Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the need to deliver environmental monitoring programs for residents of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. Mr. Speaker, Lutselk’e is a small, isolated community located on the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake. It is right in the heart of the proposed new national park and sees a lot of resource exploration. Fort Resolution is situated on the south shore of the Great Slave Lake near the mouths of the Slave and Taltson rivers, both of which have been impacted by hydro and tar sands projects and is a close neighbour to the former lead/zinc mine in Pine Point.

Mr. Speaker, both communities are located in prime ecological and wildlife treasures. Local residents have inhabited these areas for hundreds and hundreds of years primarily because of the abundance of fish and game which continue to support a subsistence lifestyle for some to this day. However, Mr. Speaker, times have changed; in activities such as resource development like diamond mining and the Fort McMurray tar sands, are having long-lasting negative effects on plants, marine, wildlife, animals, the water and the air.

Mr. Speaker, with all of these activities and recent changes in the climate, we need to do more and need to know more exactly what it is that is being affected. We need to properly and accurately collect records necessary on environmental and wildlife data on a regular basis so that we can measure and better mitigate and adapt to these impacts.

Mr. Speaker, many residents of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e have lived there for generations. Not only are they not planning on leaving any time soon, Mr. Speaker, but these residents are very familiar with the land around their prospective communities.

Mr. Speaker, with all this resource development exploration, the Tu Nedhe people want to protect their environment, their water and their wildlife. They would like opportunities to monitor the land, wildlife and the water.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, they are aware that the environment affects climate and it even affects discussions as far as future land claims and so on. Mr. Speaker, there is a complex environmental assessment process. There is a real need to have a good supply of environmental monitors, and what better candidates are there than those who live in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. Later today, I will have questions for the Minister of ENR. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

I would like to talk today about an issue that affects a lot of Northerners. It is an issue about trying to be able to afford basic living here in the North. Whether you are a one-income family or two, everyone needs to be able to afford to live somewhere. In many cases, and not all, but many of these people can’t afford to buy and own their own homes so they do what everyone else does in this situation, they rent. Now over the last few years, I have seen rent rates jump 16 percent or more each year here in Yellowknife. I have learned that even in some small communities around our great North, rents have jumped to an impossible rate of 33 percent up. This is just one example I have been informed about.

I don’t have an issue with a landlord that needs to cover their costs and most certainly I think that they should be able to make a reasonable profit, Mr. Speaker, but I dare them, I challenge anyone to explain to me and justify a 33 percent increase. I dare them to look me straight in the eye and do so.

Now in Yellowknife, our most recent rentals officer report says we have a vacancy rate of 1.2 percent for 2007. So what options does that leave the average family, a family on a tight budget, to find another place to live? Largely none, Mr. Speaker. Between the costs of the move, the cost of changing address information, the new damage deposit that must be paid up front, it doesn’t really leave a lot of room for any type of decision.

Now what do you do when you live in a small community where there are no vacancies? What do you do when you live in a small community and you live in the only apartment or rental complex? Now that is a real rock and a hard place. In the end, you have to pay. Some of you start to make choices that average families shouldn’t have to, and then they fight to get by. So what does that mean? Maybe less school clothes for the kids, maybe less meat at the dinner table, perhaps maybe even less food at the kitchen table, but thankfully most of them find ways to get by. Obviously, Mr. Speaker, the ball is in the landlord’s court. The game is being played by their rules only.

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of options before us that could be done to help this average family trying struggling to get by. The options before us are simple. The Residency and Tenancy Act is being reviewed right now. There would be no better time to implement a process to help protect the average family.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, time is of the

essence. The Residency and Tenancy Act does not come open every time to discuss the elements of what it means. Mr. Speaker, the Minister will tell you that landlords can raise the rent only once a year. Of course, the Minister will be right about that fact. I will tell you that the way the law is written today, the landlord has every right to raise the rent to whatever percentage they want to. Mr. Speaker, don’t be fooled. Some do. Mr. Speaker, let’s not call this rent control. Let’s call it fair protection for working families trying to get by. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Speaker, today I am speaking on the lack of high school student accommodations. I remember my first days in secondary school a long time ago. It was very scary, new friends, new pressures, and new environment. For most students from small isolated communities, it is a new place to live, due to the fact that most small communities do not have a high school. Many students leave their strong family support network and go to a larger community such as Inuvik. Unfortunately, what seems to be a growing trend in many regional centres is students

are finding it harder and harder to find suitable student accommodations. That is just a shame of this government. These inadequacies are a perfect example of differences between the communities and the lack of government initiatives and an effort to resolve them. We have all heard time and time again one of the pillars of this government is equal accessibility of a high level of education for all northern students. I try not to use the American cliché, leave no child behind policy. So if this is the case, then why is this government not living up to the commitments for both parents and students?

The recent closure of these homes for the students, many regional centres across the Northwest Territories, has emphasized these problems. Students embarking on a new adventure in school, a new place, should not have to worry about having a safe, reliable roof over their heads. The necessities of life must be given to them, must be supported 110 percent by this government. Anything else would only be the shame of this series of derelictions of responsibilities. Many of us who have lived in the North for a long time have all heard the challenges. Problems and statistics related to students in small isolated communities and hearing situations makes me wonder if these are some of the causes and if this government is truly serious about our children’s education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to speak to the debate held yesterday in regard to the board reform motion. Firstly, I want to thank all of those who came to the Assembly yesterday: the trustees, the employees, the parents and the grandparents, the students, the preschoolers and the babies. They all took the time to show us in person where they stand and how they feel about the proposed Board Reform Initiative.

