Before we begin the orders of the day, I would like to draw your attention to the visitors' gallery of the Honourable Jobie Nutarak of the Nunavut legislature.

---Applause

Also, the Honourable Peter Kilabuk, who is the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. Welcome to the House.

---Applause

Also, the Member for Iqaluit Centre, Mr. Hunter Tootoo, welcome to the House.

---Applause

Also, from Cambridge Bay, Mr. Keith Peterson. Welcome to the House.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month we recognized International Women's Day. That is the day when countries around the world celebrate the achievements women have made to improve the quality of life for all.

Twelve years ago, the NWT Status of Women Council established the Wise Women Awards. These awards are in recognition of the dedication and commitment NWT women have shown to the communities in which they live.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize this year's recipients of the Wise Women Awards: Mary Teya for the Beaufort-Delta; Albertine Rodh for the Deh Cho; Beverly Masuzumi for the Sahtu; Besha Blondin for the North Slave; and Marilyn Sanderson for the South Slave.

These women represent the many dedicated individuals in our territory who work to advance the rights of women and their families. Their contributions allow us to reflect on the many contributions northern women have made to all of our communities. The recent passage of the NWT Human Rights Act and the Protection Against Family Violence Act are examples of how individuals and grassroots organizations can contribute to the legislative agenda of this government.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is committed to working in partnership with grassroots organizations in efforts to address the social, economic and political challenges that lie before us.

I would like to recognize the work of the Status of Women Council of the NWT, the Native Women's Association and the numerous community groups and individuals who have worked so tirelessly on women's equality issues. Their help, their advice and their expertise contribute to the growth and development of the North. On behalf of this government, I express my sincerest gratitude for all that these groups have done. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in every community in the Northwest Territories, there are people with disabilities and special needs. The level of support they require to maintain a good quality of life varies from individual to individual. Some challenges are physical and require logistical support like barrier-free access, specialized equipment and modifications to their homes. Some challenges are intellectual and require different types of support.

Recently my colleague, Mr. Delorey, and myself met with a group of concerned citizens in Hay River who are interested in formalizing an association to support persons with disabilities in Hay River. It's hard to believe that, in this day and age of awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities, a community the size of Hay River doesn't yet have well-defined resources for persons with disabilities. Because of this, two things have occurred in the past. People either didn't get the help they needed and their circumstances would deteriorate to the point where their needs would become much more complex and more costly solutions would be required; or, people would have to relocate, often away from the support of their family and friends, to find the programs and services which would meet their specific needs.

An emerging need in Hay River is support for young adults who are typically finished their formal public education, who need some independence from living at home with their parents but aren't quite able to cope without some level of structure, mentoring and supervision. In Yellowknife, for many years there has been the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, which is an example of an organization which could

facilitate the support of such clients. Here and in many other jurisdictions in Canada, there are homes and networks of homes which are like any other home in a residential area, but the family inside, however, might consist of two or three adults with assisted-living needs and a live-in or rotating staff which provide the necessary support and companionship.

Without a formal organization or a specific program, it has been difficult for Hay River MLAs to solicit the support of government departments or agencies for resources and infrastructure needed to get something started. But getting started is exactly what we plan to do. I very much appreciate the recent visit to Hay River by representatives of the Yellowknife Association for Community Living. I also appreciate the representation of the NWT Housing Corporation, the Hay River Housing Authority, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, the Department of Justice and concerned citizens who initially met to discuss this need. I understand that since then there has been another meeting.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, we are going to be looking for support from NGOs and government to move ahead the agenda of this new association. We have people motivated at the community level and they are motivated to identify the needs and to formulate the required responses. Our job as Hay River MLAs is going to be to act as advocates on behalf of these efforts, so later today I will have questions for the appropriate Minister with respect to that support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday during question period, on page 272 of the unedited Hansard, I asked the Minister of RWED a question as to whether the government will develop an intervener-status type of approach in the regulatory regime in which the Minister replies that he needed a little more information.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, last week the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board began its hearings on the proposed pipeline in Norman Wells. This is a landmark event for the people of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Not since the Berger inquiry have we embarked on a process like this and yet, at this crucial time in our history, the Government of the Northwest Territories was nowhere to be seen. When other environmental assessment hearings were held on the diamond mines, the government was there making presentations and stating its position. This was the responsible thing to do in the demonstration of leadership.

