Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t see how there could be a double standard with every organization agreeing to it. The rules were changed; I agree. There was an extension of the deadline.

Everybody agreed to it, including the representatives from Yellowknife. Sport North represents Yellowknife. They agreed to the change. I agree that there should be a better interpretation of the policies. Maybe they need to

be tightened up. But in this case, Mr. Speaker, there was an attempt to involve more participants, more of the youth, and that has happened. We have increased the participation level up to 900; 150 athletes more than the last time around have taken part. I think that is a good thing, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay. Thank you. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am a big supporter of the arts community. I really believe that arts speak to the heart and soul of the people and to our society, but arts funding all quite often isn’t maybe as shiny as maybe some of the oil and gas funding that is given out. That causes me some concern, because I think that there are many areas of our society in excitement we can represent. Arts bring in things like tourism. I think they build communities, such as personal pride and promotion. Mr. Speaker, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is suffering from lack of core funding that doesn’t meet the times and the needs that they are suffering from. So my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at this moment is, has he had a chance to be briefed on this problem that the core funding isn’t appropriate for NACC? Is he willing to revisit that problem and see if he can address this issue? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the art portfolio is with Education, Culture and Employment. It is across the board in the Northwest Territories. NACC is one of the jurisdictions that we do sponsor. But there are reviews currently underway. That information will be available when it is completed. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Minister, but the real question is that NACC is a territorial organization.

Although, yes, it is established here in Yellowknife and for a long time quite a community organization, but they make every effort they can to get out throughout the Northwest Territories. They involve youth and culture. The fray of the complement of exciting things they pride are many, but the fact is that their funding doesn’t meet the times and the needs. Would the Minister commit to seriously evaluating this problem to make sure that we can get something early on to the business plans for our upcoming budget year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, there is a review underway to deal with its programs and policies that support community-based cultural programs, culture and heritage organizations. Again, NACC will be one of them and across the board in the Northwest Territories. So there is a review underway. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that. When can we expect this review done? Do we expect it done in a timely way so then we can look at hopefully supporting NACC in a more appropriate and more balanced way? Again, recognizing their infrastructure costs, needs and reflective of the costs and times we live in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, this initiative and the review process all fits in with the policies and planning that we are currently discussing. That document will be produced and this will be part of the ongoing discussion as a priority for the 16th Assembly. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of ITI. The ITI and ENR used to be one department. They have been separated now, ENR and ITI. In some communities, the office has remained co-located. I am certainly aware of the Shared Services Agreement between those two departments, but in Hay River we have a logistical issue I think with ENR offices and ITI offices currently located at about Mile 5, quite a ways from the downtown core and all of the other services in town. I can see renewable resource officers in ENR being out along the river there in that picturesque little location, but for the people that are involved in the oil and gas and the people involved in the economic development and those activities, they are kind of a bit off the beaten trail out there. They are five miles out of town. It is not like people are walking by or anything. I would like to ask the Minister if he has given any thought to relocating the ITI offices away from ENR and bringing them into the downtown core in Hay River where they are more accessible to the clients that would use them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have had some discussions. That situation that the honourable Member described also occurs in other communities. The reasons we haven’t dealt with it yet comes down to money, and it costs money to relocate to another office. As well, there has to be office space available. The approach that we have taken to date is we are not going to move unless the growth requirements of ENR requires us to move out. At that time, we would approach Public Works to find us appropriate office space and a suitable location so that we could service our clientele. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has any formal work been done to assess whether or not the current space does have enough capacity to accommodate ENR and ITI? It is quite apart from an inconvenience for anybody who wants to see an economic development officer, for example, having to go all the way out to Mile 5. Has there been any assessment done of those needs? There are also seasonal people who come in with ENR who also use that same location office. So I would like to know what formal work has been done to identify whether those offices at Mile 5 are adequate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What kind of a priority, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister put on accessibility for clients and the public accessing offices related to Industry, Tourism and Investment? As to the issue of office space, I think the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office is located in a downtown location on a floor basically all by themselves. Also the representative from whoever sends agriculture interests in Hay River for ITI is located in the same spot, so you already have a fair presence with the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office and the agriculture officer in the downtown core. I think there is a whole rest of a floor right there. So I don’t think that availability of space is an issue. What kind of a timeline are you looking at for having ENR notify you of their requirements? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.