Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Before we begin, I would like to wish everyone in the Northwest Territories a Happy Valentine's Day.

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Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am present...

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to announce that the Department of Health and Social Services in partnership with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, has established dialysis treatment services at the H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital.

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This new Hay River dialysis service is part of the territorial Dialysis Program also available in Fort Smith and Yellowknife. The new dialysis service in Hay River began in January 2007. This is the result of a strong partnership between the Department of Health and Social Services Authority, the Department of Public Works and Services and medical staff. I would like to thank both Hay River MLAs for their ongoing interest and support of this project.

Community partnerships on this project should also be recognized. One of the three new dialysis machines was purchased with the support of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Elks and the Hay River Community Health Board Foundation.

This project demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the primary community approach of the integrated services delivery model. Providing this service for clients closer to their home community improves timely access for people living with kidney failure. Another important factor is patients now have the support of family and friends. Overall, this proximity of treatment greatly reduces stress on clients and their families.

The new dialysis treatment now offered in Hay River is timely as the need for this treatment is growing, in part as a result of increasing diabetes rates. Dialysis treatment is directed toward this growing need as an effective

treatment for people with kidney failure associated with diabetes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after careful deliberation by all parties, I am pleased to announce the completion of a management plan for the Doi T'oh Territorial Park and Canol Heritage Trail.

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As agreed to in the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, a joint committee consisting of representatives of the three local land corps and the GNWT prepared the plan.

This plan describes initiatives which will guide the conservation and management of a proposed territorial park along the Canol Trail and Dodo Canyon in the Sahtu region, the mighty Sahtu region, Mr. Speaker.

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The plan also includes a protected areas agreement that articulates the impacts and benefits of the park for claimants.

An internationally known hiking challenge for the extreme enthusiast, park visitors will continue to enjoy:

• • dramatic wilderness scenery and watching wildlife such as sheep, grizzly bears, moose and wolves;
• • extreme wilderness hiking in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter along the Canol Trail's roadbed;
• • heritage interpretation of Canol trail remnants, and
• • cultural interpretation of the Mountain Dene.

The park is accessed by road from Yukon in the southwest and, Mr. Speaker, by air from Norman Wells in the northeast. The plan calls for partnerships with the private sector to develop additional aircraft landing sites. Summer ground transportation will be limited to organizations associated with the park.

Mr. Speaker, improved visitor safety is a priority of the plan. Safer river crossings will be introduced where needed along with proper trail signage and bear safety

information. The venture will offer opportunity for direct/indirect employment, business development for local people and organizations.

On the formal transfer of these Crown lands by DIAND, ITI will present a proposal to this Assembly for formal park designation and a new claimant corporation will formed to develop, operate and manage a new park under new contract to ITI. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate point later today, I will be proud to table the management plan for the Doi T'oh Heritage Park and Canol Heritage Trail. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Bell. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today being Valentine's Day, I thought it would be a good day to talk about diamonds. They say that diamonds are a girl's best friend. However, I would like to say that the diamond mining companies that produce them in the Northwest Territories are quickly becoming the Northwest Territories' best friend.

My committee recently had an opportunity to sit down with the diamond mines to talk about the provisions of their socio-economic agreements. Mr. Speaker, these agreements are required of the mine by the GNWT. They stipulate conditions such as targets for training, employment and business opportunities.

The diamond mines have come up under a lot of scrutiny in this House for various reasons in the past, Mr. Speaker, but I have to tell you I was very impressed with how much the mines are doing to attract people to the North, have them open businesses, buy homes and raise their families. This is over and above the corporate contributions that they make to the communities.

Mr. Speaker, the diamond mines are offering various significant incentives to southern employees if they will live in the North. Northern resident employees are also offered enhancements and incentives, which recognize their residency in the North. Some of the mining companies have helped start businesses and joint venture with northern companies, plus, Mr. Speaker, they actively encourage their southern suppliers to move north.

Mr. Speaker, the mines are meeting the terms of the socio-economic agreements and adding millions of dollars to our northern economy while they do that. Mr. Speaker, who is ultimately responsible for recruiting and retaining professionals in our communities? Where is the campaign? Where is the information about that effort? Who is going out and saying have you ever thought about living in the Northwest Territories and here are some of the advantages and some of the pluses. I don't know if we are actually fulfilling that role in an organized way and we do need to do that. We need an organized, overarching effort between industry, communities and the GNWT. Everyone has their role to play in this.

Mr. Speaker, the mines are doing their part for the economy of the Northwest Territories, but they do face challenges in terms of meeting their socio-economic agreement because of the nationwide labour shortages. I would encourage this government to work closely with all industry to attract a qualified labour force to the Territories and to keep working on and supporting the initiative in support of our northern workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I will just close by saying that I think that these diamond mining companies, BHP Billiton, Diavik and De Beers Canada, are very good corporate citizens and I look forward to working with them more closely in the future. I very much look forward to our meeting with De Beers in Hay River to acquaint them with our community in the next few weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Ms. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to my wife Amanda, and to my constituents.

