Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final question is, with the tools that we equip foster parents to have in their possession in order to deal with foster children, is there a formal training program at this time in the Northwest Territories that accredits homes to look after children with different types of needs? Is there a formal training and accreditation system in place at this time? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a training program in place. I'd like to commend the work of the Yellowknife Foster Care Association that has a very good training component. We also have an application process where we review the criteria of the folks who are applying to be foster parents. The training that is in place in Yellowknife, we are trying to make accessible to all foster parents across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. At this time I'd like to draw the Members' attention to the gallery and the presence of a former Member of the House, Mr. Vince Steen.

---Applause

Also, former Member Lena Pedersen is in the gallery as well today.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Speaker, I've always known, it was quite obvious to me that the decision to relocate the Territorial Treatment Centre to Hay River from Yellowknife was a politically motivated decision and, you know, now that I do have some proof that that was the case, I want to ask the Minister if the Department of Health and Social Services is dead set on renovating Dene K'onia and moving the Territorial Treatment Centre there, and why haven't they looked at putting another program into Dene K'onia and leaving the Territorial Treatment Centre here in Yellowknife alone? It's a program that works. There's a track record there. It absolutely works, and what we're doing here is gutting a program and trying to move it to another community. It's completely backwards, Mr. Speaker, and I'd like the Minister to answer that question. Why can't we just establish another program at Dene K'onia? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the decision has been made to relocate the Territorial Treatment Centre and we're proceeding with that decision. At the same time, we continue to look at ways we can provide better service in the North for the children and youth in the Northwest Territories. That work is in progress, but, at present, the decision has been made and that's what we're acting on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister, what exactly is he basing this decision on. What information did Cabinet have when they made the decision to relocate this facility from Yellowknife to Hay River? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there were a number of considerations in this decision. The fact that it was cost neutral, there was already money in the capital budget that could be used to upgrade Dene K'onia; the fact that there was a facility; the fact that it's a program that could be delivered outside of Yellowknife and that there was an opportunity to do that. Those are some of the key factors that were involved in that decision. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister says that it would be cost neutral. He hasn't been able to present to me, or other colleagues on this side of the House, the proof that it would be cost neutral and the proof that the services will be available in this other community to allow the clients there the service that they require. I'd like to ask the Minister to provide the proof. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we can provide, once again, the estimates to do the renovations. The fact is the program and cost of living and the cost of operation in Hay River versus Yellowknife are there and evident and that we

haven't put any more money in the budget for the program costs. From that perspective, we see it as cost neutral. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've heard from other Members on this side of the House that the Minister has some issues with Hay River and the access to doctors in Hay River. People are actually having to stand outside to wait to get an appointment. What are the children that are going to have to relocate to the new Territorial Treatment Centre in Hay River going to have to do? Are they going to have to stand outside and wait for a doctor's appointment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are resources there that are required to run this program. If one were to use the Member's rationale, we would be shutting down all the communities where we don't have nurses and every community that suffers a doctor shortage. Were we not going to have services or people there, then very truly we would all move to Yellowknife, and where we have doctor shortages in Yellowknife, we'd all end up living in Edmonton. We have a commitment to a strong Northwest Territories with a good solid representation of communities in every region, and we're committed to working with all the regions to, in fact, provide service delivery. The reality is, services can be delivered outside of Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Member's statement, I would like to focus on a recount of satellite collars for caribou. This is a question to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Does the Minister expect that there will be financial implications to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a result of management actions taken, and how will they impact future community consultations? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have come out with some initial survey results that indicate that there is a decline in the caribou herds: the Cape Bathurst, the Bluenose East, the Bluenose West, and the Bathurst, though the Bathurst numbers are somewhat dated. We are focusing, at present, in consultation on the three herds in the North: the Cape Bathurst, the Bluenose East and the Bluenose West. We're still in the consultation phase with the co-management boards, and we are waiting to hear what their recommendation and advice is, and I anticipate that we will have that information available before the end of November, and then we should be in a position to determine what the next steps will be. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.