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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I actually have questions for other Cabinet Ministers, so I will stand down my last supplementary. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services, in regard to the Territorial Treatment Centre, which should be no surprise. What indicators, political, bureaucratic or even other, does this Minister need to see or hear that the services provided by the Territorial Treatment Centre need to continue here in Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this decision was made some time ago. We considered all of the appropriate factors at that time, and we are now in the implementation stage. We haven't been second guessing ourselves, or going back over ground that's already been ploughed, and we're moving ahead with the direction that has been given. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the Minister didn't hear the question, or maybe it was just too obvious, which is, what indicators, political or bureaucratic or other, does the Minister need to see or hear from our community for him to realize that this service is needed

here in Yellowknife? So that doesn't say change your plan. What that says is, what indicators does he need to see in Yellowknife to say we need the service here? So I want to know from him that answer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reality is people in Yellowknife will not lose access to this service. It will be in a half-hour plane ride across the lake, which, in a larger urban setting for a commute, would be nothing. So it's going to be accessible to the people of the Northwest Territories, including Yellowknife. So there is no loss of service here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, again, we seem to be avoiding the question, which is about leaving the service here or continuing a service here in Yellowknife. I guess the Minister doesn't seem to want to answer it, so I'll try asking it maybe a different way, which is what does the Minister need to hear from the community? Does he need a petition? Does he need a bonfire outside with people saying hey, look at us, we want this here? What does the Minister need to hear to realize this service is important to the community, and the hearts of the young children that are going to this centre? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the question was, do the children count? Yes, the children of the Northwest Territories are critically and fundamentally and vitally important to our future, and we're taking the steps to make sure that program delivery is accessible to them, and it will be fully accessible to them in Hay River. The Member asked what I would require from the people of Yellowknife. Well, they've been very ably represented in this House by the Members opposite from Yellowknife, who have kept this issue current, and have kept me standing up here answering questions. But the reality is, a decision has been made and we're moving on that. We want to do it in the best way possible, and that's what we intend to do. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well I've heard the Minister many times say the decision has been made. It appears it's been made simply on political reasons, but we could make bureaucratic reasons to come up with reasons why we need this service to continue in Yellowknife. So if the Minister says it's just a plane ride over, well it's just a plane ride over from Hay River to Yellowknife, too. So I would consider the Minister considering a service in Hay River, but I wish also to continue to say this service needs to stay in Yellowknife. What indication does this Minister need from the people of Yellowknife, from the families of Yellowknife, and its workers at the TTC, or the kids at the TTC, what to make a political decision by saying heck, let's break the bread into two and we'll have services everywhere? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm in my mid fifties, but I believe my hearing is still quite good, and so are my powers of comprehension, and I believe I understand very clearly the question. The issue is my answer that the Member does not seem to appreciate. I understand what he's asking me, and I'm telling him a decision has been made, and that Yellowknife has been ably represented by himself and his three colleagues. They've raised the issue, it's gotten lots of coverage, and we've made a difficult decision and we're acting on that. That's what's happening for now until 2007 when the program opens the doors in Hay River. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of MACA. Mr. Speaker, as the primary funding source for sports and youth and community organizations, can the Minister of MACA tell me how his department is addressing the obvious lack of sports in the communities that involve after-school programming for the small communities? What type of direction or leadership does this Minister provide to our communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to think we provide very sound leadership.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, our role in delivering sports programs across the Territories, and in the municipal governing communities, is more of a supportive one. As the Minister of youth and also the Minister of MACA, we've been very busy in that area for some time over the last little while.

The Youth ministry was created in the 14th Assembly, and it's mandated to provide funding for programming, and also take recommendations to Cabinet, and produce recommendations so that the government can act on

delivering initiatives towards the youth. We have created the youth core funding that's directed towards high-risk students. We have on-the-land training, and trapper programs. We also have the youth contribution programs, and we've really worked hard to try to get the NWT Youth Council up and running. We've provided them funding so they can get together. We've also hosted a number of youth assemblies over this last year: one in the Sahtu and one in the Deh Cho. We also work trying to promote the concept of healthy living. We set up the Teen Esteem Program. We're working with the schools to fund some of the teachers for in-service training for teachers that deliver programs, and mostly the teachers are responsible, or have been responsible, for after-school programs.

Mr. Speaker, there are a whole number of programs that we have worked on that we are delivering. We have met with the federal Minister of Sport to talk about putting sports back on the radar screen and making it a priority. We've also been meeting with the federal Minister of Health to talk about their new funding they are coming forward with that we want to be able to deliver. I think we are in the best position to deliver some of these programs that are geared towards youth. We've talked about how we can access some of these things. So there are many, many things that I could still continue on, Mr. Speaker, but I'm happy to say that we've been successful in incorporating a number of new initiatives that are geared towards the children in the communities.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Minister says "sound leadership," it just sounds too good here, Mr. Speaker, in terms of what he's telling us in the House. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of MACA tell me what his department is doing to look at offering incentive programs to industry or other NGOs to see some after-school programs in the smaller communities? Actually create after-school programs so people can be in those programs after school. Thank you.