Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the mines doing business north of Yellowknife continue to have a very legitimate concern about the winter road season and the ability to get all the supplies they need up to their mines impacted by an ever-unpredictable winter road season. The issue is now, once again, in the paper. There's talk of the Bathurst Port and the road down, about $300 million worth; another option out of Gordon Lake. I'd also like to raise, once again, the issue, if we're looking at options for opening up the North Slave, that there should be a road that goes up through the Tlicho that will help hook into the communities that are there and across up to the mines. This would be an opportunity to do at least double or triple duty. It could truly be a P3 project where you have the Tlicho Government, the territorial government and industry working together to put in an all-weather road that would suit and meet all the needs of all the people in that region and allow us to open up a part of the territory where there's only going to be increased activity. Because of climate change and global warming, we know that the winter road season is only going to get shorter and more unpredictable, and more difficult for miners, the mines and other businesses to plan to get the ever-increasing amount of logistics that they have to get up that road through in such a short window of time.

So, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to be asking the Minister of Transportation later to see that they include this option in any business planning process and work that's underway for the '08-09 budget so that the incoming 16th Assembly will have that option to look at as well as others. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak today about the ongoing contract negotiations between the YACCS board and the employees at Aven Manor. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that we were not advised about the visits by the employees of YACCS and that they were here when the Members of this side had agreed to do a theme day on alcohol abuse, because I believe it deprived the chance for the employees to hear from all Yellowknife MLAs on this very important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to let the employees know, and the clients of the Aven Manor know, that we, as Yellowknife MLAs, stand with them in asking for the government to step in and facilitate a fair and equitable wage and benefits settlement for the employees.

Mr. Speaker, it is not fair nor acceptable that these workers are being asked to accept anything less than their counterparts doing the same work in senior long-term care facilities in Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Inuvik and Behchoko.

Mr. Speaker, how could this be left to continue? They are not asking for more; they are just asking for equal treatment. Quite frankly, they are entitled to that, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know the Cabinet is trying to find comfort by saying that they are not government employees and, therefore, this government has no direct role to play. That position didn't get them anywhere in the case of Nats'ejee Ke'h just this past spring or during the labour dispute with ferry workers in Simpson early last year. In the latter part, the employees of the ferry were in the private sector, but still because of the importance of ferry services, the government had to step in and take over that service. In the end, they got a better wage settlement.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add very strongly that the services that these workers provide at the Aven seniors complex is an essential service. For years, they have been providing exemplary service with commitment and dedication because they are good at what they do and because they believe in what they do. It is time for the government to step up to the plate and do what is required to enable them a failsafe settlement. Mr. Speaker, I believe the outcome we demand is clear.

Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to finish? Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the outcome that we all expect is very clear. We would settle for nothing less than wage parity and fair and equitable benefits for these valuable employees. The only way to do this is for the government to put more funding to settle the package. Unless the government does this as soon as possible, we can expect a very long and hot summer. These employees can be expected to see all of us YK MLAs right by the workers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak on behalf of constituents who are connected with Northstar Counselling and Psychological Services, a local northern Yellowknife business, Mr. Speaker, which, until the first of April of this year, were the providers of the GNWT Employee and Family Assistance Program. They successfully provided this essential service to us for the past seven years with very high employee satisfaction. However, they were unsuccessful when the contract was re-bid earlier this year and lost out to a large multi-national southern contractor Shepell-fgi. I became aware of this weeks ago, Mr. Speaker, with calls from several constituents and friends in the city expressing concern about the impact of the loss of this business on local service, on the reduction of skills and talents available because of the relocation of this service to an outside company. I have even heard that one of these professionals was going to be leaving Yellowknife because it was no longer possible for her to continue living here.

Mr. Speaker, there were several irregularities on the way this RFP was administered, assessed and awarded. For example, the use of assessment formulas that put local higher cost bidders at a substantial disadvantage to bigger outside lower cost bidders. The use of criteria for the size and the scope of this contract, Mr. Speaker, was based on numbers that were developed seven years ago in 2000. The size of the public service, of course, has grown since then substantially. The volume request for this service has skyrocketed 42 percent just in the past year alone, yet the value of the contract was capped at its original seven-year level. Mr. Speaker, there was also the suspect inclusion of local health care professionals as associates on the winning contractor's bid. How this was handled should be cause for concern, not only in this contract, Mr. Speaker, but from the perspective of overall government operations. We should not support a process which is prejudicial to northern business. Based on these allegations, Mr. Speaker...

I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Based on these circumstances, Northstar has requested in writing to the Minister responsible for Human Resources that the matter be independently reviewed and the RFP be reissued. I agree with the owners of Northstar, and my constituents who have been adversely impacted, that this RFP should be reopened and re-bid. The Minister needs to ensure the process is fair and transparent and that this highly valued and effective service will continue for our employees, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a little while, the construction of a new school is going to be starting up in Inuvik. On the proposed site where this new school is going to be built, there is a ball field, Mr. Speaker. That is what I would like to speak to today.

