Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. It gives me great pleasure to welcome our colleague back; Mr. Abernethy is back with us today.

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Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, many Northwest Territories residents are watching with great interest as our Canadian athletes, including Hay River’s own Brendan Green, strive to “Own the Podium” at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

It is important to note that the Olympics are more than just a sporting event. These Olympics are not just Vancouver’s games, but Canada’s games and, more importantly, have been the first Olympics to fully partner with aboriginal people. The 2010 Olympics are also a celebration of arts and culture, which we witnessed when our performing artists put on a tremendous show during the Victory Day celebrations held at B.C. Place on NWT Day last Friday. Today I’d like to highlight the Northwest Territories visual artists we have at the games.

Mr. Speaker, the 10 visual artists representing our Territory at the games are from all five regions of the Northwest Territories. They represent various genres of our arts and fine crafts sector and produce work that ranges from moose hair tufting to beadwork.

The Olympics experience will be an invaluable one for these artists. They will be able to expose their work to a large audience during the games. This audience encompasses not just Canada, but the world. They will also collaborate with other artists, acquire marketing skills and meet art gallery owners.

But it’s not just these 10 artists that will benefit from the government’s Olympics presence. Our Territory and its arts and fine crafts sector will also gain much exposure from this initiative. That’s because the artists are not just there to showcase their work, but to act as ambassadors of the Northwest Territories. While they are in Vancouver, they are taking part in workshops, telling stories about our land and culture, providing hands-on demonstrations of their work and promoting the Northwest Territories as a place to visit, live, work and invest in.

Mr. Speaker, we believe the investments we are making in our artists during the 2010 Winter Olympics will strengthen national and international awareness of Northwest Territories art and highlight our traditional arts and fine crafts. In turn, this will potentially open up new markets for our arts and fine crafts sector and create awareness of the Territory in general, of our land, our people and our enormous potential.

Mr. Speaker, these 10 artists are examples of the depth of talent we have in the arts and fine crafts sector and I’d like to publicly acknowledge these talented individuals at this time.

The artists are Brandy Wilson from Fort Smith; Cecile Deneyoua from Hay River; Mary Okheena from Ulukhaktok; Elizabeth Drescher from Inuvik; Janet Grandjambe and Lucy Yakeleya from Fort Good Hope; Jennifer Walden and Jamie Look from Yellowknife; Karen Cumberland from Fort Liard and John Sabourin from Fort Simpson.

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I would encourage the Members of this Legislative Assembly and all Northwest Territories residents, to visit the government’s Olympics website to learn more about these artists, who they are, the work they do and where they are from. This website contains detailed biographies of all 10 artists and a wealth of information about the government’s other activities to promote the Northwest Territories at the Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the rest of the Members of this Legislative Assembly to join me now in saluting our Northwest Territories artists, as a sign of support for these individuals who are doing so much to help the government achieve its goals of promoting this great land of ours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the Northwest Territories Biomass Energy Strategy.

Biomass energy is renewable energy derived from organic plant materials produced by photosynthesis. Essentially, it is solar energy stored in the mass of trees and plants. Biomass energy is available in the NWT in the form of wood and wood pellets.

An increased use of wood and wood pellets as an alternative source of energy supports the Government of the Northwest Territories goal of an environment that will sustain present and future generations.

Given the increasing cost of heating our homes and businesses, our growing concern about the impacts of climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, wood and wood pellet heating is an economically and environmentally friendly alternative.

Mr. Speaker, climate change remains a serious issue for the people of the Northwest Territories. Our government continues to support, investigate and implement initiatives that will assist in adapting to and mitigate the impacts of climate change in the NWT. The sustainable and wise development of forest resources will help us achieve this.

The Biomass Energy Strategy is an integral part of the Greenhouse Gas Strategy as any progress away from fossil fuel consumption towards a carbon-neutral fuel will dramatically reduce emissions. By using carbon sources that already exist in the ecological system, we use energy without adding new carbon into the system, which has been the largest factor leading climate change.

We hope this strategy will lead to an increase in the use of biomass products, such as wood and wood pellets, by promoting the use of local and important biomass products and reducing our dependency on diesel fuel.

Mr. Speaker, more than 33 hectares of land in the NWT is covered by forests. With careful planning, our forests have the potential for the sustainable harvest of biomass energy because the forest industry currently operates at very low levels. As advances in new technology bring new furnaces and boilers to market to replace or augment oil as a fuel source, wood and wood pellet heating is becoming more and more popular.

Wood pellets are a Canadian renewable resource made from forest industry waste-wood and are used in wood pellet stoves, boilers and furnaces.

Burning at a very high temperature, wood pellets eliminate the waste product often associated with wood heat.