Mr. Speaker, what is this government's position? If this government supports a pipeline, why isn't it getting up in front of the board and sending a clear message to industry and to the public? Mr. Speaker, it's time to set up and demonstrate that we will try to influence the process that leaves no doubt in the minds of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, industry and the federal government that sending NWT gas to southern markets remains a Canadian priority. I will be asking the Minister questions related to this important matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement has to do with education and the school in Tulita. Mr. Speaker, we continue to speak about supporting our children to receive most of their educational training in the North. This starts in your home community, in a school that provides us the necessary space and opportunities for our children to lay a good foundation for success at the post-secondary level. Our children require a safe and enjoyable place to learn and to grow in their learning.

Mr. Speaker, right now in my riding of Sahtu, the school in Tulita is in desperate need of replacement. I have personally walked through this school and talked to the teachers, parents, and the students about the Chief Albert Wright School and the state of the structure, and also with regard to possible health concerns related to poor regulations. In addition, Mr. Speaker, I was made aware that students in grades 10, 11 and 12 were overcrowded in the current school.

Mr. Speaker, the school children and the people of Tulita deserve a safe and enjoyable learning environment, and I am pleased to say that the government has started the process of replacing the Chief Albert Wright School in this year's infrastructure acquisition plan. Roughly $12 million will be spent over the next four years, and I would like to thank the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and the government for recognizing the needs of the children of Tulita and for moving quickly to replace the Chief Albert Wright School. I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today about the disability action plan. In May of 2001, the former Premier, Stephen Kakfwi, tasked the Disability Steering Committee Partnership with developing an interdisciplinary and multidimensional framework that would guide the development of effective programs and services and promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities throughout the Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the partnership had representation from the GNWT and a myriad of non-government organizations

and aboriginal organizations, including Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; Municipal and Community Affairs; NWT Housing Corporation; the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities; the YK Association for Community Living; the YWCA of Yellowknife; the Dene Nation; and, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. I am happy to note, Mr. Speaker, the partnership started with 100 needs and concerns, and they have distilled all of the issues into five building blocks and now it has been turned into a disability action plan.

The five priority areas that were identified in the action plan are as follows: under education, to ensure that barrier-free, lifelong learning opportunities that maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities are realized; under the heading of employment, to enhance the employability of persons with disabilities, encourage entry and re-entry into the labour market and support more work opportunities; under income support, to design a system that is responsive to the needs of people with disabilities, and to provide for an income safety net which rewards individual work efforts to the greatest extent possible, but which provides financial assistance if self-support isn't possible or insufficient to meet basic needs.

The fourth item, under independence, is to ensure that disability supports provide for active participation at home, at school and in the community, and that they maximize personal and economic independence. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, the action plan deals with housing issues: to ensure that persons with disabilities will be provided with a range of housing options that are affordable, accessible and that maximizes independence.

I do believe, Mr. Speaker, the government has the final action plan of this and I am in full support of the findings and the plan under this action. I would be looking to the government to make sure that they follow up on this plan and implement them as much and as early as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government and the public entrusts a number of critical programs and services to boards and agencies. Many of these boards and agencies are required by law to prepare annual reports. This may seem like a formality to some, however, it is an important and necessary tool that we have to hold our boards and agencies accountable.

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that in the case of at least one board it has been several years since an annual report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly, despite a clear requirement in the law. This concerns me greatly. How are the Members of the Legislative Assembly and the public to know whether government money is being spent responsibly?

