Thank you, Minister McLeod. Oral questions, the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct my line of questioning today to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. When applications are made for exploration rights within the Northwest Territories, I’d like to ask the Minister

if he’s aware of any environmental plans that have to go along with these applications.

Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. The

honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. We’re involved with the processes directly on the land. Yes, there are comprehensive plans. There’s a very rigorous regulatory process that has to be followed.

I’d like to ask the Minister if the Department of ENR monitors environmental plans and the work that goes on with the exploration companies.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we do.

I’d like to ask the Minister if we have the capabilities to monitor environmental concerns without outside interference.

Clearly, we’ve

evolved and matured as a jurisdiction over the years. We’ve built up our capability in the North. We work closely with industry, but we also work closely with Indian Affairs and the federal government, as well as the aboriginal governments. I believe — all the complaints about timeliness aside — that we have that ability.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

I’d like to ask the Minister who would have the final approval on environmental plans that go along with the exploration rights. Is it the Government of the Northwest Territories or the Government of Canada?

It generally goes forward with the responsible Ministers — the appropriate Minister from the Northwest Territories as well as from the federal government. In this case it would be myself as the Minister and then generally the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr.

Abernethy. The

Hon. Premier, Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of bonuses or performance pay is under review right now. We are looking at it. I don’t believe any departments have paid any out, and there hasn’t been any paid out at this point to deputies.

By “under review” does the Premier mean that he’s developing a process that will actually award or reward senior managers for outstanding performance as opposed to the typical or standard “everybody gets a bonus”?

We are looking at the process of how it happens. We know, for example, that there are some staff that work for departments that fall out of the UNW side, and they’re excluded. But within departments they’re treated differently than deputy minister levels, so we’re having a look at trying to come up with a process that would make sense. It would look at performance for work done.

I’m hoping what that means is yes, performance pay will be based on merit rather than the standard.

I’d like to encourage the Premier to review what the federal government is doing with respect to bonuses to their senior managers. They put in a real comprehensive plan that ensures that not everybody gets one because they are a senior manager but for outstanding performance and doing more than is required or above and beyond. So I’d like to encourage the Premier to check out what the feds are doing.

I’d be more than prepared to have a look at their work and what it entails. Just for the record, I don’t believe every manager gets performance pay in the Northwest Territories. I understand there’s a process, and it’s limited. We’re undertaking that review to have a look at how it’s been done in the past, and we’ll be prepared to take a look at what the federal government is doing going forward as well.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Final supplementary, Mr.

Abernethy? The honourable

Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll have questions to the Minister of Housing. My questions are about the subject of the Somba K’e Healing Lodge.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been informed recently that a deal has been reached with another organization to turn this into a training centre. I’m just trying to get some sense as to what’s actually happening, who will be responsible for the cost of that and who will be the benefactors.

Can the Minister of the NWT Housing Corp tell me exactly who is in control of this now? Are they paying for the full cost of running this facility? Who owns the facility?

Thank you, Mr.

Hawkins. Three

questions there. The Minister can answer one or all. The honourable Minister Responsible for Housing, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. There’s been an arrangement made with the Mine Training Society. After the first three months, part of the getting-started agreement is going to be covered by us. But after three months they will be covering all the O&M and mortgage costs. We’ve been paying the mortgage to CMHC.

My questions shouldn’t be perceived in any way that I’m against the building actually being dusted off and used. I think it’s a real shame that it’s been empty for so long and probably heated forever at an exorbitant rate.

Mr.

Speaker, I want to know: will we retain

ownership of this building, or has that been given away in this agreement? If it has been given away, what financial gains has the territorial government made?