Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Human Resources is responsible for frameworks for overall management of the public services. That means that each department uses those frameworks when they come forward to apply for positions. I guess one of the steps that I've omitted to mention to this point is that every time that we're talking about increasing staff of the government, whether it's on the front line or an administrative position, that's reviewed also with Members of the Legislative Assembly through the business plan process and here as we go through the budgets. So the Members of this House have a clear opportunity to talk about those issues. The bottom line is that there are government-wide programs or government-wide policies that are administered by Human Resources, but each department is free to work within those frameworks and make sure that they can deliver the programs and services that they are mandated to deliver.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like my questions directed to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. I would like to know would the Minister please outline for this Assembly what action the department is taking to deal with the high levels of STIs in the Northwest Territories, especially the communities, and any plans they have to deal with an increase in potential HIV and AIDS infection? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member in his Member's statement, by raising this issue, has brought some very important facts to the table and sad ones, I must say. The fact that in the Northwest Territories we are 10 to 15 times above the national average when we talk about STIs or sexually transmitted infections. One of the things that the

department started doing, along with Members of this Assembly, is the STI Prevention and Control Strategy that was launched back in 2005, the strategic direction document entitled The Naked Truth was launched in 2005 with limited resources. One of the things we have started doing through our chief medical health officer is working with authorities to help deliver the enhanced awareness program in trying to make people more aware of the dangers in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you know, in small isolated communities such cases can spread rapidly once it's passed on. That's a huge fear in the small communities, especially in the North. Considering the epidemic levels of ST infections, does the Minister believe that enough resources have been provided by this government to both the department and authorities to make the necessary difference? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the area of having the necessary resources is always a challenge when you look at the whole area of health and social services and the need to deliver that. But over the years we've added substantially earlier the questions about the growth in employees. When you look at the health and social services side, we have brought in, through a number of initiatives, a substantial amount of new employees to help around the delivering of the message out there, whether it's public health workers or social services workers in communities across the Territories. Always more can be done. Mr. Speaker, this is one area, when we talk about these infections, that is absolutely preventable. The biggest prevention can be abstinence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there's been discussion on the growth of the GNWT public service, but at the same time we must keep in mind that these kind of issues are highly regarding the communities. We need staffing to deal with them in the professional areas, health and social services specifically. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister my final question. Will the Minister commit to working with this Assembly to find additional resources for the department and authorities to mount a major campaign to try to resolve this largely preventable health problem in the North? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to work with Members of this Assembly to try to come up with the resources necessary, as well as just getting the campaign and the message out about the issue of STIs. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to address my questions to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. It's in follow-up to my Member's statement. This capital plan clearly doesn't contain the project to relocate the Fire Centre, but I'd like to ask the Minister, given the fact that shortly after we finish passing this budget the preliminary work on the 2008-2009 budgets and business plans will commence. I'd like to ask the Minister whether he intends to bring forward that project again for consideration in that process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recently had some discussion with my staff on this issue of relocating the Fire Centre in Fort Smith and we have some more discussion that is warranted to take place. We have to take a look at the cost-benefit analysis of relocating the facility and also the convenience and access to the offices. So we are reviewing it at this point. I can't make a commitment that we will include it in next year's plans, but it's in the works and that's something we were considering at this point.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of following up on my Member's statement, I'll ask the Minister of Justice, can he tell me why Colville Lake residents still do not have an RCMP detachment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we had a good discussion yesterday about the policing budget in Committee of the Whole and obviously we would like it as the end desire, the main desire is to have detachments in every one of our communities eventually. We can't do it immediately, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources. About a year and a half ago I sat down with the RCMP and talked about our small community policing priority and agenda, talked about the need for new detachments, asked them for some operational priorities in terms of greatest need, and three detachments were identified. They were Sachs Harbour, Gameti and Wrigley. We've been working very hard to try to get detachments there. Mr. Speaker, obviously we will

continue to work to see improved policing solutions in all of our communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've asked the Minister to go back to his colleagues and look at the urgent need that Colville Lake is asking for some presence and consistent presence of an RCMP detachment in Colville Lake. Production of the oil and gas is going to happen and Colville Lake is sitting on billions of barrels of gas and oil and that is going to happen shortly. So could the Minister again commit to the people of Colville Lake that he would take their strong concerns and their arguments to his Cabinet Members to put it on the high priority list in terms of getting a detachment in Colville Lake as soon as possible? Thank you.