If a board can't get it together to submit an annual report, how well are they managing their other responsibilities? Moreover, how is it that a board has been able to get away with breaking the law for several years in a row? I find it very disturbing, Mr. Speaker. If one board can get away with it, how many others out there are doing the same?

Mr. Speaker, with the fiscal situation we're in, it's more important than ever that we look carefully at the results we're not getting, not only from government departments, but also from boards and agencies. For a start, I expect annual reports from the public bodies that are required by law to make them and I expect the Legislative Assembly to start making them. I will direct questions to the appropriate Minister later this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the election campaign, I spoke to my constituents about the need for preparation for the proposed Mackenzie gas pipeline. The pipeline discussions have been on the agenda for a number of years in the Beaufort-Delta, and many of my constituents are concerned about the training that will be available. Many of our young people need to be prepared for the anticipated influx of jobs, which will come with the pipeline. The Department of Education should take the lead role in ensuring our young people are trained for the many jobs to come, even though some of these jobs may be really short term.

Mr. Speaker, in my community of Tuktoyaktuk, there are two buildings that can accommodate 100 or more people. These buildings can be used as a training base for people in the Beaufort-Delta region. Mr. Speaker, by utilizing one of these buildings, it would bring people from the Beaufort-Delta region into one community that can accommodate training for our young people. Courses for consideration for training in the Beaufort-Delta for residents are welders, heavy equipment operators, heavy duty mechanics, power engineering, and housing maintenance.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Department of Education and Aurora College to consider utilizing one of the camps in Tuktoyaktuk as a sub-base for training to get our young people ready for the pipeline and other potential projects that will come down the road, such as the potential mining opportunities around the community of Paulatuk. Aurora College considers sitting down with the two owners of the buildings in Tuktoyaktuk to negotiate a contract to utilize the buildings for training. It is time for the government and all of its partners to take action to address the training needs of the people of the Beaufort-Delta. The community of Tuktoyaktuk has the infrastructure to meet that training need. All we need now, Mr. Speaker, is the foresight to rise to the challenge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I spoke of the need to stop this government's clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement. It is a significant topic and I want to speak on it again. One of the prime obligations of government is to improve the living conditions of its citizens, particularly those in the greatest need: those who struggle to get beyond the poverty line and those who want to improve their skills and abilities to function in our rapidly changing society. I believe our citizens want to become more self-sufficient and want to be able to take advantage of the development opportunities that are afforded here in the NWT.

Minister Dent, in his response to questions, is correct in saying that the program has three goals. Reducing child poverty, Mr. Speaker, is listed as the first one, and there is a growing chorus of NWT residents and family advocates telling us that we should indeed be stopping this claw back. It is reinforced by people such as Jane Stewart last year, then the federal Minister of Human Resources Development Canada. She stated during a meeting here in Yellowknife of territorial and provincial Ministers that this territory should stop clawing back the National Child Benefit Supplement.

Further strengthening this position, the United Nations reviewed Canada's compliance with the international covenant on economic social and cultural rights. Its report states that the clawback should be prohibited. The NWT is one of five jurisdictions in Canada that continues to do this.

Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't always rely on federal Ministers or outside organizations to tell us what to do, but we do have Alternatives North, our local non-government organizations, and citizens on income support who have consistently opposed this clawback. It seems like a pretty solid and knowledgeable base of opposition to this government's position. The clawback just digs a bigger hole of poverty for people to crawl out of.

Overall, our income support program, because of the housing investment that we make in it, is a good one. Where we fall down is the adequacy of our food and household living allowances. Can you imagine, Mr. Speaker, trying to get by on feeding two kids for less than $10,000? Some Members will recall, Mr. Speaker, a game we played out here in the Great Hall a couple of years ago. Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? No, there aren't. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The poverty game was an exercise organized by family advocates here in Yellowknife, and it was a fascinating exercise because it caused us, as MLAs, to sit down and go through the motions that recipients of income support would have to go through. We had to get through a month of living on income support. Just about all of us had to do some cheating of some kind or another to get our families and ourselves by on one month.

