Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the Minister's answer was very good. It is true; we have to pay for it. But I would like to hear what the Minister is doing to develop those types of partnership. That could be with the federal government, through the Department of Transportation. That could be through Joint Task Force North which has established here in Yellowknife. What is the Minister doing to help encourage or create legislation that will enable the airport authority so we can build these types of partnerships with DND and the federal government through Transport Canada? We need these partnerships built. What is the Minister doing to encourage that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, until we can deal with some of the capital investments that are required for the airport, the airport authority concept is not something we are putting forward. We have had discussions with the stakeholders, the air carriers, some of the land lease holders on airport lands, and there are a number of issues that we have to deal with. There is a need for water and sewer services in that area. There is a need for a combined services building. There is a need for new firefighting equipment in the airport area. There are a number of things we have to deal with. For the long term, we may have to look at a new terminal building down the road. These things are not issues that the airport authority is willing to take on. They would like us to deal with some of the investment requirements that need to happen in this facility before we take this discussion on airport authority any further. That is how we are proceeding, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would agree with the Member that the safety of our children is always of paramount importance, and one of the reasons that we have locally elected school boards or DEAs is to make sure that they can react to local conditions and do what is necessary to make sure that kids are not only able access the program of Education, but to do so safely.

In our funding for divisional education councils, the formula provides for transportation. We don't stipulate to the boards that they have to spend that money on transportation. They can choose to spend it in any way that they choose, so we allow flexibility. Some of the money that we provide is allocated to transportation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Just elaborating more on transporting these students to school in the smaller isolated communities, we do lack vehicles in the communities. We certainly don't have school buses in the community. Although there is a school board and divisional boards in the communities, they are also scarce for funding different programs. Would the Minister commit to this House of providing funding to purchase and operate transportation services in Wekweeti, Gameti and Whati, so that we can ensure that children are able to get to school safely, Mr. Speaker? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment doesn't keep any separate funding for student transportation. All of that money that is for student transportation is included in the $120 million-plus that is given to the schools for their operation. So in those communities, the schools, or the DEC, or the Tlicho Community Services Agency will have to examine how they can accomplish school bussing if that is their intent. They are already getting all of the money that we have for education as part of the formula. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd just like to highlight in brief how the agency works in the community. Mr. Speaker, the agency does not have the money to do this in the community. The formula might work for larger communities where they have bigger pots to start with and small cuts can be found and a little money here and there, but this isn't the flexibility in the communities, such as the communities I identified. Their budgets are stretched, Mr. Speaker. They are expected to provide core subjects, language, cultural program, inclusive schooling, all with inadequate funding, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister, will the Minister provide funding to purchase and run school transportation in the communities of Wekweeti, Gameti, Whati, so parents and elders can be assured that their children can go to school safely? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Those monies are already in the formula. While the Member may not be satisfied with the distribution of the formula, our monies are split up according to a formula that it does compensate for small size. The smaller communities do receive a significantly higher proportion of contribution than do the larger communities. We have membership on the committee that sets the formula, that meets two or three times to discuss how the formula's set up, from the DECs including the ones with very small communities. So the formula is already reactive to the smaller communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of ITI and it's in regards to the tourism plan announced yesterday. Certainly it is a good news item and it's one that addresses some of the issues that the industry has been telling me, and I'm sure people in this Chamber. There's always been need for additional funding for the tourism industry, but also to focus on marketing, product development, infrastructure, human resource training and research and planning, which the Minister is dealing with, although I'd like to add a human resource recruitment and retention as well as training, because I think getting the people is a hard task given our shortage and scarcity of people for lots of jobs. Mr. Speaker, the Minister's announcement speaks to $145 million annually by the year 2010. That's quite a chunk of money and I'd like to know if the Minister could give me a breakdown on where that will be spent and where that would come from. Is that

completely new money on the tourism industry, or is it something that's combining everything? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maybe I should just clear up some of potentially what is confusing here with the numbers. We're proposing to invest GNWT money; $1 million a year for five years. We're hoping to lever additional investment of about $2 million per year from other partners. We're also going to be working very closely with stakeholders like the NWT Tourism folks to deliver on programming. The number 145 was arrived at looking at the current state of our industry. It's about a $100 million a year industry in terms of GDP. It's broken out amongst, as you can imagine, a number of different sectors. We think, in sitting down with our departmental people and the NWTT and other stakeholders, that $145 million is a doable projection, and so that's what we're targeting; that level of growth in terms of GDP for the entire industry by 2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I read it a couple of times and I couldn't envision how $1 million plus $2 million every year could add up to $145 million, but I see that's the government hopes the tourists will spend, not what the government will spend on the tourism industry. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, in watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics recently and looking at how Vancouver 2010 was presented, it appears that the Vancouver Olympic team, or the Canadian Olympic Team, is planning on promoting Canada as a northern country. The emblem is an inukshuk from the East, and the guy that showed up with the ice fishing machine, I don't know if he's from the Yukon or the NWT, but I think this is a real opportunity for us in the 2010 plan to capitalize on the audience that we're going to get not only across the country, but around the world; not only the visitors, but the TV viewers. I'd like to know if the Minister has any plan to incorporate this tourism plan to maximize that opportunity. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, we certainly agree with the Member and think that the Olympics are a great opportunity for us coming up in Vancouver. We're using the upcoming Canada Games in Whitehorse, if you will, as a bit of a dry run. We are making an investment in terms of promoting the North, working with the other three territories. The Premier's had some discussions with the other territorial Premiers and it was agreed that we would promote the North together at that event. Further, I guess, to Member Braden's statement earlier, we think there is a real opportunity for the promotion of our culture and our arts and crafts. So we'll use that Whitehorse venue first and hope to parlay that into a bigger presence at the Vancouver Olympics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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