One of my colleagues called yesterday’s debate and the resulting vote democracy in action, and I agree. It was the most fundamental display of democracy that we can have. The debate was enlightening and I was pleased that both the remarks and the Member’s actions remained respectful throughout. I have to commend Minister Miltenberger for surviving oral questions. It’s got to be tough to be on the hot seat for an hour with a packed gallery hanging on every word and still maintain composure.

As with the supplementary health benefits proposed changes, I sense a willingness on the part of

Members on both sides of the House to find some efficiencies, effect some change in our current board structures and keep most people happy; we’re not all going to be happy. I appreciated the remarks to the motion made by the Premier which explained his and Cabinet’s position and I take Mr. Roland at his word when he said, “I would say that we would agree there needs to be a different process to this.” I take Mr. Roland at his word when he said, “We’ve heard from Members of this Assembly. We’ve heard from the people of the Northwest Territories and would say that the motion as it’s worded we would be supportive. I look forward to sitting down with Members to try and come up with a better approach as to how we can make it work for the people we represent in the spirit of consensus government.” Thank you to the Premier for acknowledging to MLAs and to the public that the motion has value, that the process needs changing and that both Cabinet and Regular Members should work on this difficult issue. Together we can find a solution that is workable for the residents of our Territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the opportunity, along with a constituent of mine, to visit the Stanton Hospital as one of our elderly people was brought in from the region to receive medical care at this hospital. This elderly lady is in her 90s and I’ve watched these dedicated staff up there, the nurses, take care of her. As she was lying there -- me and my constituent were talking -- I had a vision there in the hospital, Mr. Speaker, in terms of wouldn’t it be nice if we had this type of facility in the Sahtu where we could bring our elderly people into the Sahtu region rather than fly all the way to Inuvik or to Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the nurses in the hospital that they do take very good care of our elderly people while they are in these facilities. However, because of the way things are, you have a dedicated group of nurses that are dedicated to the care of our people here. I thought, well, wouldn’t it be nice to have this type of facility in the Sahtu where you have a group of dedicated professionals to look after our elderly people in the Sahtu region. I know there is a time when we’re going to have further discussions on this. Actually, I phoned the chair of our Sahtu health board and I asked him, is this regional wellness centre or a hospital or whatever you call it, is it still a priority of the

regional board members. He said, yes, it’s still a priority.

I’m asking the Minister here if she could take some time to discuss with her staff and have a dedicated person to sit down with the regional health board members and look at options as to how we could fund a regional wellness centre. Certainly they have done it with the Dementia Centre, they have done it with the primary consolidated health clinics in Yellowknife, and they have looked at other avenues in terms of how they can get support from the other hospitals. We are asking for that in the Sahtu region. There are over 250 elders in the Sahtu region and sooner or later a lot of them are going to be needing care like this lady in the hospital. Again, I’m pleading to the department and this government to see if they could put in a regional wellness hospital centre in the Sahtu region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the people of Fort Providence gathered together to say goodbye to a well-known member of the community, Mr. Alistair Geddes, or Sandy as he was better known, who passed away unexpectedly last Friday.

Mr. Speaker, he was born, as he liked to put it, somewhere 60 miles north of Regina on November 9, 1930. He came north to Hay River in the ‘50s to work as a commercial fisherman and went on to work for NT and also BNR Construction. In the ‘70s, Mr. Geddes moved to Fort Providence to raise his family and to work in the building construction projects that were going on there. Mr. Speaker, I would venture to say that he was involved in some way in every construction project that was delivered in that community over the last 30 years. Even on his last day of life, Mr. Speaker, at 78 years old, he was out talking to businesses and companies about potential work.

Mr. Speaker, I also had the opportunity to personally work alongside Sandy for many years during the days of the Norman Wells Pipeline Project and I will remember him as a very strong, physically strong man, very intelligent person who could build anything that he put his hands on. He was very good at working with wood, cement, bricks. He could fix furnaces. He did plumbing and heavy equipment. He was truly a jack-of-all-trades. Sandy was very well-respected in the construction industry and by all those who knew him. He was a

very head-strong person but was also, at the same, time very compassionate and committed to his family and his friends. He always kept us on our toes and really every time we saw him he always brought a smile to our face. Mr. Geddes will certainly leave a lasting legacy in our community. He did much to make our community what it is today by his attitude to hard work and setting a pace that others needed to follow.

Mr. Speaker, he is survived by his wife, Harriet, his daughter, Cheryl, his sons, Herbie and Jerry, and many grandchildren. I’d like to offer my condolences to all the members of his family. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize Chief Isadore Simon from Jean Marie River who is in the gallery here today. I’m very happy to see him. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly. As well, with him is Ms. Nina Firth-Larsson of Heating Technologies Limited. Her company is assisting the chief in the biomass proposal. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been looking for a sure sign of spring and I’d like to recognize our local golf professional, Mr. Gord Brayton, back to Yellowknife and to the House today. Welcome.

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

Mr. Speaker, it’s my pleasure today to recognize Mr. Stuart Hamre, who is working as a Page for us this last couple of weeks and probably will be with us for another couple of weeks yet. Thank you, Stuart, for doing the good job you’re doing.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Welcome everyone to the gallery today. Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the budget that’s currently before the House, there is some money to train Northerners in the area of environmental monitoring mainly focused on the regions that are going to be directly impacted by the proposed pipeline. How the money is going to be allocated has not been finalized, as far as I’m aware, but there is that money in addition to, of course, recognizing that the broader issue of environmental monitoring, especially of the water, is mainly a federal jurisdiction. But we are starting to invest money in there because it’s such an important issue. Thank you.