The bottom line, from my perspective and many others, is that income support levels, given the cost of living in the North, are not adequate. Stopping the national child benefit clawback by this government will make a tremendous difference; an $800,000 difference a year for many families, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

The Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member's statement yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I would like to again talk about the importance of seniors and elders in the NWT in the context of retaining our languages, cultures and traditional knowledge.

Mr. Speaker, the elders of the NWT represent a vast wealth of information and knowledge that the residents of the NWT cannot afford to lose, especially at the alarming rate that we have witnessed in the past few years with the passing of many prominent elders. Mr. Speaker, the information and the knowledge of the elders who have passed on, and those who have not been utilized to date will be forever lost if we do not start to develop and encourage the sharing of these resources within our school systems, institutions, and this government.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage this government to be more receptive to development of a database or an institution which encourages the growth and retention of all of the traditional knowledge so that people from all walks of life can enjoy all of the historical knowledge and stories that are passed on to our children, and also some of this traditional knowledge to help them in their daily lives, be it information on traditional medicines used by our ancestors, traditional activities and customs, traditional trails and hunting methods, or just some historical information that is told in the words of the elders who have been directly involved in a lot of the issues that we as northerners are living with today, such as treaties, land claims, northern development, and non-development of our lands and resources.

That being said, Mr. Speaker, I would like to again emphasize the importance of this initiative and, in particular, the growing reliance on our seniors within our society to ensure the success of many of this government's and other governments' programs and services. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, Mahsi cho. (Translation) I would like to speak to the Minister of Transportation. I would like to speak about the pipeline. I would like to know how they are going to fund this project because they have no funding, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

...the growth of development in the North, which, of course, includes the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. I can see though that our approach is not entirely consistent. In my riding we have Highway No. 1 that needs attention and is

impacted when it comes to this specific development. How can we support such development, yet not allocate resources to prepare our infrastructures like our roads in the Nahendeh for growth? I can appreciate our tight resources, yet I do believe that we can reallocate our resources to that which is a priority today.

Today I would like to affirm that my constituents do indeed demand action in focusing these needs to identify that this is a priority for my region. As well, Mr. Speaker, I do notice that there is no priority in our current budget in order to spend dollars in our region for roads in the Nahendeh riding. I would like to address this to the government and I will be speaking to it later. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statement. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to address an issue that is very important to myself as a Member representing the community of Hay River. It is in the area of manufacturing. Mr. Speaker, manufacturing in the Northwest Territories has been an industry that has been around for quite some time. Obviously, as the way the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development put it yesterday, this industry has grown in export from $15.3 million in 1998 to $43.6 million in 2002.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is an industry that stands to have a lot more growth in the Northwest Territories. I would like at this time to recognize and thank the then-Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Joe Handley, for coming to Hay River last fall and addressing the issue of capacity building in bridges across the Territories, because with all of the bridges that we are going to be putting in in the next few years, there is a huge potential for increased capacity building and bridge building. The Minister worked out a deal with the Hay River companies that saw an experimental project to build capacity to handle that task, and I want to thank him for that.

In the Finance Minister's opening address, the Minister mentioned that there seems to be an awful shortage of affordable housing in our communities. I know that the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Michael McLeod, is tasked with that deal of trying to put as many houses in the communities as he possibly can. I know that from seeing a contract that has just gone out for mobile units or prefab units, that that is one way he is trying to address that situation. I think, Mr. Speaker, rather than putting out a tender and cancelling one of our government policies, which is the BIP, that there may be a better way to do this. I would like to encourage the Minister and this government to look at our partners in industry to see if there is another way that we can come up with prefab units that we can put in our communities and meet the needs that we are trying to address. I know that there are industry partners out there that are willing to take on this challenge and see if we can build these prefab units in the Northwest Territories at a comparable price to the South. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? No, there aren't. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, rather than putting out tenders and waive our own policies, such as the BIP that bring out statements from the public as we are doing things that are laughable and a sleazy move by our government to get around our own policies, I would like to encourage the Minister and the government to look at our industry partners and put a prefab unit building in the North so that we can benefit, our industry benefits, the Minister benefits, and our communities benefit. I would like to encourage the government to do that. Thank you.

