Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me be clear here. I'm not shutting down the day care. This particular day care has said that, in order to continue, they need extraordinary funding over and above what is provided through our program. I don't have that flexibility in the budget to do that. So if another operator can find a way to start up, we'll be happy to support that operator with the same sort of contributions that we have right now.

Mr. Speaker, I would dearly love to be able to improve this program. It's my goal, and has been for a long time, to improve the program. I had thought we had a willing partner in the federal government to help us with the money to do that. But we have been under a period of restraint since this Legislative Assembly started. The first year we came into operation, we had to cut millions of dollars from the budget. We just heard today, the Minister of Finance saying that we're going to have to review our budget again. In his statement, he's saying, already today, that we've got some pressures and we may have to be looking at cuts. So I don't have the level of flexibility that the Member seems to think that I have in terms of finding new money to put from one program into another. I have as a goal finding a way to improve this program, but I don't have the money right now.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Minister would dearly love to be able to help, as he has stated many times, I suggest to you that he could do this. He doesn't have to dip into any other money. He doesn't have to get any help from the federal government. The Minister just stated that if this centre goes down, and they have the lease on the premises already, and if a new group comes forward and asks for operating funding, he's going to give them the money. So he's going to give the new group money, and this old group needs $20,000 to pay the federal government on source deductions so they can keep going. So why can't he use the same money to help this group out so they can last until Christmas, until the parents can figure out what to do with their kids? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, that would be extraordinary funding. I don't have the flexibility in the program to provide that funding. So what we would do is, if somebody else started the program, we would be prepared to provide the same level of contributions that we would provide in all other programs. So we will support any program that starts up, whether it's the one that's in operation , or a new one, to the same level.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fees are attached at source to the distributors, so it's going across the North. We're not dealing with the retailers. So, yes, November 1st that fee will affect all beverage containers across the Northwest Territories. I appreciate the Member's point, and, as I

indicated to him, I'm prepared to commit that we will make interim arrangements with every community to make sure that they have an opportunity to get refunds and have their beverage containers recycled, even if we have to use our own resources in the interim. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister consider having the GNWT recycling depots in my community on hold until they have somebody else in the community, or in the private sector, until they have a proper program in my community? I want to ask the Minister if his department would consider that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a program of general application, and the fees that we're charging are put on at the distributor level going across the Territories. So all the bottles that are going into the communities, and containers, will have that fee attached. It's very difficult, or impossible, to single out a community. What I am prepared to do, and I will restate again, is I'm prepared to commit and ensure that every community will have interim arrangements to be able to recycle their beverage containers as we continue to try to set up a more permanent arrangement in the communities that don't currently have them. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister talks about it being possible for some of the communities to be left in and some left out, but in this case here, this blanket right across the board and in our communities that don't have a depot, he's talking about interim arrangements. In seven days, how can he put a program in each of the communities of the Sahtu that will say to the people when you buy this bottle of pop, you take it there and get a refund? It must be working from magic here. It's inexcusable what this government is doing to these communities that don't have a depot. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member's concern, and let me restate again that we will ensure that every community has the capacity, and all the people in it will have the capacity, to return their bottles to be recycled and get the fees and refunds that are available. Even if we have to, on an interim basis, use our own resources, we will ensure that every community has that capacity. Thank you.

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

Thank you. I better be careful, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the seven days' notice here. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask, in seven days, can this Minister somehow make a strong commitment to this House that the people in the Sahtu can walk over to the renewable resources office, or some operation in the communities, to get their refunds? Can he ensure this? I have no problem supporting this program. It's the program that is not set up right now and he's making some commitment to have some interim measures. I need that from the Minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit, and ensure, that every community has the capacity to return, and that every individual in those communities has the capacity to return their beverage containers for a refund, who don't currently have arrangements. That will be set up by November 1st. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, my questions this afternoon are for Mr. Miltenberger, in his capacity as the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Member for Monfwi, spoke of the need for health care professionals in a number of areas, and one of those most critical to many of our population, Mr. Speaker, is the service provided by audiologists. We have been chronically understaffed in this area. Understandably so, Mr. Speaker, because so is the rest of Canada. But among much of our population, especially the very young and the seniors, Mr. Speaker, the need for audiologist technical, professional services is critical, but we are going to be losing that within the next very short while when the one audiologist we have at Stanton, I understand, is going to be leaving. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise on progress to date to recruit and make sure that audiologist services are available at Stanton? Thank you.

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