The Slow-pitch Association put a lot of money into this new ball field. My understanding is they raised close to $150,000 and put it into this field. That is not including the in-kind donations they had for equipment and manpower. They have been told that, when they start building the school, they will build them a new field. Their problem is, Mr. Speaker, that they don't want to have another situation that happened over in Aklavik when they were building a health centre. They put it on the ball field and they said we will build you a new field. Well, when it came time to build a new field, Health didn't come up with the money. That was strike one. ECE didn't come up with the money. That was strike two. MACA finally stepped up to the plate and now I understand they have a base for a field. This has been six years in the making. Part of the problem was they didn't have a signed agreement in place. So when it came time to dish out the money, the players may have changed in the meantime and nobody had a record of any agreement that might have been made. This is the concern that the Slow-pitch Association has. The Department of Public Works and Services is going to have to work with these stakeholders in regards to a new school and make sure that they are all taken care of, the town is consulted on anything that is going on with the new school.

Mr. Speaker, in the overall picture of a project of this size, a ball field may seem like small change, but important enough, Mr. Speaker, for the people that built this field to have me speak about it. If it is that important an issue to them, Mr. Speaker, I find it is important enough for me to stand up here and speak to the issue and try and have some kind of a signed agreement in place so we don't have another situation that happened in Aklavik. That cost them six years of time on the field, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to a very large contingent of Hay Riverites in the gallery today, students and chaperones. They are Grade 6 students and chaperones from Princess Alexandra School in Hay River. I would like to welcome them here. They are on a bit of an educational journey. It has been a pretty busy two days for them. I want to welcome them to the Legislative Assembly and wish them a safe journey home. I would like to take this opportunity for myself and my colleague in Hay River to acknowledge all of them. I will start by acknowledging the Grade 6 students: Mercedie Beaulieu, Victoria Boyce, Brandon Cotchilly, Brandan Couillonneur, Christine Gagnier, Chelsey Giraldi, Connor Goudreau, Daniel Hache, Michael Hunkin, Andre Leblanc, Angeline Magtibay, Erin Martel, Jessica Martel, Amanda Moizis, Shirley Roloson, Dalton Atwell, Savannah Bryshun, Sydney Campbell, Danny Chambers, Shauna Cooper, Jonathan Gareau, Colton Glaicar, Lee Jones, Cole Loutit, Mary Ann Minoza, Chris Monson, Kristen Morin, Emerson Ondris, Weston Pinto, Logan Price, Marilyn Beaulieu, Blake Boutlier, Deanna Buckley, Lynn Buckley, and Rhona Cruzpe. I'll turn the floor over to my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen, Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is, indeed, a pleasure to have grade 6 students, their chaperones and teachers with us today. Very quickly I will go through the names on my list: Cole Dupuis, Wade de Fabian, Krista Gardiner, Olivia Gibbons, Kelsey Hiebert, Skylar Horton, Aaron Hunt, Keiran Kipling, Christopher Lirette, Christian Longe, Dillan Maurice, Jesse McNeillie, Ian Morrison, James Morrison, Brandon Powder, Joel Skolny, and their chaperones: Roger Morrison, Susan Gagnier, Alex Pinto, Donna Dean, Sharon Ruttle, Mario Giraldi, Jeff Boyce, Kirsty Dupuis, Gertie Thompson, Barb Atwell, John Gareau, Heather Hirst, Jean Ruben, and their teachers: Elliot Johnson and Bob White.. Also, Frontier Freightliners bus drivers Michael Gagnier and his daughter Paige Gagnier, and Ron Ruttle. Also, lsat but not least, my constituency assistant, Wendy Morgan, for all her help with this trip. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Anne Clark, the new president and chief executive officer of the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Along with Anne is her husband, Ryerson Clark, who is also accompanying his wife. Also I'd like to welcome them to the Northwest Territories. They have relocated from Nova Scotia. I wish them all the best and success in their time here and, more importantly, working with the Members of the Legislative Assembly in regards to workers' compensation issues. Along with them is Clarence Emberley, my executive assistant, also in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a local businessman, Jim Beckwith. With Jim are his father, John Beckwith, and Kristin Holt. Welcome to the Assembly.

---Applause

I'd also like to welcome all the children who have travelled up here and their chaperones from Hay River. Welcome to the House.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I'd like to also acknowledge my constituency assistant, Deb Mageean, in the gallery as well.

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If we've missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Assembly. It's certainly nice to see an audience and I hope you're enjoying the proceedings.

Acknowledgements. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, as I outlined in my Member's statement, the importance of having those cabins on Highway No. 3, with the new road being in place just a few years now, that those cabin owners have been left out in the cold, unable to access their traditional road to their cabins. So I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, can the Minister direct his department to repair this access road that I specifically embarked on -- Mr. Charlo's camp -- and dump some gravel in the open ditch that has been created through the lack of maintenance and is deteriorating every day, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to the issue the Member brings forward, the access roads that run off our highway systems, including the one he's talking about on Highway No. 3, are considered now private access roads and the department does not specifically maintain access roads off the highway system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.