Biomass is also available in the NWT from: wood resident in the form of woodchips from forest fire burn areas; forest thinning for community protection; road building and maintenance and pipeline or seismic line cutting; cardboard, paper or construction and demolition waste; and fast growing willow or poplar.

When a tree is harvested and burned as biomass energy, it is considered carbon neutral as long as the forest is regenerated, both naturally and with silviculture. This cycle results in tree replacement and greenhouse gases neutrality. The department is currently drafting an implementation plan for forest renewal in the Norwest Territories to ensure the sustainable use of our forest resources. It will focus on planning processes and harvesting guidelines that are created to promote natural regeneration and minimize site disturbance.

Timber harvesting continues in the NWT and may expand with recent interest in the potential of harvesting for biomass crops. While ENR will continue to actively reforest harvested lands, the management methods incorporating natural regeneration are expected to become even more important.

By adapting our usages of energy and carbon, we are beginning to reduce the negative effects on the overall world climate and the NWT. The strategy will guide our actions to reduce emissions, and the costs associated with home and business heating, through the increased use of wood and wood pellets. It also established the conditions necessary to enable biomass energy to become an integral part of the energy is in the NWT.

We will continue to work very closely with the NWT communities in both the implementation and planning of biomass initiatives. Mr. Speaker, the NWT is working to become a leader within Canada on alternative, sustainable energy. The Biomass Energy Strategy should help us achieve this goal. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, Education Week, February 22nd to the 26th , is a time

to thank educators across the Northwest Territories for the difference they make in the lives of northern students and families. It’s because of their hard work that students are able to graduate and pursue

a post-secondary education and fulfilling employment opportunities.

Each year, the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association honours our northern educators with the Thank You for Making a Difference campaign. They continually received nominations from students all over the Northwest Territories who want their teachers recognized for the difference they make in their lives. Our teachers are on the frontlines of our education system, teaching our young people the skills they need to reach their full potential and achieve success. They invest a great deal of their time, both in and out of the classroom, tutoring students, coaching teams and, of course, preparing class material.

I think it is safe to say making a difference in the lives of students is why most people become teachers. It’s great that they have opportunities like this to hear these words of appreciation. All our teachers deserve our gratitude for everything they do. I want to congratulate everybody who received nominations, and those who are receiving Thank You for Making a Difference awards.

One issue our teachers face is the need to improve student attendance. When a student is away from school, they miss valuable lessons and fall behind in their work. It is important to remember that education is a collective responsibility shared not only by teachers, but by parents, students and other members in our communities. We all have roles to play to help our young people achieve success. The department recently launched a campaign to improve attendance. Look for our ads and other promotional items that address this important issue.

Programs like the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative are bringing healthy meals into schools so kids are ready for class in the morning. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative also provides laptops to high school kids and money for school libraries to purchase much needed books for literacy. Schools across the Northwest Territories are also developing mentorship opportunities that bring students together with elders and there are rewards and incentives for improved attendance. By working together, we can help our students receive the education they deserve.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the teachers and educators across our Territory who commit so much of themselves so their students can be successful. I also want to thank our partners in the communities, aboriginal government, industry and at Aurora College, who continually work to improve education and training opportunities for our people. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the demolition of the Deh Cho Hall in Fort Simpson. This is slated to be done in the summer and completed by the fall time. I have been advised that nothing can be salvaged from the building for community use. Residents of Fort Simpson find that very hard to believe. Why would our government not allow residents and/or organizations an opportunity to use salvageable material for the benefit of residents or their organizations?

Mr. Speaker, I am in favour of coming to some kind of solution that will benefit the community. We have had previous buildings of the same age and construction completely retrofitted and the material was used in the community. The benefits are many. In fact, members of the Catholic Church are looking for a cost-saving solution to replace their existing church. I see that lumber and framing material from the Deh Cho Hall can go a long ways in assisting them. I also see that constructively taking down the building will provide many man hours of work. I will, once again, ask the Minister of Public Works and Services to consider this request before the work begins this coming season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m informed that the percentage of NWT aboriginal high school graduates has increased significantly since 2000. In 2008 approximately 50 percent of graduates were aboriginal; in 2000 only 30 percent of the graduates were aboriginal. In the same period the total number of graduates in smaller communities nearly doubled. Fifty-five percent of those 18 years and older in the NWT are now graduated from high school.

That all sounds like good news to me, but I’m still discouraged. Many of the Sahtu high school graduates don’t have a real high school graduation. They don’t have the right courses and credits to move into post-secondary programs. I don’t think this is a problem that is unique to the Sahtu students or schools, I think this is an issue for Northerners throughout the Northwest Territories. But I will talk about my Sahtu people and their perspectives.