On January 6th, Mr. Speaker, I lost my grandmother, Mary Donovan, to a disease that is not entirely new to my family. It's a condition that affects one in every 13 people in Canada over the age of 65. That disease is Alzheimer's. I say it's not entirely new because just last year my uncle, Edward Johnson, died of Alzheimer's, and four years before that another uncle, his brother, Robert Johnson, also died from Alzheimer's disease. This disease has hit my family full on and I'm very scared that my parents, my brothers or other family members may also be at risk of being afflicted with this horrendous disease. Fortunately, for my grandmother and my uncles, they were able to get the care and the services that they required at a dedicated facility in New Brunswick. The ability to get help and care for the disease was so very, very important to their families who loved them dearly.

This dreaded affliction is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects the brain and eventually all aspects of a person's life, from mental abilities, emotions and moods, to behaviour and physical abilities. If my grandmother and my uncles were residents of our territory, they would not have received the same level of care or service that Alzheimer's and dementia patients require. That, Mr. Speaker, is the sad truth.

In the Northwest Territories, sufferers are housed in hospitals and other facilities that do not meet their needs. Our residents deserve to have a facility like the proposed dementia facility currently being undertaken by the Yellowknife Association for Concerned Citizens for Seniors. This much needed care facility is long overdue, Mr. Speaker. Today I will stand again in this House and encourage this government to do whatever it can that's necessary to move the plans forward to build a dementia facility here in Yellowknife. There is obvious need for this facility as it will specifically cater to those affected with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. The facility will also give much needed relief to the caregivers

who are in desperate, desperate need of respite programs during the day. Please, Mr. Speaker, I am implore the government today to again move this project forward and get it built sooner rather than later. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

(Translation) Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the Behchoko housing review. It is clear from the number of questions I get from my constituents in...I will be talking about the views of my people. Later on, it would be good if they can clarify this. (Translation ends)

From the number of questions that I get from my constituents in Behchoko, there is not a clear understanding of the programs available through the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, there is also confusion over roles between the local housing authority, the North Slave District office, and also the headquarters in Yellowknife. There is also a need for the corporation and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to work with the people with rental arrears. Some people with arrears are in this situation because their rent was recalculated higher at some point and was not recalculated when their income dropped, Mr. Speaker. We need to identify a fair amount that people in this situation owe and work out a repayment plan for all clients with rental arrears.

Mr. Speaker, I will be seeking a commitment from the Minister that he and his officials work with the families who have rental arrears, to work out a reasonable repayment plan based on what should have been charged for the rent over the years.

There is also a need to provide plain language summaries in English and in Tlicho so that people can figure out whether they should be talking to a local housing authority, the North Slave District office, or the headquarters to resolve these outstanding issues and housing problems, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has announced a program redesigned for the NWT Housing Corporation that is supposed to make it less complicated for residents to access housing programs. This is great news, Mr. Speaker. Let's work with it. This is a new beginning that can be used as a starting point to address the housing problems in Behchoko, and improve communication and clearly define the roles. I ask the help of the Minister and the corporation in accomplishing this issue. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for many years babies were born only in Inuvik and Yellowknife. After over 10 years of lobbying and pushing and encouraging of government by many of the women in Fort Smith, and support by the department, and support across the North for this service outside of Yellowknife, in 2005, midwifery legislation was passed and was made an insured service. We've had the benefit of two very skilled, dedicated and committed midwifes: Ms. Leslie Paulette and Ms. Gisela Becker, who were part of the initiative over the years to get this service provided outside of Yellowknife and Inuvik.

This is a very good news story, Mr. Speaker. In 2005, when the service first started, five births took place in the community. In 2006, that number was 14. As of today, the midwifery program provides care for the majority of childbearing families in the community, and the number of community births continues to rise. In 2006, 41 babies were born to Fort Smith families and the projections are that this number could increase to as much as 48 babies in 2007.

Currently, 32, or 70 percent, of the 41 babies born, and their mothers, are followed by the midwives. Prenatal visits average 16 visits per client, or 512 visits per year. Postpartum visits average 13 visits per client, or 416 visits per year. Newborn visits average 11 per client, or 352 visits per year. This averages out to 40 scheduled visits per baby and mother per year, or a total of 1,280 visits. Mr. Speaker, these are quality time visits and average about 45 minutes per visit; a type of care that mothers are very appreciative of, and doesn't happen through the normal course of events where no midwives are involved.

Mr. Speaker, three-quarters of the world use midwife services. We know that there is an obstetrics crisis in the country where there are not enough doctors around. The Northwest Territories had the foresight to pass this legislation. Fort Smith played the key role in pushing this because of the women and the midwives in the community. However, Mr. Speaker, I would submit that this is a service that every community and every region in the territory would benefit from. I would like to thank the department and the government for their support. This is a case of money well spent. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I don't think there could be enough talk about the caribou crisis here in the NWT. Instead of reiterating reasons why the current interim measures will only result in the extinction of an industry, let alone a species, I would just like to broaden the view of the current public perspective on our wildlife management in this government.

