Good afternoon, colleagues. This is a reminder again that there are two interpreters with us; channel two is South Slavey and channel three is North Slavey. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the 2009-2010 Tourism Marketing Plan prepared by Northwest Territories Tourism. As Minister responsible for tourism, I approve the annual plan on the recommendation of the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee.

This committee is made up of 10 members from the tourism industry as well as two government representatives. The Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee provides strategic direction to Northwest Territories Tourism on development of the marketing plan for each year.

The Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee and Northwest Territories Tourism work well together, and through constructive dialogue, the marketing plan has improved each year. The plan for 2009-2010 has benefited not only from guidance from committee, but also from direct advice from our industry sectors.

The plan has a number of highlights, including clear goals and objectives by market, greater investment in our business markets, and recognition of the importance of our high spending competition closer to home in Alberta and British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to report some good news on developments in our tourism industry in light of the challenging stories we have been hearing about the travel industry lately.

While there is no doubt that the current economic downturn is having negative impacts on travel worldwide, I am confident that the tourism industry in the Northwest Territories will be, over the long term, healthy and robust.

In our Tourism 2010 plan, the Legislative Assembly approved initiatives designed to increase tourism spending to $145 million by March 31, 2011. I am pleased to report that as of March 31, 2008, most recent estimates indicate that visitor spending was just over $137 million for 2007.

Growth in business travel has driven much of the increase in visitor spending. Our investment of $1 million annually through Tourism 2010 has helped prepare our tourism operators to take advantage of this opportunity. Research, training and product development initiatives funded through Tourism 2010 has resulted in new partnerships and tourist package products, as well as new products aimed at both business travellers and leisure markets.

While we still have two years left in the Tourism 2010 plan, we are consulting with the tourism industry on Tourism 2015, a new plan to build on the momentum, experiences and successes achieved through Tourism 2010.

I would like to pass on to my colleagues the appreciation that the industry has expressed to me for the support that the Legislative Assembly has provided to our tourism businesses. Your support in providing investment in this sector will benefit our residents and our economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, I wish today to commend the Royal Canadian Army Cadets of Fort Simpson who have been excelling at cadet skills competitions. On January 18th in Whitehorse, they

swept the awards ceremony in the Western Arctic Area Skills Competition again. This past weekend in Iqaluit, at the Regional Cadet Skills Competition, they came in first in marksmanship and first in leadership and also achieving team silver in overall competition. In these events, cadets compete in marksmanship, a time leadership task, volleyball and a drill competition. To win the competition, cadets must use a variety of skills and become a cohesive working team for each of the activities. This competition encompasses many of the skills taught both in the Army Cadet and Air Cadet programs. Cadets from Fort Simpson continue to excel and three members of Fort Simpson out of a team of six will represent the Northern Region at the National Cadet Biathlon in Ottawa.

Cadets also had the chance to qualify for their marksmanship qualifications in Whitehorse. Nakita Larter qualified as a first-class marksman. Deirdre Yakineah and Alex Porter qualified as expert marksmen. Katelyn Herald, Alicia Norris, and Brandon Norris qualified as distinguished marksmen. Cadets from Fort Simpson had six of the 14 qualifications awarded.

Cadet Warrant Officer Charlene Deneyoua was also presented with the 2008 President’s Award for the Top Army Cadet in the Western Arctic by Mr. David Laxton. Charlene is the first recipient of this award. She was chosen for the award because she continuously demonstrates the values of the Cadet Program, such as loyalty, professionalism, mutual respect, and integrity. She was also presented with a Cadet Service Medal and accompanying bar for her five years as a Royal Canadian Army Cadet.

The Cadet Program is a community-based dynamic youth program which aims to develop citizenship, leadership, and physical fitness in Canada’s youth through a set of fun, challenging, well-organized, and safe activities.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

The success of this program and many others is the dedication and commitment of those that volunteer. In that light I also would like

to at this time commend the commanding officer, Lieutenant Diane Porter, and her staff, Officer Cadet Rhonda Landry, Second Lieutenant Steven Nichol, CI Nathalie Lavoie and CI Brian Herald. Congratulations to you all and keep up the good work.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement today to follow up on the Premier’s statement on energy from yesterday. The Premier announced that there will be a review of the structure and efficiency of the Power Corporation. It’s great news that he has committed to a formal review of the NWT Power Corporation. As noted by the Premier in his statement, customers, Members, and municipal leaders have long asked for the GNWT to look into how NTPC operates, if it has the organizational structure that it should, if it operates as efficiently as it should, if the management and board are cutting all the corners that they can to keep NWT residents’ power costs to a minimum.

In two Member’s statements that I made in October 2008 I said we have to look at revamping the corporation itself. NTPC must be renewed and reorganized. That NTPC is arm’s length from the government is a good thing, but it has led to a mentality in the organization that they can do whatever they wish without consequences. There seems to be little concern for the consumers, for good business practices on the part of the NTPC leadership, little desire to increase efficiencies and identify savings in order to keep our power rates at a reasonable level. A culture of efficiency and effectiveness must be instilled, with cost savings the number one priority for this company.

