Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Member brings up a good question. As the Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board and as our government does have input into the Public Utilities Board system, but it's only as Cabinet we can give general direction, Mr. Speaker. That is about our input into our current system. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay. Thank you. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. He is well aware that we do have 11 official languages here in the NWT, and in some instances in the health centres around the NWT and in mine in particular, in Deninu Kue, we have employees of Health and Social Services who are employees that work at the hospital but also provide interpretive services at the centre. It's not even in their job description, Mr. Speaker, that they provide the service and I don't know if they even receive compensation for it. But with more seniors coming online, more seniors that go to the health centres these days, the two-way dialogue has got to be clear and concise, Mr. Speaker, and some of the seniors aren't comfortable with talking about their medical history or what their ailments are. I want to ask the Minister if there's any avenue in his department to develop an option for seniors who go to health centres here in the NWT to either request that they find their own interpreter, somebody who they're comfortable with, somebody who they can talk with and somebody that knows them, if they are available to bring them to the health centre and let them provide the interpretative services instead of having somebody there that they're not sure of, they don't know, and providing that service for them? Is that a possibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the ability to seek services in your own language has been worked on by the department in a number of fashions. One, as the Member stated, is having some of our staff within our health facilities and health centres in

communities speak the language of the community. As well, through our Tele-Care service ability to seek services in your own language is available. There's always the option for individuals, when they go to a health centre or one of our facilities, to also take family members with them to help them in that service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's good to know that there's the option there and the Tele-Care service in our own languages. But I want to ask the Minister, does the staff that is working with the department in the nursing stations and also providing interpretive services whenever it's required, are they compensated for that service even if it's not in their job description? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we've looked at this area and tried to have the ability to have their own language in their health centres in communities, it's something we've worked around. If it's included in the job description, it would be evaluated along those processes. If something was changed, then we'd have to look at that job description once again and see if there's an evaluation that would have to be done in that area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to getting back to the issue of seniors visiting health care centres here in the NWT and the issue of receiving the proper treatment for your ailments that you're trying to explain to the doctor and you're having a hard time with the interpreter, some of these staff people that are providing this service and may be even receiving compensation, I'm not sure but I'll provide that in a written question, but I want to ask the Minister what sort of training, even if there is any available, that these people can access in order to ensure the patients and get confidence in the physician that they are interpreting the right form or fashion? There's always the understanding that, yes, they will understand what they're talking about, but then translating it, getting the methodology correct is a really crucial interpretative service, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister what kind of training does the department provide to ensure that the correct methodology is being used by these interpreters? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just as part of the earlier question, I believe that those who are offering the service for translation in a community are remunerated for that specific area, as well. So that is addressed, is my understanding. For the actual training, I will get that information as to what's taking place for training, for example in medical terminology and so on, to see if that's part of the training aspect that goes on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask a question of Mr. Menicoche under his Transportation portfolio, and I'm referring, Mr. Speaker, to the government's response to the pre-budget consultations. This was a report that was tabled a few days ago here. The report outlines that the Government of the Northwest Territories is undertaking a joint study on the effects of climate change on transportation in the Northwest Territories. The project began in 2004 and will continue until 2007. I was wondering if the Minister could advise the Assembly of the nature of information that we can expect from this report and how its recommendations may be implemented, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I believe the Member is talking about a climate change action plan project that the department has undertaken. It's a joint study. The project began in 2004 and will conclude this year, 2007. The status of the project right now is that Dillon Consulting Limited is assisting the department in completing the project. Stage one and two, which are to document climate change impacts and the modelling future physical impacts related to climate changes, have been largely completed up until November and December of this year, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just what difference is this study going to make? What value is it going to bring to the travelling public, Mr. Speaker, or the transport industry, the road transport industry here in the NWT?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This study will help us answer very, very important questions as to how climate change will directly impact our transportation systems and identify the high risk areas in which we're going to have to focus on and target for future improvements, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Menicoche.