Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have been in correspondence with and in contact with YACCS. They have indicated to us their need for additional funding. We are in the middle of the business planning process and coming forward in government and as a department with a number of forced growth items dealing with NGOs. That whole area is one of the areas that we are looking at. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear that the Minister is talking to YACCS through correspondence, as he pointed out. I am glad he mentioned business plans are coming forward to address forced growth problems. So going back to the $500,000 gap, Mr. Speaker, and the Minister is well versed in this so we don't have to go into too much detail, can the Minister lay out some of the plans to meet wage parity in this upcoming business plan? What is the mandate he is giving his department to address this problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have just indicated, the issue of forced growth, NGOs, how they are funded, how do we build in the ability to recognize cost of living and other forced growth factors has been laid out in broad form to the third-party accountability. People from YACCS have written to myself. I have replied to them. We have a business plan process underway. We are including their requests along with a whole other range of NGOs that we deal with as part of our business planning submission. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that was one of the best answers I have heard from this Minister in my three years of the Assembly. He is talking about bridging the gap, addressing forced growth problems, cost of living and including the requests. So I guess, all of that said, everything I needed to hear about what it was we are bridging the gap on. So the bottom line is, will wage parity be addressed in this business plan? I can guarantee you, there aren't many people who are against this problem. Will he address it? Will he tell this House today that he is going to ensure that YACCS is valued, as well as other service agencies, by delivering on that commitment of including forced growth, cost of living and including that request in this upcoming business plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to think that every answer I give is one of my best answers.

---Laughter

I think that is truly documented in Hansard. Mr. Speaker, I have indicated the process that we are engaged in as a government with YACCS, NGOs, the business plan process, and that is the process that we are going to continue to follow to its logical conclusion, along with the Member's input. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent. Back in February, I brought up the issue of the inequities that exist between day cares that are operating out of government-owned facilities and those who have to pay their own way. In terms of operating costs, it is an $80,000 to $90,000 per year advantage. I would like to ask the Minister today what exactly that he and his department have done since February when this issue was brought up to address the

inequities? What have they done to address the issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When this issue was first raised and the government was challenged to do a review of all charity leases, that was undertaken by Public Works. The information was brought to Cabinet. At that point, Cabinet decided that we should have a look and have a consistent approach across government for our charity leases. That work is underway and is expected to be completed later this summer. It will be considered at that point by Cabinet, so it is not one department doing one thing and another department doing another. We intend to look and see if there is a consistent approach that all departments can take.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was four months ago. By the sounds of the Minister's response, it is going to be another three or four months until they get some kind of determination on charity leases and what a level playing field might look like. Mr. Speaker, the inaction of the government to level the playing field may indeed cause the closing of more day cares here in Yellowknife. I know the Minister was listening when I spoke of the hundred or so children that are on waitlists currently in Yellowknife awaiting space in day cares. I would like to ask the Minister this: Aside from writing a letter to the honourable Diane Finley with his counterparts in Nunavut and the Yukon, what are his plans for getting more day care spaces in Yellowknife? Exactly what are the plans in that area? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are hoping, through the business planning process, to be able to build on the federal government's addition of $100 monthly to all parents with children under the age of six by increasing the user subsidies in the next business planning process. That should then allow day cares to increase their charges to parents. That should help to alleviate the problems that day cares may face with funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister, is there any additional federal dollars that will be coming to the Northwest Territories in the immediate future to address day care issues? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There will be a number of federal dollars coming starting July 1st. Families with children under six will start to receive $100 a month for each child. So, arguably, that is federal money that is coming to the North. That money could easily be used by parents to help resolve financial issues at their day cares. I would expect that day cares would increase their rates to take advantage of the fact that that money is now available to parents. As I said, through the business planning process we're hoping to be able to increase user subsidies and provide additional funding that way to parents who are looking for day cares, and then that should, again, provide for opportunities for day cares to find money through user fees.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, are there any federal dollars, substantial federal dollars -- and I'm talking in the hundreds of thousands of dollars -- that are going to be coming to this government in the near future? I'm not talking about the $100 a month to help families offset day care costs; I'm talking about contributions from the federal government, former commitments or new commitments, whatever the case may be. Is there new money coming? Thank you.