There are lots of possibilities where savings can be found. The corporation can eliminate management bonuses, trim administrative fat, and get creative with technology and innovation, for starters. Only after NTPC has clearly demonstrated that all avenues for cost savings have been explored can it be allowed to consider power rate increases for its users. It is the duty of the Power Corporation to do all it can to minimize the impact of power generation costs on the ordinary Joe or Joe the Plumber.

My opinion and my comments from October remain the same today. Now, more than ever, a review of NTPC is necessary. I welcome the announcement by the Premier and I look forward to the results of this review, hopefully by our fall sitting.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I’ll talk about and highlight the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors, YACCS, and their dedication and many contributions to Yellowknife and the NWT. YACCS has been active for 25 years, working with and on behalf of seniors in Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. YACCS is a recognized leader in the NWT for work with seniors, providing them with high quality community living choices, and advocating for their needs. They also worked to develop a wide range of services that allow seniors to age in their communities, close to families and other support systems. YACCS is committed to the safety and well-being of their clientele and employees, as well as continuous improvement of their organization.

YACCS has achieved great success at providing much needed facilities, programs, and services to seniors of the Northwest Territories. Two thousand and eight marked the 21st anniversary of Aven

Manor, a long-term care facility where caring and capable staff provide nursing and personal care to seniors 24 hours a day. They also offer a full schedule of activities for all residents to enjoy. Consistently at full capacity, Aven Manor is an asset to our community.

YACCS provides independent housing for seniors at Aven Court and, since December 2007, at Aven Ridge. These conveniently located units offer safe and attractive housing options for people 60 years of age and older.

The Baker Community Centre will celebrate its 11th anniversary this year. The Baker Centre is a multi-purpose facility that accommodates many social and recreational activities for seniors and the community-at-large. The Baker Centre project was initiated by a donation made by the late Ed Baker and completed through fundraising and community support. The Baker Centre is operated by the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, which continues to enjoy an excellent partnership with YACCS.

Soon, in late 2009, YACCS will begin operating the NWT’s first dementia facility with 28 beds. YACCS has been an advocate and champion for the development of this Territorial Dementia Facility. Without their drive and commitment I believe the Territorial Dementia Facility currently under

construction on YACCS’ property would not have seen the light of day.

YACCS is a valuable association made up of people who are deeply committed to the health and well-being of our senior citizens and ultimately the community as a whole. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask Members of this House and the public to join me in applauding all the staff and volunteers of YACCS for their hard work and dedication. Their contribution is appreciated.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In January 2009 the consumer price index for Yellowknife was released. It showed that the overall cost of goods increased by 2.7 percent compared to a year ago. This increase was due primarily to the high price of food, which rose by 9.6 percent from January 2008. These statistics reflect the cost of goods in Yellowknife only and do not measure the increased cost of goods in our smaller and more isolated communities. In 2008, for example, food prices in the Sahtu region were almost double the prices in Yellowknife.

Reducing the cost of living is something that we as Members of the Legislative Assembly have identified as one of our key priorities. The government has established that reducing the cost of living is a strategic initiative and have introduced a number of actions aimed at addressing these high costs. In the long term these actions will help to address the cost of living. Right now people are dealing with the increases of their electricity bills, higher prices for food and other essential items, at a time when the NWT is being impacted by global economy turmoil in which there are fewer job opportunities. People are struggling to make ends meet. They need some relief as soon as possible.

We have talked about these issues for many years. It’s time to take some real action. I urge the government to review its approach to reducing the cost of living and bring forward a concrete plan that will address the high cost of food and other essential items for people in smaller and remote communities sooner rather than later.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In times of economic and environmental challenges we can still find ways to reduce costs. I’d like to recognize the efforts of a group of employees in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources known as the Green Team. They have been working to reduce their department’s impact on the budget and the environment with a number of small measures adding up to big savings. All the printers in the department are set to print double-sided and one-sided sheets are used again. They have switched the entire department to recycled printer paper. Signs around the department remind staff to switch off lights and computers, and they have set appliances like energy hog coffee makers on timers to shut off at night and on in the morning. Simple and easy measures to take but in the long run they make a big difference.

The Green Team has also been participating in the commuter challenge, which encourages people to walk, bike or carpool to work instead of driving alone in a vehicle. Another measure that my colleague Wendy Bisaro was touting last week is to encourage caterers to not use bottled water and encourage staff to avoid disposable containers.

