Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A parent told me they had to miss a number of these appointments because our services were being provided…. Our technical experts were in Nunavut, in the Kitikmeot region, fulfilling the contract they have with them.

So, Mr. Speaker, I’m not clear, because this answer seems to be evading us. Who is on the list of priorities: the Northwest Territories’ citizens for speech and OT therapy, or the Nunavut contract? Who’s the priority?

That is the first time I have heard that our professionals would in any way limit services available to NWT residents in favour of Nunavut residents. I’m glad the Member brought this to my attention for the first time here. I’d be happy to look into that.

What we do have challenges with is the fact that while we have positions available for rehab services

and speech therapists and lots of other services our children need, we do have challenges in filling them, and we have to continue to work on those.

We will continue to work on expanding services for children, especially for children with disabilities of all kinds, not just autism. We don’t have a practice of separating different conditions, but we do have to step up to have more services available, not just in Yellowknife but in all of the communities where we are facing incredible shortages of professionals who could provide the service.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. My

question today is for the Premier, and it’s related to my Member’s statement on the voluntary sector. I’m curious: who is responsible for the review of the sector financing? And how will whoever is responsible for that review ensure that participation of this sector is included?

Thank you, Mr.

Abernethy. The

Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is aware, there are a number of departments involved in different areas. The specific area of sector financing is being undertaken by the Financial Management Board Secretariat.

To the second part of that question, can we get commitment from the Premier that FMBS will include representatives from the sector in the review of sector financing?

Mr. Speaker, a lot of the work — for example, the third-party accountability framework — has been done, and we’re doing a review of it as well as going forward. A number of areas are going to be looked at further to get input from the sector and the NGO sector as well as the volunteer sector.

I’ll get back to the Member and provide information as to how this will be undertaken, and the timing of it as well.

If I can get the Premier to give me a bit of a sense of the timing of the review and when they expect that to be done. Specifically, I’m curious about whether there will be any additional supports or any sort of framework around supports that are going to be provided to the sector during the ’09–10 fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, I’m hoping that as we get on with work now after the session’s over, we’ll be able to put the energy into getting some of the package together.

As I stated earlier, I’ll work with the Member to provide information as to the timing and the structure. We’ll look at getting the information. I don’t have that with me at this point, but I commit to get that to the Member.

Thank you, Mr.

Roland. Final

supplementary, Mr.

Abernethy. The honourable

Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr.

Krutko. The

honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very excited to be able to have the document in the plan for the funding agreement on the Building Canada Fund signed off before the end of our time here in the session. A number of projects are waiting to be brought forward. At this point the agreement consists of the funding criteria, and it describes what will be accepted.

As to what projects will be brought forward, so far there’s only been agreement on one project. We have had discussions on how we would flow money to the municipalities. We haven’t finalized that, but that is the next stage. The next stage will be to bring projects forward.

As to the Member’s question about how does he get projects into the Building Canada plan, that is something he would have to work out with the Department of Transportation, as they are responsible for bringing forward infrastructure projects that relate to transportation issues.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we do have $185 million now. There is a pot that we can access. Knowing that Tuk was able to develop their proposal, I believe they did receive some seed money from this government. I’d like to ask the Minister: is SEED money available to communities to develop their proposals and bring that forward so we can also get on the list for the Building Canada Fund?

Mr. Speaker,

the

community of Tuk had put together a small team to work toward developing a proposal and the general guidelines of how they would move forward. They did receive some money through our government — I believe it was around $50,000 — and I think we’ve already responded, through the Premier, that there would be a commitment to provide support in that area.

I’m sure the Department of Transportation has been listening very keenly.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, time flies around here pretty quickly, and we are looking at getting into our business plans early this fall. In order to get anywhere with next year’s budget, we do have to have something in place by then.

I’d like to ask the Minister: is he willing to commit resources by way of manpower — either from his Department, Municipal and Community Affairs, or Transportation — to work with the community to develop this plan over the next couple of months so we can have something ready for this fall’s business plans review, so we can get something in it?

Again, it’s a question of urgency, so I’ll ask the Minister if he can commit to human resources along with a $50,000 contribution.

Mr. Speaker, it’s difficult for me as the MACA Minister to commit any money on behalf of my colleague for Transportation. However, I certainly expect that he’s listening and he would take it as notice.

Mr. Speaker, I think, first of all, we need to see a request from the community with a small indication of how they want to move forward. I think there’s been some discussion already in terms of what we need to have done to bring this project more into focus. We need to see some firmer plans, we need to see some price tags, and we need to see some more legwork done.

I will follow up on the Member’s question. However, as the MACA Minister, I can’t commit for another department. The money for Municipal and Community Affairs is already committed to go to community government, so I don’t have any room in that area.

Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. Final

supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. In my

questions on this matter over the last number of days and weeks, I did request that the Minister of Transportation make an attempt to go into Aklavik along with me and meet with the community and

the general public on exactly where we can go next on this matter.

I’d like to put out a formal invitation to the Minister of MACA; he can also tag along with us. I’d just like to know, with your busy schedule, if we can maybe look at a date to go into Aklavik in the next couple of weeks — hopefully, sooner rather than later. I’d just like to formally ask the Minister here, to formally invite you, to the community of Aklavik and also to set a date when we can meet with the community on this matter.

I didn’t realize I was tagging along with the Minister of Transportation, but I’d be pleased to go into the community. In fact, we’ve had other invitations from community leaders in Aklavik.

We plan — or at least I plan — to be in Inuvik for some of the ceremony for the 50

anniversary.

The Minister of

Transportation indicates he’s going to tag along with me for that.

Laughter.

So at that time, while we’re in the area, I would be very pleased to come into the community to have discussions about gravel, infrastructure, water plants, sewer lagoons, dumps — whatever the community wishes to discuss with us, Mr. Speaker.