Mr. Speaker, this is good news. These are long-range, long-term investments. The conversion of our communities largely from diesel and heating fuel technologies to natural gas would be a significant part of enabling this to happen. What steps is the GNWT undertaking to begin to scope this out and make it doable, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have done some work. We commissioned a study on gas to communities. We've identified three communities that we think have the likelihood of making a viable goal of this, at least initially. A lot of this depends, Mr. Speaker, obviously on the spread between the price of diesel in that community and natural gas. So it's hard to know going forward which communities will have the potential, but that's why we've got the marker on the wall and the producers have agreed that any communities that wants access to gas can have that. But those are the three communities, Good Hope, Tulita and Simpson initially that we have identified that seem to have some really good potential. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To what extent is the government factoring reduced greenhouse gases into the economics and viability of this? Natural gas, of course, is a much cleaner burning fuel than diesel. Is this part of our overall factoring in our calculations, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point, we are largely looking at it from the perspective of reduced costs. One of the principles in our energy plan is to try to provide affordable power to all of our communities. We think natural gas to communities can help us do this in several communities, so that has been the driver behind this. But, yes, of course, we would like to see every single community in the Northwest Territories not have to rely on diesel in future and there are a number of options for that depending on the community and where they are located. Gas to communities will have that effect, we believe. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just follow up on my Member's statement and ask questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. It's with regard to the feasibility of setting up an assisted living program. Mr. Speaker, I have mentioned this to the Minister, I believe, during our budget review. I believe that the department may be doing a little bit of work on it. I wonder if I could take this opportunity to ask the Minister to commit to looking at this seriously. I am not sure about the cost implications and the extent to which the government can jump into this, but there is definitely a need to fill this gap for those who are really in need of a little bit of living assistance from the government, so that they could live as independent a life as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an area that we have been working on as a government over a number of years. In fact, we just recently signed a new four-year contribution agreement with the NWT Persons with Disabilities in trying to continue our working relationship with them in the area of disabilities. A steering committee was also formed comprising of a number of government departments and non-government organizations to look at the work done in this area. There is the specific area of the Respite Program, there is a program here in Yellowknife that we are looking to see if we can unroll in communities as well. There has been work done on the NWT action plan for persons with disabilities. It's looking at developing more living options that would be available, and training as well. Consistent homecare is one of the areas as well. So we've been trying to work along with this with the steering committee to improve our services to persons with disabilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know this is a complicated area. I don't want to get mixed up with all the homecare and respite care. I have visited facilities in Yellowknife where there is full-time assisted living for those with intellectual abilities, for example. I don't believe there is a program that addresses assisted living issues and it's completely different from homecare and respite care. Could I ask the Minister to make a commitment to look at this in a very narrow scope to see what it would take to have an assisted living program possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we review this, I can commit to having a further look at this area, but it's got to be tied with the overall level of service we do provide. I will speak with the department about this one particular area to see how it is being fit in or if there has been discussion around that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could I ask the Minister to either respond to me as a Member or to our Standing Committee on Social Programs on his findings by May/June or sometime like that or sooner?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will look at what we have available and if there has been that discussion, I will aim to have some information back to the chair of Social Programs before the end of this session. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Just one more question, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister advise as to whether there have been any discussions with respect to assisted living programs at any of the national tables that he sits on as Minister of Health with other of his counterparts? Are there any existing programs from the federal government for such assisted living programs?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had opportunity to be at one

federal/provincial/territorial Ministers' meeting on health and social services, basically on health. They break them down, but in our jurisdiction we have them both together. We haven't had a discussion on this particular issue and as we provide to get that information to the Member I committed to earlier, we can include what's available through the federal government.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.