It seems that the higher the grade that you get to, the more likely that you are really far behind in that grade. Evidently students in Yellowknife perform better than students in the small communities and are least successful in their tests.

I know the Minister wants to blame much of this on students and their parents, but let’s be fair here. There’s a lack of success everywhere. Take some responsibility: the department, the school boards, the DEAs, the teachers and the principals. The Minister receives funding to improve education services in small communities.

The Minister says he’s doing new things to support education in small communities. What are these activities that he’s supporting? How many students are taking the 30-level courses and succeeding? The Minister received new funding to launch the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative to reduce the gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students’ performances. What is being done in the Sahtu communities? What results should I expect to see? I hope it is more than empty stomachs make empty brains, the newspaper advertisement. I hope it is more than new government employees in Yellowknife. What are the initiatives in the Sahtu communities? What difference are they making?

Young Northerners need good education so the young people can be what they want to be. Education is an investment. We will see the results from that investment when our young people return to the Sahtu as teachers, doctors, nurses, pilots and carpenters, even politicians.

I believe the GNWT’s department of education can work with our boards and DEAs, and our teachers and principals, with our parents and students, to ensure that they have quality education in the Sahtu.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members will know by now, this is Education Week. Today I also want to recognize and salute educators.

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NWT educators come in many forms. Most are in our formal education system -- kindergarten to grade 12 and college programs -- but there are many who are not. NWT educators include daycare and child care staff, non-government organizations’ educators, English as a second language teachers, playschool and preschool teachers, elders, coaches and parents. We have a huge number of informal educators who work with NWT residents of all ages to promote and enhance lifelong learning.

Teachers and mentors impact our children most particularly and we’re blessed to have many excellent, dedicated teachers in this Territory. They love their job, they love their students, and they work hard to help every one of them to excel. All students don’t, of course, but many do and it’s because of the teachers in their lives.

I’m sure most of us can name at least one teacher who influenced us when we were young. For me it was my Grade 11 History teacher. He taught me to think beyond my reach and try to achieve beyond my capabilities. He taught me that teachers are human and that learning can be fun, even if you think you don’t like the subject.

So this week, Education Week, take the time to tell someone in education that you appreciate their efforts, that they make a positive difference in their students’ lives. If you have a child in the school system, think about how you can become more involved in their schooling, how you can better support their learning efforts through taking part in school activities or helping with school programs.

We don’t recognize the contributions of teachers often enough and kudos must go to both the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT Teachers’ Association for their programs which salute teaching excellence. The NWTTA Thank You for Making a Difference campaign has grown significantly over the years and now draws in students and parents from across the NWT to nominate an educator for recognition.

Because it’s Education Week, I want to formally say thank you for making a difference to all NWT teachers and to the teachers in Yellowknife schools in particular. But I especially want to single out the staff of Ecole William McDonald School and Ecole Allain St-Cyr, both in the riding of Frame Lake. Thanks to all for your ongoing hard work and dedication to our children. We often say you’re preparing tomorrow’s leaders. I know our future leaders will be great because of the teachers in their lives today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the mini-hydro project on the Snowdrift River near Lutselk'e. Mr. Speaker, this project has many positive implications. The completion of the mini-hydro project will have positive impacts for the cost of living for the Lutselk'e residents and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

I know the government is taking the environmental impact very seriously and the people of Lutselk'e

realize the economic benefits of paying less for power and other opportunities of the project such as short-term construction employment and ongoing operational employment.

Mr. Speaker, in order for this project to move ahead as planned, the GNWT must ensure its responsibility to conduct proper and effective consultation for the people of Lutselk'e. In fact, the project planning on the mini-hydro should be well underway now. Mr. Speaker, according to the leadership of Lutselk'e, this project seems to be proceeding along at a very slow pace and they are wondering why.

It is imperative that a consultation process is started immediately. The construction of an all-winter road to the mini-hydro site must start this summer. The project looks like it can be a real win-win project for all parties, with all kinds of favourable outlook for the project. The GNWT should do everything in its power to expedite the project.

Mr. Speaker, concerns were expressed by the community of Lutselk'e on how slow the process is and a fear that when the time for construction comes, the money may not be there. According to the community, this project has been in discussion for years and it’s time the government sits down with the community and get on the same page as when the community can celebrate the transmission power to the community of Lutselk'e. Late today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I stated my perspectives on fighting down the high cost of living through poverty reduction and reduced energy costs. This government owns the public utility providing the bulk of electrical energy to NWT customers. Through the decades, government has jiggled and tweaked, studied and reviewed, and we are not one centimetre closer to meeting our energy needs.