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to use my Member's statement today to speak about the discussion we had yesterday as it pertains to the grant-in-kind of $120,000 to forego the interest on a $2.6 million loan guarantee for Det'on Cho Diamonds.

Mr. Speaker, I know I was close to the line in terms of questioning how this deal was brokered. Mr. Speaker, one thing that this government and other Members will quickly learn from me is I like to call it like I see it. Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, this may land me in hot water, but I have a sense of right and wrong that I will continue to rely on. If my comments yesterday were close to the line, I apologize for that. What I will not apologize for is the message that I feel was delivered yesterday to the government and the Premier that I and other Members are paying close attention to the dealings this government has. The Premier made reference yesterday that should the $120,000 be deleted it would come out of the budget and we would have to make up for it elsewhere. His suggestion, Mr. Speaker, was legal aid and some other programs. I did not appreciate the threat, Mr. Speaker. It reminded me of my days at city hall when we were discussing our budget and possible spending cuts and or tax hikes. The threats then were that the pool would close, the busses would stop running, all of which were unfounded. The city had a budget of $32 million, Mr. Speaker, and our budget is nearly $1 billion. For the Premier to suggest other areas of the operation would suffer as a result of the deletion of this item is ludicrous.

The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is that we are the stewards of public money and we have to safeguard those interests. I am a supporter of economic development and business here in the Northwest Territories, and will continue to be. We must make sure that any dealings are as transparent and as upfront as possible, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to working with the Premier, Cabinet and my other colleagues here over the next four years to ensure that we safeguard public funds to the best of our ability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Mr. Tony Vane, a local businessman up in the audience. In addition, with Mr. Vane are Mr. Ivan Kalina and Andre Kalina, father and son from the Czech Republic. They are over visiting the Northwest Territories. So welcome, gentlemen, to the Legislative Assembly.

---Applause

I would like to welcome you to the House. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also recognize our chief negotiator for the Tulita Yamoria Community Secretariat, Mr. Ernie Lennie. It is good to see him in the gallery watching over us. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Handley, Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize a good constituent of mine, Tony Vane. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't think he is in the gallery, but no stranger to this House is Mr. David Hamilton. He is bouncing around the building, back from Victoria on business. So I would like to do a special recognition to Mr. Hamilton. Thank you.

---Applause

I would like to also welcome Mr. Hamilton back to the Legislature, but you can only recognize people when they are present in the gallery. Just a reminder. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. For the lady sitting in the gallery who hasn't been recognized, I would like to recognize you and welcome you to the House.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement on the disability action plan, my question is to the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, Minister Miltenberger, although this question involved many departments in the government. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to ask the Minister whether or not he has received the draft action plan in his hands and whether or not he has had a chance to review them. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the succinct answer from the Minister. Could we have some elaboration from the Minister as to what steps he has taken, what work has been done within the Cabinet with respect to this action plan, and would this be brought to the House for discussion? Would it be brought to the committee? What is he planning on doing with this plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intention is to move this strategy forward. We will do a final review of the deputies, at which point I want to take it to Cabinet in its draft form, as well as to committee so that we have a chance to look at the results of a number of months' work and what is being recommended by this multi-departmental agency task group that did the work. Thank you.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I ask the Minister as to whether or not the budget that we are discussing includes any of the action items that might be following from this action plan? Thank you.