Mr. Speaker, while seemingly small and to many just common sense, most of the GNWT is still not following these kinds of steps towards a greener and more frugal way of doing business. Here at the Legislative Assembly I am happy to report most briefing binders coming through are printed double sided. Our use of unnecessary lighting is cut back and we are actively investigating other energy efficiencies for implementation. However, while ENR has been doing this for months, we are just now finally investigating the routine use of recycled paper.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I heard a Weledeh constituent interviewed on CBC. Mr. Blake Rasmussen eloquently described all the practical ways he has cut back his costs, reduced fossil fuel consumption and built an increasingly healthy lifestyle for his family and himself. He heats his home with wood that he carefully selects from the Duck Lake area. He keeps water hot on the woodstove for washing and to humidify the air. He gets his meat supply from the moose and caribou of the land. There is nothing to lose here, Mr. Speaker, and much to be gained.

I honour these early adopters and I encourage the entire government, our businesses and our families to take advantage of these practical and simple opportunities. By changing small habits bit by bit, we will move towards a more sustainable way of

doing business which can only bring benefits to us all. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am speaking in regards to computers in the schools in Nunakput. Speaking to the principal in Ulukhaktok, Nunakput communities, the schools have all outdated, second-hand and broken-down computers. Shame. These computers are often incompatible with modern software such as e-ware or, according to Mr. Bryant, most computers are even incompatible with the satellite link up in Ulukhaktok. Because of their isolated and unique communication challenges, limited access to the southern retailers, our schools should have modern, updated computers.

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to truly educate our youth to be competitive nationally and even internationally, we must commit to supply our schools with adequate resources required for today’s technological challenges and needs. Most schools have had the same computers for five to seven years. However, because these computers have been refurbished, they are an additional three to four years older. Mr. Speaker, it adds limitations to all Nunakput communities. Either lack of qualified computer technicians or do they not have enough to meet the needs of the community? Therefore, educators and students need the computers to be properly working and to not have technical problems. One educator in my riding told me that every computer in the community and the school has a serious problem. I believe education for our youth is very important. I believe preparing them for…

Mr. Jacobson, your time for Member’s statement has expired.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe education for our youth is very important. I believe preparing them for a rapidly advancing world is equally important. I believe the “C” in education in teaching the ABCs is computers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Governments around the world, including our federal government and provincial governments, realize that they must take action to protect and preserve our economy during these turbulent economic times. Mr. Speaker, our government has been very quiet when it comes to talking about our economy and how we may be able to help businesses stay alive. Obviously, much has been made of the Opportunities Fund and the process that allows the $34 million to be made, and the Minister of ITI was in the media last week ramping up expectations that the $60 million left available in the fund would be used to stimulate the economy. However, the process that will allow the $60 million to flow may take months to work out, Mr. Speaker. I have grave concerns that this money will not help small businesses in need of assistance. We don’t have months to wait.

Last fall I asked the Minister a number of questions about the BDIC and its role in economic development in our Territory. Today nothing has changed. The BDIC continues to lose staff. It lacks focus, has little to no direction from the Minister of ITI or Cabinet. They, quite simply, continue to prop up subsidiaries and manage delinquent accounts.

In today’s economic environment, we need to look at modifying existing policies and giving some solid direction to the BDIC. We can’t allow the corporation to continue to languish in the shadows of ITI. Now, more than ever before, this Territory, our economy and entrepreneurs need a meaningful, comprehensive and coordinated suite of services. The direction has to come from Cabinet and ITI to look at examining options that will foster business development and survival. New loans should not be subject to exorbitant or punitive interest rates; access to financing for existing businesses requires immediate review.

Mr. Speaker, it is my opinion that ITI should get out of the way of the BDIC and let it become all it was supposed to be, especially now when business, our economy and our residents will need the BDIC the most. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have had a chance to be in my constituency this

weekend and talk to several constituents. I was struck by the marked increase in the concern that is being caused by the uncertainty about our future in relationship to our economy, employment opportunities and the cost of living. People are desperately seeking some kind of indication of how far things are going to deteriorate or may deteriorate. The guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce AGM, Patrick LaForge from the Edmonton Oilers Club, suggested, in his very lively speech, that the global recession is perhaps being fuelled by the Globe and Mail. There is a certain element of that as well, Mr. Speaker, but the reality is that times are changing.

Because people do feel overwhelmed by this barrage of information, mostly bad news, much of which we have very little control over, they are looking to leadership from government, including our government, to bring some perspective and also affect the conditions in any way that we can. We know that many economic trends are cyclical, but in this day and age of unprecedented communication we know of and feel potentially impacted by almost every source of bad economic news. However, we do have a role to play, Mr. Speaker, and to have a hand in the things over which we do have control.

I am very interested in hearing from people in Hay River and across the North about the real and tangible things that we can do to relieve the pressures that they are experiencing in this time of high cost of living and potentially reduced economy. That is what we are here for. Like the famous saying that was attributed to Herbert Hoover at the outset of the Great Depression, he suggested there should be a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.

Mr. Speaker, maybe we should divert some of the money that we are spending on expensive reports and studies and all kinds of other things which tend to collect dust on a shelf and do something tangible, Mr. Speaker, like a woodstove in every house...

…to help offset the cost of heating our homes and that can be in every home and installed. Mr. Speaker, why not?