What are our energy needs? The cheapest possible power at the lowest environmental cost with the greatest local business and employment benefits. I can hear the reaction now: that’s easy for me to say. Well, it is and here’s why: in Nordic Europe, I and my colleague Mr. Krutko saw biomass-based energy systems owned by communities the size of ours using fuel we have in abundance here; communities earning the dividends of local investments and flourishing with local employment and new businesses. We saw proven technology in millions of homes and businesses that had slashed

greenhouse gas production dramatically, cut energy costs and stopped the export of wealth into volatile foreign oil markets. Yet, here we remain stuck at square minus one.

NTPC review, rates and regulations review, the same old shell games. Millions of dollars of dithering, producing nothing but places to hide the pea. This isn’t some far-fetched dream I’m talking about, Mr. Speaker. Energy is our single largest controllable expense, and there are ways to cut these costs staring us in the face at huge greenhouse gas benefits, as many of us have stressed repeatedly. If our biggest priorities are an end to personal poverty and progress in fighting climate change, and I can’t think of any greater priorities, we have to stop studying, stop playing card tricks to hide the cost of power, and actually do something on the ground, do something about it.

I couldn’t be more disappointed in the latest of the endless rounds of reviews and I’m calling on this government to get serious on the solution the world is using: green energy. Let’s really reduce real costs. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This winter the Northwest Territories has received a great amount of promotion and attention as a place to visit for tourism. For the first week of the Olympics, over 70,000 people had the pleasure of visiting Canada’s Northern House, which, as many Members in this House will know, was a joint effort between the Government of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. This gives people the chance to learn about northern culture, crafts, tourism, and opportunities to travel to the Northwest Territories and Canada’s North.

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of visiting this facility and I’ll tell you it’s certainly a top-notch or first-class presentation of what the North has to offer. Mr. Speaker, over the winter the Globe and Mail had featured colour, full-page photos promoting the Northwest Territories beauty, its romance, and certainly a place to visit for opportunity and adventure. We must make sure that we live up to this promise to people we’re trying to attract.

Tourism comes in many forms, and as I’ve said many times before, one of the forms is recreational vehicles. RV parks can be found just about everywhere across North America and it continues to be a very popular activity even though the fuel prices have certainly gone up, and up. In the quest

of bragging rights across this country, RV'ers like to take their creature comforts off the beaten path and I think the Northwest Territories offers that experience that they’re looking for.

Often Yellowknife in the summer will find these large vehicles parked in places not necessarily suited for them. Sometimes you see them at the boat launch, the Rotary Park down by Great Slave Lake, or in rest stops along the highway and picnic sites along the Ingraham Trail. We need to increase our capacity to offer services to these types of tourists, our RV'er community. They are looking for good scenery, shopping, arts and music festivals, museums and other special interests that the North presently offers. So, Mr. Speaker, where are the discussions of the RV park here in the Northwest Territories and certainly just outside of Yellowknife?

There once was a site being picked by the Folk on the Rocks, but for various reasons it didn’t work out. It’s time for ITI to find ways to make sure that we build incentives into the developing RV facilities here in the Northwest Territories and definitely here in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, without this type of opportunity, our small business community has a difficult time meeting the challenges, because tourism dollars are a serious investment into our northern economy. Later today I’ll have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment about what we can do to help further support the RV community with parks to meet their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This being Education Week, I also would like to take this opportunity to recognize the educators in the Northwest Territories in our formal education institutions and Ms. Bisaro listed off a number of areas that people could serve in this capacity.

Mr. Speaker, it’s a challenging task that lies ahead of our educators in our communities here in the North. In any community anywhere, it is a challenging task. It’s something that I admire greatly in those who choose that profession, something that I know I could not succeed in just by virtue of the amount of discipline it takes to stay on course.

Mr. Speaker, I went to school many years ago and I just want to say that I am grateful to the people who educated me for the basics. I wasn’t a good student, but the basics of arithmetic and grammar and spelling and the very basic essentials of education, in spite of my lack of enthusiastic

participation has stood me in fairly good stead going forward in my life. I would have liked to have more formal education, but I came from a home where there was not a high priority put on formal education. My parents were not formally educated and so they did not, in turn, convey to us the importance of that. You’ll notice a lot of times teachers’ kids are the best students because they have that strong parental influence in the home, that getting a good education is a really important thing.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to also recognize some of the outside of the box kind of thinking that’s taking place in education. I think of the storefront high school program that’s in Hay River, that’s located in the downtown, where we did take students that were not doing well in the routine and regular process, and we found a place where they could participate perhaps in a different way, in a different place, but we did not discard them because they could not accomplish the same amount as kids in the academic program. So I do thank the Department of Education for that kind of creativity, thinking outside the box and trying to make sure that as much as is reasonably possible we meet the education needs of children in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to be back. I read with interest a Northern News Services story on colon cancer prevention several weeks ago. I was pleased to hear, given the high rate of colon cancer in the Northwest Territories, that the Department of Health and Social Services is taking a proactive position and directing family physicians and other health care providers to encourage residents over 50 to get screened every one or two years.