I'll have to rule that question out of order. The line item you're talking about is presently under Committee of the Whole and we will be dealing with it under that context. But your original statement, if you can keep it in that line I will allow the question, but do not refer to the budget which is presently in Committee of the Whole and will be reviewed today. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate your ruling, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, may I ask the Minister, I'm trying to get at where the Minister is with this action plan. Is it still in the discussion stage? Has it been approved for any precise action? Have any dollars been allocated for those actions? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are in the final stages of doing the work, finalizing the document which was initiated by Cabinet about 24 months ago, in 2001. The intention, as I indicated, is to go back to Cabinet with the work with all the analysis and action plan building on the strategy. As well, I want to take these documents to the committee so that we can have the full discussion necessary as we look at this issue along with many others that we intend to discuss with the committee. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Listening to the Minister's answers very carefully, I'm not able to ascertain whether or not anything is going to be done out of this action plan. Could the Minister indicate whether or not the government will have accepted the recommendations of the plan and that government is working to implement them? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this work was initiated at the request of the former Premier. Under his direction, the work has been carried out. It has involved senior people in many departments, as well as NGOs. The work is now being made ready to take back to Cabinet with an action plan attached and some estimates in terms of costs. Cabinet will, at that point, review the work and will make their decisions and determinations on what is being proposed. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement today I spoke about the need to replace the Chief Albert Wright School and this government's commitment to begin construction this year. My question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is what will be accomplished with the $1.6 million that has been identified for the project this year?

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initial year of this project, like most others, is dedicated to planning and site preparation. So that would largely be what we are going to accomplish in the first year of the project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his response. Can the Minister tell the Assembly the rough timelines for the construction and opening of the new Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita?

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intent would be to have the initial community consultations on the school design this spring to then start the work on the design with detailed planning work commencing by the fall. We would likely be able to embark on the gravel haul over the course of the next winter using the ice road. I guess to make a long story short, the construction should be complete by the spring of 2007 if everything goes according to schedule.

Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that it will be about three years before the new school opens, can the Minister inform the Assembly whether there are any plans to deal with the current ventilation problems with the Chief Albert Wright School?

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there had been some work done on the ventilation system leading up to Christmas last year. The system was worked on. There have been tests done in the school and it has been found that most of the classrooms are well within the satisfactory range for carbon dioxide. There were a couple of classrooms that were a bit higher than what would be considered ideal, but still within the safe range. We are continuing to monitor that situation, but as things stand right now the tests in each of the classrooms have shown that they are safe and we will continue to watch to make sure that they stay at that level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my statement, there's overcrowding at the Chief Albert Wright School, particularly the Grades 10, 11 and 12 students. Can the Minister inform this Assembly whether he would consider putting a portable classroom into Tulita to deal with this problem?

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the community consultation process we'll have a chance to discuss with the community what the options might be. As things stand right now, we don't have any spare inventory of portables that we could put into the community and if we were to purchase one, we would have to take it out of the budget for the new school. The school itself, as it sits now, was built for a capacity of 176 students. It currently has 160 in it. What we're going to do is work with the divisional education council for the region, the DEA and the community and see if we can't find some accommodation to instead concentrate on a bigger and better school rather than putting a portable in there and make sure that we are still able to deliver the program over the course of the next three years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 6, oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, section 9 of the Legal Services Act requires the Legal Services Board to prepare an annual report each year, which is then to be laid before the Legislative Assembly at the earliest opportunity. My question to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Speaker, is can the Minister tell us when he expects to be tabling the Legal Services Board's next annual report, along with the other seven tardy annual reports? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have just received the annual reports for the Legal Services Board for the years 1996 to 2002. It is my intention to table those reports within the next few days. I am hoping that I will very soon have the 2003 report and my intention is to table that as soon as possible after I receive that. If not during this session, then certainly in the session in May-June. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of research went into reading this and it has caused our office quite a bit of concern. My question to the Minister would be, has he indicated to the board that he expects them to comply with their obligations under this act, including the requirement to submit an annual report each year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm advised that the department and my predecessors repeatedly advised the board of their requirement to complete their annual reports. As I said, this has been done for 1996 through 2002 and I now have them and am preparing to table them.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister advise us what his responsibility is for ensuring that the Legal Services Board complies with their statutory obligations, including their requirement to submit annual reports? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has already quoted section 9 of the Legal Services Act, which is the first part that indicates the requirement for the annual reports. The Financial Administration Act also states that every public agency shall for each financial year prepare and submit to the appropriate Minister an annual report of that public agency. So my responsibility is to remind the board to prepare its annual reports, then to table them once I have them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out, the last annual report for the Legal Services Board I haven't been able to find since the year 1995-1996. Can the Minister explain why there hasn't been an annual report tabled in the Legislative Assembly for the last seven years? Further, how could that ministry allow the board to act without following through on their obligated requirement? Thank you.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't answer why the situation developed with previous Ministers. It was before my time. I can assure the Members of this House that it will not be allowed to continue and that, in fact, you will be seeing the reports as you should. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I referred to the fact that there is a group that has gotten together in Hay River and are interested in forming something, I'm not sure if they're going to call it the Hay River association for community living, but something similar to that. Historically in Hay River, if we had adults who had intellectual challenges and who needed assisted living support, they