Besides the fact that the resources dedicated to the caribou alone will not be sufficient enough to determine what numbers are actually out there, the good reason being is that our land is so huge and that counting caribou has to be done over a short period of time in order to be more accurate. This, along with many other legitimate challenges which will require more money, has to be part of a big plan to reorganize and reprioritize our wildlife

management in this government. We need more money to determine and confidently guesstimate what levels all our principal wildlife food sources are at for residents of the NWT. We need more money to determine accurate moose populations in all regions. We need more money to determine woodland and Mountain Caribou populations in the Akaitcho, Deh Cho and the Sahtu regions. We need more money to determine what our bear populations are at, more money into researching and understanding our small game cycles of abundance and scarcity.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow our wildlife to be viewed as expendable or simply renewable items during our government's planning and budgeting process. Mr. Speaker, we all have to learn from this caribou crisis. Our lesson being the fact that we need more money and wildlife management, monitoring and conservation if we want to retain any type of wildlife to manage for our future. Period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, reading the Hansard of the Minister's answers yesterday, I'm wondering if we should change the name of the Department of ITI to Department of Some Industry, Some Tourism and Some Investments, because, Mr. Speaker, it appears that not all industry is equally deserving of his attention and commitment. Even though, arguably, all industries, whether they be for oil and gas, diamonds, or outfitters, have adverse impacts on our wildlife, it's always a question of balance.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the big ticket industries, the Minister does not hesitate to trot off to Alaska, Washington, London, Calgary and Ottawa, and back again, to lobby other governments. However, for the outfitters industry, which is literally on its last leg, the Minister says he's planning to help them with developing their position they're making their presentation to the Wekeezhii board. Mr. Speaker, what exactly is the Minister's level of a commitment to the outfitters industry? I see no evidence so far that he has played any active role while Cabinet was deciding on the virtual end of this industry.

Mr. Speaker, as well, we are all very aware and, as the Member for Monfwi reminds us, we now have a self-government in our neighbouring jurisdiction of Tlicho, and we know that the management of caribou and other environmental matters will largely fall within their jurisdiction. However, this doesn't mean, Mr. Speaker, that we have no influence or relationship with these governments. If that were the case, why are we burning up gas visiting governments of the U.S., England and Canada? Mr. Speaker, what this means is that the outfitters issue now is an intergovernmental matter, just as oil and gas and diamonds are. Then why is it that for this industry, the little guys don't get the same support the big guys in the oil and gas and diamond industry get? Where is the voice and presence of the Minister of ITI before the Wekeezhii board, and in intergovernmental meetings with the leadership of our neighbouring government of Tlicho?

Mr. Speaker, it may be that the Tlicho Government may find it in its interests, and their people, and their land, that there be no sport hunting in the Territories. But I also believe in fair treatment and fair opportunity, and the last opportunity for any industry or any person on their deathbed for that matter, to have their say in what their positions are.

The ENR has put their proposal to the Wekeezhii board; I will wait for ITI to make their position clear in writing for the Wekeezhii board to consider. As well, I respectfully request that the Minister come forward with an action plan on what he's prepared to do for the industry...

Ms. Lee, your time for Member's statement has expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I seek unanimous consent to finish my sentence? Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As well, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request that the Minister come forward with an action plan as soon as possible on what he's prepared to do for the industry to prevent its demise, if possible, and to deal with the consequences in the event of the end of this industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say Happy Valentines to my lovely wife who is somewhere here in Yellowknife. I certainly love her.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the importance of caribou, and caribou that's from our region in the Sahtu. As the Minister of ITI has expressed in his Minister's statement, as the mighty Sahtu, I say that with great pride and honour. Some of the other Members will talk about their own region and give their own praise to their own region. I want to say something about the caribou in terms of the importance of the caribou here.

We are talking about caribou that's been here for thousands and thousands of years. It has its own way of life. It has its own laws...self-manages themselves over years and years until we started to get into the human management of it. We really haven't taken into consideration...If the caribou was right in front of us, what would they say to us on how we're taking care of them? How we're having arguments with them, and different views of how we see them? The outfitters, how they see them for the economic benefits of their industry? For the aboriginal hunters. Talk about the little guy? How about the four-foot guy in Colville Lake? Taking care of the people in Colville Lake who really understand that caribou? Or the people in Deline and the profits they talk about our caribou? The aboriginal hunters? You know, we really need to look at this very carefully. That is our

life that you're talking about. As it's been expressed by other Members, that's the life of the industry, the outfitters. But our life is a little deeper and it goes a little further. Here we're arguing about a very important commodity, different views from different people.

The caribou, Mr. Speaker, is very sensitive to our people. That is our life. As Mr. Bell talked about, the Canol Trail, we saw one caribou on that trail and we looked at it and appreciated it by the people. Mr. Speaker, the youth learned a lot on that trail.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude you statement, Mr. Yakeleya.