Although I support this direction, I do have one concern. I have talked to a number of people on the list for screening, as well as a couple of the physicians, who have indicated that the waiting list for this procedure is anywhere from 12 months to 18 months. According to the newspaper article, the department indicated that if blood is detected, the department tries to have a colonoscopy scheduled within three months, which is the Canadian standard.

Unfortunately, I have learned that there are still a number of high-risk clients throughout the Northwest Territories who have been waiting for far longer than the standard three months. Given that the department is encouraging a large number of Northerners to get this procedure, the demand on

the system will only increase and wait times will only continue to grow.

I fully agree that this is something that needs to be done. However, I’m not sure delivering a service like this without adequate space and staff and resources will prove to be successful. There is a good chance that it will actually cause significant frustration for our residents. I’m aware of some of the challenges. Space is at a premium at Stanton. Staff is limited. Colonoscopy equipment is also limited.

Fortunately there are, in my opinion, organizations and passionate people in the Northwest Territories who I believe can really help us overcome these challenges; for example, the Stanton Foundation. Over the years this foundation has proven they can mobilize and raise significant funds for specific projects. If given a concrete ask, they will be able to raise significant funds for colon cancer prevention that will help us overcome our challenges to timely screening.

I encourage the Minister to meet with the foundation and work with them to raise the funds required to pay for leasehold improvements to create or modify existing space at Stanton or off-site, purchase additional colonoscopy machines, and cover the cost of additional staff so that additional screening can be facilitated. This could be a win-win for the foundation, Stanton, the Department of Health and Social Services, and for all residents of the Northwest Territories.

I believe that a lot of good is being done and that the direction being taken to increase the number of colon cancer screenings is appropriate. Let’s take the next step and ensure that our system can handle these increased loads without causing undue frustration and stress on the residents of the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement to again draw attention to this Cabinet’s increasing practice of awarding lucrative contracts to former senior public servants without any competitive process.

In a reply to a written question asked by Mr. Bromley and tabled in this House earlier this session, the government highlighted an alarming number of contracts that have been awarded to former senior bureaucrats on a sole-sourced basis. The Premier told us in the House that such contracts are justified because they are a way to ensure that our most talented people earn a living and stay in the North.

Many of the contracts in question have been awarded to former senior bureaucrats who no longer live in the North. Many have been awarded to former deputy ministers who were terminated by this government shortly after coming into office. In one case it would appear that a contract was awarded to an accounting firm to teach a basic accounting course to the Department of Finance. The principal of that firm that the contract was sole sourced to is the partner of a current deputy minister.

What exactly is going on here? There is a sense of entitlement that seems to have come over this Cabinet and the bureaucracy that does nothing but erode public confidence in how our money is spent. We’re not talking about negotiated contracts with legitimate companies here. We’re talking about individual service contracts that any number of northern companies are qualified to bid on.

I’m not suggesting that the people who have received these contracts are not competent. I’m not suggesting that they’re not offering a fair price. What I’m saying is that there’s no way to be sure of either of these things if we do not use a competitive process like a tender or an RFP. This is particularly true when we are sole sourcing contracts to individuals with very close ties to government. If you look closely behind some of the more controversial issues surrounding this government, be it the Deh Cho Bridge Project or behind-closed-doors loans to Discovery Air, former senior bureaucrats with close ties to the government are always seen to be lurking in the background.

The time has come to end this sense of entitlement and restore public confidence in our contracting processes. I call on this Premier and this government to put an end to this practice. In the meantime, they can rest assured that I will be paying very close attention to the contracting reports that will be tabled in this House for the remainder of this Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to recognize Chief Edward Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Soon some of the staff at Stanton will be vacating the hospital to move to a new mall here in Yellowknife. This may free up some space that can be modified to allow for additional colon cancer screening. This may be a great opportunity for Stanton and the Stanton Foundation to mobilize to raise funds for increased screening which may help reduce wait times in the Northwest Territories.

Would the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to meeting with representatives from the Stanton Foundation and work with them to help address these challenges, specifically space, equipment, and staff, facing colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m always willing to meet with any group or organization to hear them out and see what we can do in terms of working together. I can tell the Member that I have met with the Stanton Territorial Foundation executive director and chair quite early in my mandate. We have also learned that in fact the deputy minister of Health and Social Services is a member of that board, which has not been exercised in a while. We are certainly willing to work with the foundation and see what projects we can work on together.

