Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the $940,000, I didn't hear the Minister say there was any money going to try to open up additional day care spaces. What is the plan to try to get some additional day care spaces? I think we have an opportunity with the $940,000 to at least get a program off the ground or establish some type of program to get more spaces. People need day care spaces and I think it's incumbent upon the government and Minister to come up with a plan to address that need. How are we going to get more day care spaces? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Minister to answer the supplementary. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first thing we have to do is make sure the existing day care operators are well supported. We know a lot of them are struggling, so we think the first thing we have to do with this money, since it's one-time money, we can't count on it being ongoing, in fact, we know for sure it won't be ongoing money, we were looking for opportunities to help existing day care operators to better survive. If we create new day care spaces without having resolved the ongoing operations concerns, that isn't helpful in the long run. The Member is right; we need to look for ways to improve how we can get more day cares in operation. One of the things we are hoping to do is, through the money that's coming from the federal government, the $100 a month, we expect that that can be turned into fees. We are hoping to increase what we provide for user subsidies, that on top of what we provide now for operator subsidies, start-up grants. We think at that point we will have a program that will be sustainable and will lead to more spaces in all of our communities, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Minister that it's important to shore up the day cares that we do have and I know the Minister has heard me stand up in the House in February and again today talking about inequities that exist between operators, some are in government-owned facilities and some aren't. I would like to ask the Minister, of the $500,000 that he has suggested will go to grants to assist operators, is some of that money going to be earmarked for operators here in Yellowknife to level that playing field that I talked about earlier? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The money is proposed to be allocated on a regional basis. So, yes, there will be some money available for operators in Yellowknife. We believe that this money will help the operators. If they are facing a financial challenge, for whatever reason, this money will be available to them to defray other expenses that they would otherwise have to take out of their operation. So, yes, we think that this money will help the operators in Yellowknife. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Time for oral questions has expired. Written questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

1. Please provide an independent analysis of the comparison between the cost (per unit and per square foot) of the average Novel housing as proposed by the government with brand new manufactured/mobile homes of similar size and quality, taking into consideration the possible volume discount advantages that could be had by ordering 830 mobile homes from any company in the industry.
2. Please provide the cost-benefit analysis of the potential cost savings possible in building multi-unit as opposed to the single unit, single lot limitation imposed by the use of Novel housing.

My question is for the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Speaker.

1. Please provide the rationale for taking the policy change WCB proposes to make to comply with the Valic decision back to the court as a reference question. This was not done under the Martin decision situation in Nova Scotia where the WCB made changes to the policy according to the court decision.
2. Please provide info on any other jurisdiction WCB is aware of where policy changes were not made in accordance with unit decisions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to opening address. Petitions. Reports of standing and special committees. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two documents for tabling. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Report of the Staff Retention Policy, Year Ending March 31, 2006.

As well, I wish to table the following document entitled Government of the Northwest Territories 2005 Public Service Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a letter here from Tlicho Grand Chief George Mackenzie on support of recognizing the value of elders' knowledge. It is a motion that was passed. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 8, 2006, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that the following individuals be appointed by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories to the Human Rights Commission of the Northwest Territories effective July 1, 2006: Ms. Rita Mueller of the hamlet of Behchoko for a term of four years; and, Ms. Tammy Rogers of the town of Inuvik for a term of two years.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Notices of motion. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. Motions. First reading of bills. Second reading of bills. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 6, Engineering and Geoscience Profession Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill replaces the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act, and continues the existing Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of the Northwest Territories as the new Northwest Territories Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. The association is responsible for the regulation of the professions of professional engineering and professional geoscience in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Some of the key provisions of the bill are concerned with the following matters:

• • setting out the powers of the association to manage its affairs, including the powers to hold property, borrow money, make bylaws and elect its governing council;
• • registering members, licensees, members-in-training and permit holders;
• • setting out rules respecting various aspects of the practice of the professions, including the use of the titles "engineer" and "geoscientist," the use of stamps and the payment of fees set by the association;
• • conducting discipline proceedings;
• • providing that the association may exercise powers and functions for the regulation of the profession in Nunavut;
• • providing for certain transitional issues, including preserving registrations effected and proceedings taken under the former act.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 6 has had second reading and, accordingly, stands referred to a standing committee. Second reading of bills. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.