Mr. Speaker, I want to hear from the people. I want to hear what pressures they are experiencing, what they are struggling with right now and how we as a government can help in a tangible way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to ask and answer some questions in my statement on youth of Tu Nedhe. What are the youth doing? Mr. Speaker, the youth are not doing much, depending on the age they are, as there is only so much to do and in the other school there is even less to do. What do the youth have? Mr. Speaker, as you know, both Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution are small communities so the youth do not have the same opportunities as their counterparts in the larger centres. What do the youth need? Mr. Speaker, the youth need more. They need more in sports, recreation and youth facilities. They need more programming. They need more opportunities no matter what age they are.

What will it take to provide youth needs? Mr. Speaker, the youth know what they want and need and the community has certain resource people that can help facilitate opportunities. What the youth need is more support from this government and the communities need more resources to deliver what’s needed.

What are the alternatives for youth? Mr. Speaker, if the youth cannot get what they need, what are the alternatives? It is a well-known fact that when youth have nothing constructive to do or to participate in, it is only a matter of time before undesirable activities start to happen and the youth start to get into trouble and before too long a long cycle of trouble begins.

What is the cost of doing nothing? Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to sit by and do nothing. Heavy youth social programs have devastated the community of Lutselk’e and youth crime continues to be a real problem in Fort Resolution. Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to do nothing.

What is the benefit of providing youth with what they need? Mr. Speaker, if our communities are able to provide their youth with what they need, the benefits are tremendous. Mr. Speaker, with effective community-based youth programming, our youth can become positive role models themselves and they can become responsible members of their home community and go on to become healthy, productive citizens of the North.

Mr. Speaker, all too often youth issues are displaced by other seemingly important issues of the day. This must stop. The youth are our most important resource. It is time to focus on what...

Mr. Beaulieu, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, the Fort McPherson Indian Band is working with a log builder to develop a proposal to use their own wood products, use their own labour workforce and use the materials around them to construct log homes for their residents. Mr. Speaker, long before 2x4s and plywood was used to build our homes, people built their own homes using logs, from our grandparents to our parents. Yet, Mr. Speaker, for some reason we do not continue that practice and we are losing a very important skill that our grandparents used to have by building their own homes, having the ability to build their own cabins and also have the tools by way of using the resources around them.

Mr. Speaker, by using our own Northwest Territories wood products we can not only save on the transportation of goods and services and dependence on the South, but, more importantly, develop one of our economies that has been overlooked for years.

Mr. Speaker, as a government we have to think outside the box and, more importantly, outside the House. Mr. Speaker, this government has spent millions of dollars on stick-built houses in the Northwest Territories, but yet we’re still meeting the different challenges from mould to dealing with frost to dealing with structural challenges. Yet, Mr. Speaker, log homes that were built in the past are still standing in most of our communities and they continue to showcase the workmanship of the people that built them in the past. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we as a government have to take a step back, look at what was done in the past, restore the workforce that was used, give the people the skills and the opportunities to show that the craftsmanship that they have is as their grandparents had.

Mr. Speaker, I think as a government, you have $50 million coming forward from the feds, this is one of the initiatives that you should seriously consider by using the made-in-the-North attitude by using our wood products, using our skilled labour and, more importantly, using the materials that are really made in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Albert Bohnet is 92 years old. Febula Bohnet is 82. February 24th is a

very important day for them. Today they’ve been married 64 years.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, as I look around this Chamber, that’s far longer than any of us have been on God’s green earth. I think it’s a testimonial to their lifelong commitment to each other. I’d like to recognize that in this House and I would also like to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating and recognizing this very special day. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. As I mentioned, the Fort McPherson Band is looking at the possibility of doing a proposal by looking at log builders from the Yukon. The Yukon has shown that they can build log houses by way of prefab construction at a price around $120,000. I think, at that price, if we can compete in that market...It doesn’t have to be something fancy, just something that’s simple, has a roof, a couple walls and maybe one or two rooms in it. That’s all you need. I’d like to ask the Minister, would he seriously consider a proposal of this type from the band in Fort McPherson to move on this and also consider the use of that $50 million that we’re receiving through the federal housing system?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, during the presentation of the NWT Housing Corporation

budget I had indicated that we were looking for new avenues to deliver housing in the communities. We recognize right now that our Housing Choices Program does not have all the designs and the different modes of building and doing construction in our communities that suit some of the smaller communities and we’d be exploring new avenues. Many of the aboriginal leaders in the Territories have contacted us about log house construction and we are working towards the design, and we’d be very much interested in talking to the people from Mr. Krutko’s riding about the concept of what he’s proposing. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, also in my statement I made reference to the potential industry happening in the Northwest Territories by developing our wood products. I think it’s important that under our manufacturing directive that we expand it to allow for Northwest Territories wood products to be made than simply have a product trucked up from the south, put a stamp on it and say it was made in the North by slapping a few nails into it. I’d like to ask the Minister, would he consider looking at the possibility of prefab houses using wood products in the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Speaker, the idea of prefab units has been around for some time. We’re very much interested in that concept. It’s not something that most communities are readily accepting. The communities feel that construction in the communities that the houses are going to go to is a mode of economic stimulus, so we have to be very careful how we move forward. I am very keen on looking to see if there’s a way we can set up maybe a pilot project to do small units; small units that can be maybe used for emergencies. I’d be, once again, interested to hear the Member’s comments on that. Thank you.