would normally go to places like Red Deer or Yellowknife, in some instances. There hasn't ever been anything formal available in Hay River. I would like to ask Minister Miltenberger if there are funds available to directly fund an association for community living in Hay River. Initially, I would suggest the funding would be used to conduct a survey to identify the needs in Hay River and then develop a local action plan to address those needs. Would there be funding available? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point the only organization we assist with funding is the NWT Society for Persons with Disabilities. We have the one in Yellowknife. There's also one in Fort Smith. They get by basically on their own as volunteer groups. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, what kind of support does the GNWT provide to the Yellowknife Association for Community Living? It's an organization that's been around for a while. I'm not sure where they get their funding, but does the GNWT provide any resources, financial or otherwise? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We work with the Yellowknife association in a number of areas. We're looking at some projects they have on the books. We are spending most of our time, as I indicated, with the NWT society for those with disabilities and looking at the disability framework. We, as well, try to work with communities like Fort Smith where the society for the disabled there worked very hard with the community and they got funding to look at barrier-free access to buildings and making all the sidewalks compatible so people could cross with walkers and wheelchairs and those types of things. There are a number of ways that we work to assist, but we have a very limited budget in this area. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, now I am confused because the first question I asked was did the GNWT provide any support. The Minister responded, no. Now he's saying that he works with these associations in other communities on certain projects, works with them, supports them, I assume provides some sort of resources in response to those projects on the books, as he refers to them. Is that correct? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife, for example, there's work being done on a dementia facility that we have been assisting with. They have been assisted with some money for studies, as well. There has been the issue of access to the land for a facility that's been dealt with in Cabinet. So we are assisting in that way. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, we have now determined that Mr. Miltenberger's department does assist communities with projects and studies and surveys and, I understand, he said that resources are limited, but would the Minister, Mr. Speaker, entertain a proposal from a Hay River community living association for funding to conduct a survey so we can identify the needs and create an action plan for the community of Hay River? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we'll consider any proposal that any community puts forward. In this case, yes, we will consider a proposal if it's put forward by the community of Hay River.

Item 6, oral questions. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with my Member's statement on manufacturing, I would like to address a few questions to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Michael McLeod. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my Member's statement that I think we have seen an opportunity of probably promoting manufacturing in the North a little bit more. I think the Housing Corporation could play a role in that. The Housing Corporation has recently put out a tender for some 22 mobile units, prefab units. I would like to ask the Minister, in order for a firm to get that contract, to be awarded that contract, how much northern content would the firm have to put into that contract in order to secure it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member is aware, the BIP has been

waived on this whole initiative to supply market housing to the communities. Therefore, there is no requirement for northern content. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to get from the Minister, if he could verify for me, whether the whole of that contract is separated from the BIP or if there are some portions of it, as far as setting up the units or building pads that is all-inclusive, or is some of that separated where the BIP would apply? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.