Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot commit to filing an application with the ILA at this point. The discussions are continuing. There are a few other barriers that I am sure the Member is aware of. There are engineering studies and scoping studies that have to be conducted as well on this portion of the road, because there is some realignment issues that have to be seriously considered. That is part of the discussions that are going on with the communities, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister mentioned about engineering and survey study. There has been an engineering study done by Ferguson, Simek and Clark. I think it was about 1998. There was a study already done on that. Why don't they just take that document and use it? There shouldn't be that much realignment in terms of the access to the all-weather road. Can the Minister just take that document and go with it and sit down with the community? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the older study of 1998, it is a little bit dated and the Member is aware of the climate changing. It has happened rather quickly and to depend on an old study, it is just not prudent at this point. We have, in the past year, talked about a $50,000 study to look at this realignment of this source 177, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had opportunity to be in those facilities whether it is for my own going in for X-rays or whatever, or visiting people in a number of our facilities. Again, I would have to sit down with the Member and get the specifics. Which facility are we speaking of? When I have gone to visit these places, the only place I see the paper thin anything is when you are going for your initial exam. That is something that is standard across all facilities, even in the South. In this particular case, I would be happy to sit down with the Member to go over the areas. I know, for example, I have had discussions with the department and we've contacted Stanton on some of the cleanliness issues around the contract that's provided by the private sector contract, and we've had those discussions and we continue to follow up on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm just saying that our constituents deserve better; and I am talking about Stanton. I'd be happy to go on a tour with the Minister and show him some of the things that I saw with my own eyes. I was just there, you know, trying to just be a cooperative mother of a patient, or mother-in-law of a patient, but it was bad and I don't think that it has to look like a five-star hotel in there, but it should be clean and there should be quality linens and proper things. I mean I'm sure it must have something to do with hospitality, and I can tell you those were not very welcoming rooms that I saw; obstetrics rooms, labour and delivery, not a picture on the wall. Tons of posters and junk stuck up with scotch tape that were all curled up on the edges. Like, I just want...

Do you have another question, Mrs. Groenewegen?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he would be happy or willing to take a tour with me of the Stanton Hospital and have a look at some of the things that I saw with me. I'll go with him. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated, I've had opportunity to be in a number of areas and wards within the facility. Yes, there are areas where we've put posters up that reflect some of the messages that we want to get out to people in this public that visit our facilities. But as for the decorative issue that we're discussing here, a cleanliness issue, again, I'm happy to sit down and go over the particulars, but I don't think we need to tour the facility to go over and do a maintenance check ourselves. We can easily get the staff there to report back as to some of the deficiencies. We know there are plans for some renovations in areas, but I agree that if there are facilities being in use we should have them up to par. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Transportation, as well. Mr. Speaker, last year the shortened winter road season cost the diamond mines an additional hundred million dollars. This year they're trying to jam through 10,000 loads to get to the mines hopefully on an ice road that will last the full planned time. It's going to mean a tremendous amount of traffic on the road, on the all-weather road, on the winter road through the community of Yellowknife. Just to the north of them you have four communities, three communities that are desperately looking for some kind of road service, barely a good couple stone throws away from Highway No. 3 in Yellowknife. We have an opportunity made in transportation heaven here to bring two good issues

together, have one road that would meet both objectives; an all-weather road through the Tlicho done in consultation with the Tlicho Government that would hook up the communities of the Tlicho, carry on north into the diamond mines to allow year-round provisioning. This would take an enormous burden off the Highway No. 3 portion from Yellowknife to Rae. It would also take an enormous amount of pressure off the congestion and traffic concerns in the city of Yellowknife. It would allow the people of the Tlicho to be able to have a staging area and an economic opportunity that was entirely in keeping in their area.

So I would like to ask the Minister, has he had yet any discussions with the grand chief or does he intend to have any discussions with the grand chief about this particular initiative? It is not a new one. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Of course the improved transportation corridor through the Slave Geological Province has been looked at and is the long-term objective of our government and the Department of Transportation. In 2000 there was a highway strategy called Investing in Roads. Part of the strategy was to include the needs and feasibility studies, a route analysis of doing exactly that route that the Member had brought up there, Mr. Speaker. With that, as well the Premier had met with the Chamber of Mines and the diamond industry stakeholders on April 6th of last year to discuss this realignment, particularly with the shortened season that happened to the diamond industry last year. They are seriously looking at realigning their roads as well, up to and including an all-weather road in the future. A couple different ways of doing it, of course, one is to make that route through the Tlicho region and make that the access to the Slave Geological Province and/or continue with the present system that's out of Yellowknife here today. So discussions are ongoing and our government continues to be involved with the diamond mines and speaking with the Tlicho Government on this matter here, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a lot has happened since 2000. Clearly the last year's winter road season is one of those issues or items that demonstrated the fact that the climate's getting warmer. The Tlicho Government has signed its agreement and now it's a stand-alone government with self-governing powers and they have a significant interest, I would suggest, in this particular issue. So I would like to ask the Minister again, I know that there's been lots of work at the bureaucratic level. There's been in the past some other discussions. But I know this is a current issue given the pressures from last year. I'd just like to ask the Minister again, if he hasn't met with the grand chief to talk about this particular transportation issue and the appropriate MLA, does he intend to do that any time soon? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The DOT has been working with DIAND and the Tlicho Government to undertake additional engineering and environmental studies for the Tlicho roads. Because both the realigned roads onto land and the future all-weather road will be considered in this study, and that's in my previous response to the Member. With that, Mr. Speaker, we continue our discussions. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.