I wasn’t having deja vu talking about NOVEL housing, I was talking about log housing, being used to use logs in the Northwest Territories, to basically build prefab houses. They build them in the Yukon. If you’re able to drive to Whitehorse, if you have a chance, you can see how these units are built in the industrial area. They’re basically constructed in Whitehorse and moved into a community. Basically by simply how you design and build the unit, it just comes apart and you move it to another location, put it back together and it’s ready to go. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’d seriously consider investigating that with his colleagues from the Yukon to see how they’re doing it over there and if we can implement a similar program in the Northwest Territories.

Our preference, of course, is to see if we can look at how to find a relatively cheaper way to put houses on the ground in the communities. When I mean mobile units or

modular built, I’m also talking about stick-built units; something that could be put together in a lot of cases where we can’t find carpenters or contractors to go in some of the small communities. We’re really struggling to find a way to get a house on the ground in the community. I’m looking at both stick-built and log units. Right now we weren’t looking at anywhere outside of the NWT. We were quite curious to see what our own designs would bring and our own staff would bring forward in terms of programs and see what the other communities are proposing. We have a number of communities that want to come forward and have discussions on initiatives they think will work. We have a lot of work ahead of us and our first step would be to bring something in front of the standing committee. I think we’re going to be sometime in early March that we’ll be bringing something forward for discussion.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to the training that is required, I know there are certain people in my riding who have been certified in log building. I believe they went all the way to Ontario to get the certification. I think it’s important that we do have the dollars available not only to train people but to get them certified in log building in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Minister to seriously consider looking at the possibility of having certification for log builders in the Northwest Territories and if they could provide training dollars to get people trained and certified in the Northwest Territories.

Before embarking on a log house program we’d have to look at a number of things. We certainly would have to go back and look at why some other programs we had, such as this SHAG program and others that involved log building, went wrong. I certainly would expect that capacity was an issue. To have training dollars put forward, I’d have to have that discussion with my colleague from Education, Culture and Employment. I’d certainly like to explore this further and I think there is a lot of merit to logging and it’s certainly an area that can provide employment in the communities. I will commit to following that up.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of ITI. We’ve had discussions in this House previously about business services here in the Northwest Territories and the role and mandate of the BDIC. I again

stand up here today. We’re in really tough economic circumstances. I think businesses and entrepreneurs are looking to the Government of the Northwest Territories to see what we will do, if anything, to help ease especially the credit crunch that many small businesses are going to face. The first question I would have for the Minister is what exactly the Government of the Northwest Territories is doing to ease the credit crunch for small businesses here in the Northwest Territories during these tough economic times.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m a bit surprised at the Member’s line of questioning. As he knows, the Business Development and Investment Corporation is an independent board that is set up through legislation of this Assembly. As such, I correspond by writing letters to them and meeting periodically with the chair and the president. The last time I met with the board I asked the BDIC to provide some suggestions for how we could work with businesses to lessen the impact of the downturn. They have since done so and I expect to be able to come forward at some point with those suggestions.

In my Member’s statement earlier I spoke of the relevancy of the BDIC and how it is that they’re lacking focus or direction. That direction has to come from Cabinet and the Minister. I’d like to ask the Minister why we even have a BDIC if ITI continues to be the delivery mechanism for their programs. That doesn’t make any sense to me.

The BDIC administers a $45 million loan fund. They have protocol agreements with ITI, with Community Futures groups and with municipalities that have economic development officers. As such, they administer the loans and they also provide for investment and employment through funding of subsidiary companies in the Northwest Territories.

Again in my Member’s statement, I suggested that ITI get out of the way and let the BDIC become all that it can be. When we had these discussions previously, it was supposed to be a comprehensive one-stop shopping for business services in the Northwest Territories. It hasn’t become that. It’s hidden in the shadows of ITI. I want to ask the Minister what direction he is giving ITI that is not allowing the BDIC to become all that it can be. They’re languishing behind here and we need to do something, especially now in these tough times.

I think what the Member is suggesting is to take all of the economic

development outside of the control of the ministry. As such he would suggest that all of the economic development programs be administered by an independent board which would only function by written directives from this government. I think the system is working quite well now where we have a BDIC, we have an Industry, Tourism and Investment department, and we have Community Futures. They’re all working together to promote economic development in the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back in October the Minister said, in a response to a question from me, that “we still feel that a protocol arrangement between ITI and BDIC is the way to go. It gives us the greatest flexibility, the greatest ability to meet the needs of our clients, which are the small businesses of the Northwest Territories.” I tend to agree with that statement, but again the BDIC has become irrelevant. All they do is prop up the subsidiaries and manage delinquent accounts. They do some work, yes, but I think they could be doing a heck of a lot more with the direction from this government, especially now in these tough times. Again I’d like to ask the Minister when we can have a discussion about what the role, the mandate and the future of the BDIC is going to be.

