Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to speak about the NWT Winter Games that are being hosted in Fort Simpson. I attended the opening ceremonies there yesterday and I'd like to thank all of the MLAs that attended the opening there.

I'd just like to commend Fort Simpson for hosting this event and it's a signal of all our smaller communities that can host an event of this significance. It goes a long way in development of all our communities as we develop our youth through the sporting venues.

Once again, I'd just like to commend all the volunteers and chaperones who are there and the staff that's there to organize and have these very significant NWT games that's impacting all our communities. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I'd like to welcome our visitor in the gallery today, welcome to the House. It's nice to have an audience.

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Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I had a constituency meeting last night and some of

the issues we were talking about was service to the Kam Lake Industrial Park. In addition to that, we talked about the possibility of service being run out to the Yellowknife Airport. My question to the Minister of Transportation: Is there any negotiations underway with the City of Yellowknife to in fact have service brought out to YZF? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly our department has had many discussions with the City of Yellowknife for a lot of the shared infrastructure that we do have, and discussions will continue throughout this year, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to get a clarification from the Minister what he means by "discussions." I want to get a clearer answer than that. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. By discussions means actual meetings with the City of Yellowknife.

---Laughter

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All the discussions are of the future development that is going to happen around the Yellowknife Airport and the Yellowknife Airport development plan. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if those discussions not only include the provision for service to the Yellowknife Airport, but also provision for service along that new access road that's going to go from Highway No. 3 into Kam Lake Industrial Park. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, the Cadillac plan for the bypass road would be to include a provision of services out to the airport through the, I believe they call it the Airport Road. Sorry, the DOT road bypass behind the airport will include that in the discussions that are happening. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to again today ask the Minister where one might find, and I know the GNWT's going to have to be a partner in this and its shared cost to this access road. How is the Minister proposing that the government come up with the funding to get this done, this much needed road? How is it going to happen? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Senior officials of our government and the City of Yellowknife continue to discuss the financing arrangements and there's many different options out there up to and including support from our government. But all this is in the preliminary discussions right now, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke about the problem about cost overruns on our capital projects and I made some suggestions how we can address the situation. So my question for the Minister of Finance is, acknowledging the fiscal year, why can't we start the tendering process for capital projects earlier in the fiscal year prior to the new one beginning? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take it the question is directed because of the budget process we get into. In fact, the previous governments, I believe in the 12th Assembly or up to the 12th Assembly, did have two budgeting cycles, one for the O and M budget and one for the capital budget, to try and deal with the issue of construction during the best time of year, that being the summer season. What we found or what was looked at was that it wasn't necessarily being done. It didn't help things. So we brought it to a one budgetary process which reduced the time for Members as well in the House. It is something that can be looked at to see if in fact by changing cycles it would make things smoother. Thank you.