I’m happy to hear that. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me when she might actually have an opportunity to meet on this particular issue about finding ways to reduce wait times for colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories.

If we were to, well, I mean, I know that the deputy minister is planning on meeting with the foundation as a member of the board or invited member of the board. With respect to cancer screening, that’s a service issue and it involves... The wait list is not necessarily because of the spacing issue but is because of the lack of specialists. Part of the work we are doing is we’re looking to see if we can offer that service not only in Yellowknife at Stanton but also in Hay River and possibly Inuvik. That’s part of the Territory-wide service plan that we’re working on. We would certainly be happy to work with the foundation on capital projects that they want to have to raise funds.

Once again I’d like to thank the Minister for that. I hear what the Minister is saying, but at the same time there are a large number of

residents in Yellowknife, a large number of people who are going through or scheduled on the waiting list, waiting 12 months or 18 months or often longer for colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories. The foundation has an opportunity to help raise money, not cost the government money but help the government raise money to actually facilitate some of this screening. I’d like to hear the Minister tell me today that she is going to meet with the foundation and work with them to help identify ways or help them target money and fundraising that could help us help our residents get the screening that is required in the Northwest Territories, specifically at Stanton.

As I’ve indicated, the deputy minister will be participating in that board and any proposals they may have for raising money for capital, obviously we’re willing to work with that and see how we can work together. I think we should be careful that raising money for capital equipment is for capital equipment. Often it’s the O and M and the ongoing funding that is a lot bigger than the capital funding itself. We should be mindful of that when we are talking about fundraising projects. Obviously, I appreciate and value the work that the foundation does and any idea they may have that they want us to look at, we’ll be happy to do that.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister of Education for his Minister’s statement today. It is good to see the creative and innovative approach that our government department of Education is taking in the education of the children of the Northwest Territories. As I said in my statement, we cannot expect that every method of education will work in every circumstance in every child’s life in every community in every home. I think back to my days in school and I don’t think my parents ever asked me once if I’d done my homework, yet I think sometimes we expect that support is there in the home.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he or his department has ever contemplated the semester systems in the schools and if something perhaps shorter than one whole half of a year. Sometimes students become discouraged because they may have some disappointing grades in some tests and things and that actually wipes out an entire half a year. Has consideration ever been given to smaller modules where you could have small victories, small successes and something that wouldn’t affect the entire academic year of the child?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad the Member raised a good point there. That is one of the areas that are part of the discussions that we’re having with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. Ongoing plans are to have a package ready by this summer. We haven’t really talked specifically about the semester itself, and the Member alluding to maybe a particular program or courses could be in line with maybe a shorter version or difference factor. Those are the areas we need to explore. We are always open to ideas, as I stated in the House on previous occasions. I think this is an area that we definitely need to explore and see if it will benefit the schools in the Northwest Territories.

The education of a child I think we have to adopt the idea that it’s not all about the time spent in the classroom in that very, very formal setting. I’m glad to see the Minister has referred to mentoring. Again I only have my own experience to draw on, but harkening back to when I was a youngster in school, we had an opportunity to go out into the community and get involved in different things. I worked in the library, in the public library after school. I didn’t like reading the books but I just liked the books. It was a great opportunity to become involved in something in the community that was worthwhile.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he could expand a little bit on this mentoring program that he’s talking about where the children would have an opportunity to have exchange with people doing various things and perhaps some of the elders in the community.

We are looking at other alternatives to educating our students. The Member is correct that in some of the areas it could be based on their performance as opposed to their attendance. That’s an area we’re also looking at. We’re also dealing with the attendance issue on formula funding on enrolment. But there is a very successful project happening in the South Slave region. We went to visit Fort Simpson and Fort Resolution on their particular program, an alternative program. I must say this is an area we are very interested in as a department that we can probably pilot project in other regions. I will be coming back to the House to discuss this further on the successful program in the South Slave region.

I know that attendance is a very important issue of the teachers that are trying to make progress and inroads in the educating of a child. However, again drawing on my own experience, being raised in an area that was surrounded by agriculture and a farming community, when it was harvest time the kids who lived on farms missed school. I mean, they would

