Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member would care to share that information with me, I would follow up immediately with the departmental officials and get back to him on the status of that particular program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Again, I apologize to the Minister in terms of the information. I would like to ask the Minister, upon reviewing this document and upon reviewing what the information states, can he then look at the Department of Health and Social Services to put in a request for this type of funding, if the department hasn't done so already, in regard to helping with the drug and alcohol treatment programs or facilities in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we'll look at the program and the conditions, and talk to the officials and see what strings are attached, because our history with the

department and our experience has shown us it's very difficult. For example, with the territorial health access fund, it's been almost a year-and-a-half and an agreement at the highest levels, and yet money has yet to flow. But, yes, I'll commit to the Member to take a close look at that program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an important program. We've suggested a course of action, or I've suggested a course of action, for that 20 percent or so of the population that won't have access to a depot; and I'd be more than happy if the Member has specific suggestions, to entertain those and look at those. At this point, I'm trying to provide assurance that no community, and no individual in the North, will be denied an opportunity to get back the refund that they're entitled to and that they paid for. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, the option that I would put forward is the best one, the one that the department originally pursued, and that was to set up a depot in all communities. Now there's a problem in a number of them. We just haven't got the business formula right, whatever the reason is. Mr. Speaker, the best option, in those communities that don't yet have a depot along the original plan that we all agreed with is that it should be deferred until such time as one is set up. Why can't we do that? That's the common-sense approach. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I disagree. It would be virtually impossible, from where I stand, when the fees on the bottles are already paid at source with the distributors into the retailers to reach into a community, or individual retail stores, to somehow not do that when it's already been paid. I have suggested an alternative, and, at this point, I would suggest we'll have to agree to disagree, because we intend to proceed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, we're getting all sorts of different technical and administrative reasons here. But at the bottom line, it's the fairness to consumers and a realistic use of the resources that we have at our disposal. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has said that this arrangement whereby ENR staff would be looking after things is going to be temporary. Just how long does the Minister assume this temporary, but very costly, arrangement is going to be in place? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would hope it would be a very short term. I would be more than happy to provide any kind of regular updates that the committee would ask for, and report back to this House when we next gather after Christmas. But we're going to be working on two things. We're going to be working to make sure that every northerner has the capacity to return their bottles and get refunds, or their beverage containers, and that, at the same time, we're going to be working more actively in the communities to arrange with groups, businesses, schools, whoever it is we have to, to encourage them to take advantage of this business opportunity. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, quick, let's do the math here. Say an employee spends four hours a week and there are 25 communities needing this kind of attention. Say that the cost of the employee's salary and overhead is $40 an hour. We're looking at $4,000 a week. That's just real off-the-top rough math, Mr. Speaker. Those are valuable resources for our government. Would the Minister, at his earliest convenience, make public an estimate of what the cost is going to be to maintain this interim arrangement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to have a look at the BDF listing here and if I could, I'll direct my questions to the Minister of ITI. Aurora World Corporation assists and prepares a recovery plan, $25,000; and a another recovery plan for $5,000 assists with the cost of bringing bookkeeping up to date and determining the viability of the business, $10,000; financial relief for wind-down costs; that's for somebody going out of business, $7,200; strategic plan, recovery plan, stabilize the organization recovery plan, $25,000. Listen to this one: to provide urgent payables relief and accounting to identify problem areas, $25,000. Urgent payables. I'd say that's what the Fort Smith day care has. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of ITI. Can the day care centre in Fort Smith, as a private business, apply to ITI for relief money? There are some amounts here for up to $75,000, but at least $25,000 or $30,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.