I certainly feel that BDIC is fulfilling a very important role. They’re managing a $45 million loan fund. Perhaps the Member should wait until we come forward with what has been proposed by the BDIC in terms of helping small businesses. I look forward to having discussion with him and to hear what suggestions the Member has for helping small business in the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I spoke about youth needs in Tu Nedhe. I have questions for the Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Robert C. McLeod. Does the Minister and his department have an inventory of youth, meaning do they know which youth are out there in the communities and what they have to support them in those communities?

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not quite sure we have an actual inventory of youth. I think the department is well aware of who’s out in the communities and what their needs are. But as far as an actual inventory, I don’t think we have one yet.

My next question for the Minister is, has the Minister worked with other departments or his own department in developing a Youth Strategy, like the very beginnings of a Youth Strategy for the youth of the Northwest Territories?

Back in the fall session I did commit to having the department start a Youth Strategy. I am pleased to inform the Member that the Youth Strategy has been started. There’s a lot of work being done on it. We’re expecting to have it out to the MLAs for some feedback early this year.

My next question is that in the budget MACA had put some money in the budget for hiring youth workers. Has the Minister and his department started the process of hiring youth workers for this government?

There were two youth positions that were on the books and one has been hired for the southern part of the Northwest Territories. They are just working on bringing the one on board in the northern region.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s good news. Earlier in this session I had asked the Minister about budgets that are spread out through the other departments. My question for the Minister is has he begun the process of discussing youth budgets and youth activities with other departments such as Education, Health, Justice and Finance?

I have started having discussions informally with the other departments to see what kind of money they have in their budgets as far as youth go. Hopefully we’ll be able to follow up with that work and come up with a good figure as to how much money across government is dedicated to youth programs.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve heard lots of good ideas about how to save on our budgets and build on our capacity while still being good to the land in our statements here today.

Keeping our own House in order, of course, is a good place to start, and I’m aware there are strong interests in both conservation and lowering costs that exist across disciplines and departments. I’m wondering, and I would direct this perhaps to the Premier or the Deputy Premier, have there been Green Teams or the equivalents established in each department of this government?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the issue of conservation and efficiencies in offices have been dealt with at a deputy level. Some departments, as identified within the Department of ENR, have a Green Team. Other departments have undertaken it in a different manner.

Thanks for those comments. Of course, it’s come to the observation of myself and other constituents and so on that work for the department, that there is quite an extreme range between departments, perhaps because of this lackadaisical approach. So there is an opportunity here for a more structured approach. I wonder if the Premier would commit to taking that on. Could he also tell me if we are measuring the gains that are being made by the Green Team and other department equivalents?

There is an effort to measure the results of the conservation work that’s going on in departments, mainly in ENR. As for coming up with more of a strategic or common approach amongst departments, I’ll definitely look at that and see if we can try to come up with an approach that energizes our departments to look more at it; maybe even a bit of a competition as to what we can do in trying to save energy in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you very much for that response. I think this sort of work does indeed energize a bunch of employees, certainly those that are into it. They appreciate the opportunity to contribute. I’m wondering if the Premier could -- and perhaps he already has -- look for opportunities to spread this information or make this widely available. There was a recent article in Bear Facts that was a good example of that sort of thing.

We will look at opportunities to make this known and try to set up a program and bring this more and more out to all of our employees and the public.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think this would be good progress. I think becoming

routine and perhaps an annual way of reporting it, perhaps encouraging a departmental competition would be good. Finally, towards this, I’m wondering if the Premier would consider establishing a Premier’s Award or something like that for those employees who go above and beyond and show major ways to capitalize on conservation and at the same time lowering of costs to this government.

I would be happy to take that into consideration to add that as one of the designations for either teams or people within the government to either suggest or show areas of energy conservation for the departments.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke on the high cost of foods in the Sahtu region. I want to ask the Minister of Transportation, in terms of our past discussions, with the issue of the Food Mail Program, with respect to transportation...Has the Minister made any type of contact with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs or Canada Post in terms of seeing if Norman Wells could be a point of location to distribute the Food Mail Program?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has been in contact with INAC and has provided some suggestions as to how to improve the Food Mail Program. One of the things we did bring forward was to remove the point of origin for shipments and allow them to be consolidated into any southern transportation hub or cargo hub, for that matter. We also suggested that they allow the airlines themselves to administer the Food Mail Program.

Can the Minister inform the House as to the type of indications from the Department of Indian Affairs as to how soon this Food Mail Program in terms of its original points of departure if they could somehow give an idea as to when they will have this in Norman Wells?