have to help their family with the harvesting. If you translate that to the more traditional activities here in the North, if a child did miss school and it was to go with their family for time on the land or spring hunt, I hope that when they return, even though attendance is so important, that that time that they were able to spend doing something so important and so educational would still be celebrated by the school and that they would not be reprimanded or somehow discouraged by the lack of their attendance in that formal setting. I’d like to ask the Minister what is the government’s policy regarding attendance when it is to pursue activities such as that. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the Education Act there are so many days that students have to attend in a year. But at the same time, we continue working with educational councils and also the education authorities. On-the-Land Program is very important to us as a department and also to the communities. They’ve worked into part of their curriculum development where it could be classified as taking an On-the-Land Program. The Tlicho community is a prime example that we’ve used as a model in other jurisdictions. Other regions are taking on the initiative as well. Mr. Speaker, those are the areas that we continue to be innovative and creative on identifying whether it be enrolment or part of the attendance. It hasn’t been a huge factor to date, but we continue to make progress in that area. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if teachers coming into the Northwest Territories who will be teaching in a cross-cultural setting, is there currently a formal training module, orientation to the culture of the North that is required to be taken by teachers who will be teaching in our communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are currently developing a framework for the whole Northwest Territories, but each jurisdiction has their own orientation package. Again, I’ll refer back to the Tlicho Community Services Agency where they have the On-the-Land Barren Land Program where newly recruited teachers go out on the land with the elders. It has been a very successful program, but that’s one jurisdiction. We’re looking at the cross-cultural throughout the Northwest Territories as an orientation package. Mr. Speaker, we are developing one and we’ll certainly get back to the Members on that. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a response to my second set of written questions regarding contracts to former Ministers was tabled yesterday. Again, the Premier has disrespectfully refused to answer the precise questions asked, so I must again try to drag out answers. I asked the Premier to provide “copies of the documentary evidence supplied by the contractor to demonstrate that the contracted services were provided.” No documents were given.

The Financial Administration Manual requires that “sufficient documentation is retained to substantiate recorded transactions and is verifiable for audit.” The Premier said in the House yesterday, according to unedited Hansard, “everything that we do as a government will flow out of the Financial Administration Act.”

So, Mr. Speaker, if the Executive obeyed the law, the documents must exist. Will the Minister supply those documents, as I have repeatedly asked, or perhaps, if appropriate, admit they don’t exist; whatever the case may be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Executive, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, the contracts that we have in place that we put together so that we can position ourselves when it comes to discussions with either the federal government or industry, at times, are necessary and in place, and we use that, different departments use those as well, and we do have documentation on those. In some areas the documentation is provided directly to and short form to appropriate Ministers. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, former Minister Todd was contracted for up to $48,000, at $1,500 a day, 32 days of work. The FAA requires “that amounts claimed are correct as to quantities and prices for goods or services provided.” So the law required the Executive to verify documentation of the exact services provided. So where’s the invoice that says how many days, even, Mr. Todd worked?

For what I demand is the last time: will the Premier prove the Executive obeyed the law and produce the documents that were verified to approve payment, or was this actually a one-time $48,000 schmooze fee? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’ll caution Members to not refer to Members that are not in the House. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is now not a rookie anymore. He’s been around this Assembly long

enough and he’s been digging up information for quite some time and making strong suggestions out there or language that we can get on and debate and challenge each other on. He’s not satisfied with the information we’ve given him. There was no schmooze fest, as the Member is suggesting. Contracts were in place; meetings did occur, and a number of them. He’s not satisfied with the information we’ve given him. I am sorry he’s not satisfied, but I don’t know if there’s anything I can do that will satisfy him short of having him sit beside me in meetings and take the notes for me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, I appreciate the vote of confidence on the Premier that I’m coming along as an MLA, and I apologize for mentioning names here.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General’s report that was tabled yesterday in the House noted the need for some serious tune-up of our contracting services, unlike the Premier’s opinion of things, so these questions are not frivolous questions that I’m dreaming up or anything like that. I’ve asked very specific questions repeatedly. So let me offer my third one, specifically, and I will happily shut up, Mr. Speaker, if I get a response that stands up.

As this House knows, the Executive let two sole-source contracts to two contractors at the same time for exactly the same services and described each contractor as “uniquely” able to provide the services. My written question asked how this could be, and the question was ignored. Will the Premier, for the first time, explain now how it is possible for two identical services provided to be unique, and if the answer is that these two unique contractors were providing the same service, why was the contract not bid competitively to get the best price? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in many forms of contracting, best price isn’t necessarily the best work that you want to get. Especially in the critical days of a government coming into power, it wants to ensure that the information it is collecting, the position it is preparing for in meetings, in opening some of those doors, each person can bring their own unique qualities to the table. For example, with our establishing a relationship with the federal government that’s in place, that requires a unique set of capacity and capabilities, and we received that.

When it comes to dealing with industry, as well as some of the bureaucracy in the system, again, the individuals sought for their experience and ability to open doors and set up meetings for us. So those were done, those were contracts that were entered into initially with our government, and we used those at the time when we felt that we needed them. Since then, we’ve established those networks, we’ve established our criteria and

competence with Ministers across the country, whether it is federal, provincial or other territories, and now with that level of confidence and our positions well established, we’ve no need for those contracts. That, as well, shows that with our contracting in place that we did not extend those contracts. Thank you.

