drop in their power rate? There are alternatives there, and when can we get the show on the road that hydro may be looked at as a reality? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member, that in the Sahtu, power rates are incredibly high. If it weren't for the subsidy that we have to bring the rates for the first 1,000 kilowatts for business and 700 for residential down to the Yellowknife levels, then it would be impossible to do business or live there.

Mr. Speaker, we are working on the hydro development potential, we are working with both the Tulita and the Deline land corporations. We have raised this issue with Imperial. They have agreed that it is technically feasible and are interested. But we are too early, at this point, to have a customer. We need to have a big customer, Mr. Speaker, because of the capital cost of these kinds of hydro projects, both for the generating plant itself as well as for the transmission lines. So we need the pipeline company in order to be able to get the lower rates all across the Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I would like that our government be the government that began in a serious way the transfer from diesel generators to hydro powered, not just for cost but also for environmental reasons. Mr. Speaker, we are moving this as quickly as we can, but there is still a fair bit of work that has to be done yet on both the pre-engineering and the environmental work. So I am aiming at getting a customer by the end of this fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier in terms of getting a customer before the end of this fiscal year, what is the Premier doing in terms of ensuring the communities of Deline and Tulita in terms of getting the work underway that would give some level of comfort to our potential customer by the end of this fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, it's mainly on the pre-engineering work and the environmental work that we're doing now to scope out this project and determine the viability of it and what we would have to charge to a large customer. I hope we are able to talk seriously with Imperial before the end of the year. When I say we, I'm talking about our government, our Power Corporation, the Tulita and Deline land corporations; talk seriously with Imperial by the end of the year. But we need to invest up to the end of the year about another $400,000 to get to the point where we can move this one step closer to reality. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to ask the Premier in terms of the arrangement between the Government of the Northwest Territories, the community of Deline and the community of Tulita in terms of forming this. I understand there's a partnership formed in terms of having the corporation in terms of the involvement of the two communities in the Sahtu with the territorial government in terms of the level of partnership to see the viability of the Bear River hydro for not only the people of the Sahtu, but for the people of the Northwest Territories. I wanted to ask the Premier if he can give me an update on the strength of this partnership that has been formed to look at the hydro development in the Bear River? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the Tulita and Deline land corporations have created the Sahdae Energy Ltd., their energy company. We have talked with them about signing a memorandum of intent between the Power Corporation and Sahdae Energy shortly. I don't know the exact date when this would be done, but I expect within the next weeks we could have an MOI in place that would commit both the Sahdae Energy corporation and the Power Corporation to moving ahead with this as a joint venture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have heard it takes money to make money. I think the communities in the Sahtu will be somewhat supportive. Another issue they need to look at on the Bear River hydro is the Protected Areas Strategy. Is there any relationship with this in terms of the Bear River hydro that the Minister could inform the House of? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, there is a considerable amount of work yet that has to take place on the Bear hydro project. As I mentioned, we still have the pre-engineering, pre-environmental work to be done yet. That's the $400,000 I talked about. We still have to do more detailed environmental baseline studies, assuming that we move to the feasibility stage. There's more engineering work; there are traditional knowledge studies; and, of course, money for community information. So there's a fair bit of work to be done yet.

The Protected Areas Strategy is another one that we're certainly supportive of moving ahead quickly on, and we encourage the federal government to come up with its share of funding soon so we can move this forward. While there is minimal environmental impact in that we're not flooding areas as the Great Bear Lake serves as a reservoir, there is going to be some impact and we want to ensure that we're not doing anything that would be counter to the Protected Areas Strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has been a substantive leaseholder in the Northern United building since it was constructed in 1976. Over the years, the GNWT has occupied three floors in the building with offices with a number of departments there, and at present Aurora College occupies that for their campus and student housing. An important consequence of the GNWT leasing significant space in NUP allows subsidized, low cost housing to be provided to seniors, for persons with disabilities and others with limited financial means in this building. This is absolutely vital for these people. The program needs of the Yellowknife Campus of Aurora College are expanding, and I understand various options are being considered to meet these needs.

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of Public Works and Services is will the Minister please provide me with an update on the current Aurora College lease situation in the Northern United Place building? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Public Works and Services, the Honourable Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would be able to provide that information to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

That's a hard one to come back on. Will the Minister supply the renewal date of the Aurora College in this building, as well? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.