It’s quite difficult as to when the federal government will be responding to our suggestions. There is a committee that’s been formulated that the department is administering. The federal government, INAC, are doing the review. There is a member from the Northwest Territories on it. Indicators are that they will be

ready to come forward with a public release on their findings sometime this summer.

I certainly appreciate the comments from the Minister in terms of the Food Mail Program. I hope that’s something like the electricity review that we’re having in the Northwest Territories so that we can know exactly what the price of food does really cost when they factor in all the costs once it’s delivered into our region. I would ask the Minister if he would, through his contacts with this review, if there’s any chance of this side of the House in this Assembly having some discussions on the important program the federal government has to offer to the people on the review of the Food Mail Program in the Northwest Territories.

It’s been fairly difficult to get information on the review itself. It is a federal review. It is a federal program. We have been asked to provide some input. Outside of that, we don’t have a lot of detail. I will and I am in the process, as Member’s have requested information prior to this, of writing a letter to Mr. Chuck Strahl voicing some issues and asking for some information. I also will ask some of the committee members that are representing the federal government on this program review to consider maybe making a presentation to the small communities that are being serviced by the Food Mail Program so that will allow them to have some input. I would commit to doing that.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to the Minister’s communiqué with Minister Strahl. In Norman Wells two litres of milk is $7.19 versus in Yellowknife $2.54. The point I’m trying to get at is our people in the small, isolated communities want to know why the same two litres of milk costs so much in Norman Wells. We’re directing and having some say into this government here. I’m asking the Minister if he could work with his colleagues, as the government here, to tell the federal government why this Food Mail Program needs to be improved in our small, isolated communities in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister give that commitment to us?

The whole idea behind the Food Mail Program was to make nutritious and perishable food more affordable to our communities. We have 17 communities across the Northwest Territories that take part in the program. There is, I think...And I agree with the Member that there is a need for the Regular Members to have direct input. I certainly would make the request to the federal government to allow some of their program people to come and hear the Members

from the small communities that are representing communities that are part of Food Mail to have a say.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to ask some questions to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Much has been said by this side of the House over the last couple years in trying to get some answers on returning the public housing rental subsidy back from ECE over to the Housing Corporation. I would just like to know how much work has been done with respect to that.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we just passed the motion in Committee of the Whole two or three days ago. We haven’t had a lot of time to do work on it. I’ll have to say, though, that this is an issue that has been raised many times by the Members of this House over the last while and we certainly agree that we need to take a look at the issue.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is the one that’s delivering the subsidy and we have to work with them. They have provided me with some of the earlier reports that they have done in terms of research and it’s more along the lines of how to review how to make the program more efficient, not to see how well the whole program has been working. I wanted to be able to review that information and I’ve committed to get back together with Minister Jackson Lafferty from ECE to make the final decision. Now that we have a motion, I’m sure those are the next steps that will be decided on.

We all know government doesn’t work at light speed, so two days is pretty quick, I guess. But our motions have been in effect for a couple years and the whole issue is that the Housing Corporation and ECE are using economic rent. For a simple two-bedroom that would be $1,600, market rent is estimated in my community at $1,200. The problem is we are overcharging our people. I really object to that and I’d like to tell this government that is a real issue here. We’re overcharging our people, we’re creating hardships. We have to act quickly and return the public rental housing subsidy back to the Housing Corporation, because at that time that similar situation was worth about $600 a month.

I believe the Member is raising two different issues. First of all, the first question was regarding the amalgamation or transfer of responsibilities for the subsidy programs to ECE. Now we’re talking about rent scales. That’s actually two different issues that more than likely would have to be both addressed and reviewed. We haven’t decided to do both. We have a motion in this House to do a review of the effectiveness and how, overall, the separation of responsibilities for social housing has been working. Rent scales is another area that needs to be looked at and we will be looking at how to do that also.

To our residents and constituents it’s the same issue. They’re being impacted and paying higher costs, they’re falling behind in arrears and it’s creating hardship. I again ask the Minister of Housing to work with his colleague, the Minister of ECE, to move this thing forward. How long do people have to wait for studies?

I disagree with the Member that they’re the same thing. We could put the subsidy program back into the Housing Corporation and the rents will still stay the same. That doesn’t have any bearing on actually what the rent scales are. The rent scales are another issue that we have to look at. It’s based on income, condition of the house and a number of factors. Lowering or changing the rent scales also has another issue that comes along with it, which is how do we cover the operation of our social housing units when the federal government is reducing their assistance to us. Where do we find that? We’d have to go back to Finance to find new dollars to support the program. It’s more complicated than just deciding to lower the rent across the board. We recognize it’s an issue. We need to look at it. It’s something that we will be talking about to with ECE, because they’re the ones who provide the subsidy levels. That’s a separate issue. I agree it also needs to be looked at.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the key message here is that we have to tell our constituents, and the people of the North in the regions and the communities, that government is acting as quickly as they can and I’d like to get that commitment from the Minister.

