Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement, the majority of people in the House have jumped through all the hoops required and so on to urge a milk subsidy be given serious consideration. I am wondering if the Minister of Health has investigated the possibility of a milk subsidy program where needed, whether it’s been considered as part of the Healthy Foods North Program, and whether the federal Minister of Health, who is a Northerner and surely understands this issue thoroughly, has been approached. What is the progress on this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The House’s recommendation and discussions on this issue have been before the Strategic Initiative Committee and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been analyzing and reviewing the possibility of this initiative. I believe the costs have been worked out to be about $1.3 million. I can advise the Member that this idea is under active consideration, but no decision has been made. Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister of Health for that word. That is good news. Clearly there is a desire out there. We have spoken clearly on this. What additional information is needed to

make this a go decision and perhaps if this is...the Minister of ECE, that would be more appropriate; whatever. Has there been a consideration of tuning up the Food Mail Program as part of this as well? Thank you.

There is the issue of funding to deliver such a program as well as lots of details about how this program could and would be delivered if we were able to do it. Right now it is under the jurisdiction of the Income Security Program with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I will make the commitment to follow up with the Member and I will discuss that issue also with the Minister of ECE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for those comments. I was assuming since the cost estimate had been derived there has been some research and decisions on how to do this, but maybe that is not the case. In terms of cost, I think the Minister must realize that there are big returns to be had here. To me this is not really subsidy. It is an investment that will give us big returns. Our health care costs in the communities are very high; travel associated with them and so on. This is great, where we want to get at the problem. This is a very precise piece of action that can give immediate results. Does the Minister realize this? Is that the perspective which is being used in approaching this subsidy? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, on the larger picture...Obviously I could say yes, Mr. Speaker, that the department and the government is very aware and focussed on the idea that we need to improve the quality of the food that our residents eat and consume healthy eating, healthy living. We all know that if our residents eat healthily, live actively and drink less and smoke none, we know that that is the fastest way to get to a healthier population. The department does send and invest lots of money to encourage people to do that. We are talking about providing certain food substances. I think good arguments could be made that there are lots of other stuff than food that our people should be able to be provided with.

The government as a whole is working on reducing power rates through subsidy of commercial power. The Minister of ECE is actively looking at this file under this responsibility. I expect that we should be going back to the Members with where we are and how we move forward as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Those are all good points that the Minister raises and I

don’t want to take away from those many good programs. We need to keep doing those as well. I would be happy to debate milk against any other subsidy that we might think of in terms of food, but I am sure the Minister recognizes that as well. When can we expect to see those results coming forward? Thank you.

I will say that I don’t have a specific date. I will follow up with the Member on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, during my Member’s statement I talked about the Taltson expansion, and wish to make sure it is officially and clearly on the record I am definitely in favour of the expansion of the Taltson project. That is certainly not my issue whatsoever. The issue really in front that I want to draw attention to is that if we run the power route only around Great Slave Lake through the East Arm, really it is only benefiting one customer, which is the diamond mine. I am taking the position that maybe that is not thought out sort of the bigger picture, which is what is it for, which is to help the people of the North as well. I would like to see the people supported first and equally. The diamond mine corporations will be using them as paid customers to help to pay for this. Mr. Speaker, if the final recommendation in the next little while comes forward that states that the East Arm route is the only route they are proposing, would the Minister advise ITI...Would Minister Bob McLeod be taking to Cabinet a new position, saying that over the islands and towards the North Slave region so you can hook up to the largest customers would be the new proposed route that Cabinet would be willing to support to benefit all residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Taltson expansion transmission line is presently undergoing environmental assessment. There is a desktop analysis being undertaken, at the direction of the environmental assessment, to look at additional routes for the transmission lines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My first question is, if it was a question, would be which route would be assessed? But, Mr. Speaker, it is on the street

already that the route has already been chosen and the recommendation will be the one that goes through the national park around the East Arm. I am taking the position, that is, of course, if that rumour turns out to be fact. Would the Minister representing this issue be saying, wait a minute? That doesn’t help the majority of citizens of the Northwest Territories and it doesn’t create a grid which helps lower overall costs in the Northwest Territories. Would he consider that position as a Cabinet position, just in case it is around the lake is the only option presented to this assessment? Thank you.

There are plans to give an additional updated briefing to committee with regards to the Taltson expansion. It is quite a complicated matter that presently what is being looked at that is the business case to go take a transmission line to the diamond mines. There is a corridor through the East Arm expansion, and the main consideration is the significant extra cost to look at different options going around the lake. The way it was set up was that the Hydro Act was split up so it would be paid by commercial users such as the diamond mines versus communities. The big question is if you go around the lake, there is significant more expense and there are significantly less customers to pay for the transmission line. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement, I said we have all heard about the road to nowhere, the bridge to nowhere and certainly if something happens to that sort of diamond area and some of those diamond mine companies have trouble in the economic world as we are experiencing now, we will have a power line to nowhere. Mr. Speaker, that is why I am suggesting that there are other routes such as over the islands that could hook up and create a grid with some of the largest customers in the Northwest Territories such as the North Slave Region, which could hook up other mines, not just diamond mines as well as Ingraham Trail customers. Mr. Speaker, is that area of consideration a reality from this Minister’s point of view to be a potential or real option in this routing? Thank you.

The numbers that we have seen with the preliminary analysis of the four proposed hypothetical transmission routes would indicate that it is very expensive and it will come down to whether it would be seen as a feasible investment for developing those transmission lines in view of the number of customers if you went around the lake.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll be quick. I’m not suggesting going all the way around the long way, around the lake. I’m talking about taking a shortcut over some of the islands which plop you right into the north side region quite quickly.

Mr. Speaker, half the population lives in this region; more than 50 percent of the North lives in this region. Where should this government be investing its money and its future into? Four potential diamond mines or at least more than 50 percent of the customers of the North Slave. Which area will the Minister be supporting? Thank you.

I’ll be supporting a business case that would see a successful expansion of the Taltson and where the government and Power Corporation can make money.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.