There is a whole wide range of issues that the Housing Corporation is looking at right now. There are some as a result of questions in this House, issues being raised in this House. Some are as a result of motions in this House and Committee of the Whole. So we’re looking at thresholds. We’re looking at the subsidy

amounts. We probably, more than likely, would be looking at rent scales along with ECE. We’re also looking at the issue of how well the program has been run since the social subsidy programs have been transferred to ECE. We’re looking at incorporating an appeal process. So we have, I would say, roughly eight or nine initiatives, reviews and decisions that will have to come as a result of those reviews that also have to be made. I will and I have committed to meeting with the standing committee to look at all the different areas that we are reviewing and have more detailed discussion with the Members and listen and take the input they provide and try to incorporate it into what we’re doing.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions again are to the government here and to the Minister responsible for Reducing the Cost of Living Initiative. I’ve read, very carefully, the public document the government has highlighted in terms of the priorities. I wanted to ask the Minister of this strategic initiative to reduce the cost of living if he can tell me what progress has been made in reducing the high consumer costs in our small communities in the short term.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable lead Minister for reducing the cost of living, the Honourable Sandy Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The work of this committee is strategic in nature. The government looks to make multi-year investments to reducing the cost of living in our communities in the long term by investing in our roads, investing in our airports and investing in our commercial power subsidy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Reducing the Cost of Living Strategic Initiative addresses the reality of the high cost of living in the Northwest Territories. The actions of this initiative will aim to help manage the cost of living in the short term and alleviate some of the pressures of the cost of communities in the long term. Again, I ask the Minister, what is she doing in terms of any type of concrete plan? What is she doing to reduce the cost of living in the short term in our small, isolated communities? Where are the concrete plans in the short term?

I think the work of this committee, the government and the Legislature recognizes that in order to reduce the cost of living

in the communities, we need to reduce the cost of food, cost of bringing goods, cost of fuel, and so the investments in the roads and the commercial power rates and the airport runways are very, very important investments. In the immediate past, the government has -- and I believe the Minister of Public Works has announced that a number of times -- been able to reduce the fuel costs in communities by 16 cents per litre. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, certainly the Minister is very correct in terms of the government’s response, in terms of the fuel, the gasoline costs and the heating fuel in our small communities to make it manageable. I am asking the Minister is she going to bring forward some concrete plans that would look at ways that they can immediately, in the short term, reduce the cost of living in terms of the pricing of our fuel. Mr. Premier has indicated through his speech yesterday in terms of electricity rates. I am looking at areas where people in our small communities can see the immediate benefit of lowering the cost of living in our small communities. Will the Minister bring some concrete plans forward?

I would be happy to, once again, come and meet with the committee to…We update the work of committee and where we are going forward with…Mr. Speaker, I think it should be recognized that under these difficult economic times, the budget that has been announced was written in a way that was mindful of the cost of living issues for our residents. We heard loud and clear during the revenue options discussions that our people would like our taxes to not go up, remain the same, and we have done our work to do that. We have reduced the cost of fuel where the fuel is being managed by POL. We will continue to look to make sure that in all that we do that we try to keep in mind that reducing and maintaining our cost of living low is one of the biggest priorities of our residents.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. A final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, again I would ask the Minister in terms of the strategic initiative points that are listed by the government here. They are addressing some of the factors of the impact of the cost of goods in the communities that had some discussions with the Minister of Transportation on the Food Mail Program. This is what I’m looking for in the immediate short term: concrete plans that this committee here can look at. What are some of the things that this Minister can bring forward in this House to reduce the cost of living in the short term that will have an impact on our communities? That is what I’m looking for. She is giving me some…

Mr. Speaker, the Food Mail Program is a federally run program. I understand that the program is under review by the federal government. The government is discussing that issue. I understand the Member would like to know if we are investing X number of dollars to reduce the cost of goods in the immediate future. What we are saying is the investments in infrastructure are a way, and a sure way, to reduce the cost of living in our communities for the long term. We continue to provide upwards of 160 to 170 million dollars subsidy in various programs to our seniors, in fuel subsidies, in all kinds of ways to keep maintaining a lower cost of living for our residents. There is more to do. We will continue to work on that. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier. I spoke in my statement about the Premier’s statement yesterday about energy and the fact that he has committed to establish a review of the NWT Power Corporation. He has also stated that he plans to appoint these people and hopefully he will have the names to us by about the middle of March. Assuming that that schedule remains the same, I would like to know from the Premier when we could expect that this review will get started. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once we have the group appointed, a panel appointed for the review, I am hoping that they can get underway and do the work as soon as possible and that we would be able to report to Members how that work is ongoing. Thank you.

Thanks to the Premier for his response. It may be a little bit early at this point to expect that terms of reference have been determined, but I would like to ask the Premier whether that is in fact the case. If they have been written already, I would like to know from the Premier whether or not they can be shared with Members. Thank you.