Of course, these are just examples. There are many contracts that we could be talking about here and perhaps will in the future. But I’m asking about process here, Mr. Speaker. So I’m asking the Premier what will he do, given the Auditor General’s report and some of the obvious irregularities that we’re raising here in the House, to tune-up this process in a way that gives us the confidence we need, and our public need, that things are being done appropriately and with appropriate documentation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that response was tabled in this Assembly, our response to the Auditor General’s report, on the initiatives we would undertake to deal with those issues. As well, in remarking to other questions earlier this week, the Financial Administration Act is being reviewed and out of that can flow further changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about tourism, my support of it, and certainly I recognize the hard work going on in the ITI shop to make sure that the Northwest Territories is certainly advocated in a very positive way to attract tourism. But one of the areas that I’d like to find out today and lay before this House is what is this government doing specifically to provide services for that type of tourism market. I referred to the RV sector, which is a very popular tourism group. Mr. Speaker, specific to investment in the Northwest Territories, what is the government doing to prepare for these RV tourists? Are they investing in infrastructure or services that can be seen? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Specifically to increasing the infrastructure to provide for RV parking, I’m pleased to announce to the Member that we are increasing the number of parking sites or camping sites that people with RVs can pull into. We’re also looking or studying the

potential for expanding Fred Henne Park and we’re also looking at whether there are any possibilities out at Prelude Campsite. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, that’s certainly good news. In the riding of Yellowknife Centre there are a lot of small businesses and they certainly rely significantly on this infusion of tourist dollars and, as we all know, the Territory’s economy relies seriously on the infusion of new types of dollars. Could the Minister elaborate a little further to what he means by looking at extending the Fred Henne Territorial Park to accommodate RV tourism, that type of sector? Can he elaborate to basically explain size, what dollar investment and when we can expect something? Thank you.

When I say we’re looking and studying Fred Henne Park, we’re looking at the available land that we have. We’re also looking at how many campsites we can build in there. Once we get all of that information we’ll have to put together a business case so we can come to the Legislative Assembly as part of our business planning process to obtain additional resources so that we can expand our capacity for RV camping. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member’s statement, Northern House, in my view, is a clear example of hard work and certainly an excellent demonstration of what the North has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been highlighting my issue, trying to raise awareness about preparing for RV'ers, and certainly I know the staff working down there are clearly providing excellent examples of how people can get here and things to do. But if all that work is for naught, if we’re not prepared for them, I’d like to find out from the Minister what type of work is being done by Industry, Tourism and Investment to prepare for these types of tourism and hopefully a wave of tourism that may come this summer? Thank you.

We’ve been doing a lot of work and preparing for this invasion of tourists. In 2009-10 we’ve spent resources to upgrade our facilities. We’re planning to do additional work this summer. As well, I should point out that we will be examining opportunities with some of the land claim organizations or land claim, their government or businesses, to see if we can work in partnership with aboriginal governments to identify opportunities in the tourism sector. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I like the phrase of the Minister “preparing for the invasion of tourism,” but I would encourage the Minister not to

count them until he sees the whites of their eyes crossing our border.

But, Mr. Speaker, how do we find out if this investment is working? That’s what I really want to make sure, is that all the investment done at the Northern House and all the work being done to attract tourism, how are linking it to any type of results to ensure that type of investment will be long-term dividends to our northern economy? One dollar spent anywhere in the North helps the whole North, so it’s about a big northern picture. Thank you.

There are a number of ways we can analyze how successful we’ve been at Northern House. One is to impute the value of all of the media coverage that we’ve been getting. We’ve been on major international networks, we are getting a lot of coverage from the tourism media and different newspapers and publications, so that’s one way of imputing value. If we had to pay for all that coverage, it would probably be in the millions of dollars, perhaps in the tens of millions of dollars.

Other ways will depend on how many people come to the Northwest Territories, and we capture that information through our tourism surveys and exit surveys, and I guess we’ll see on the ground. We’ve been getting very positive comments. A lot of people have indicated they’re coming to the Northwest Territories. So that would be how we would determine how successful we were with our campaign at the Olympics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Chair, my question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to ask the Minister in terms of the education issue here. I want to ask the Minister what improvements to education have been made in the Sahtu communities because of the new investments approved through the budget process.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Through the new initiative, we’ve had several meetings on the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative and they’ve made some recommendations to our department and we’ve implemented those particular initiatives. Although it may be small, it’s a start. We provide funding to each of the school education councils, so they can deal with enrolment issues, enrolment challenges.

Not only that, Mr. Speaker, we’ve provided a laptop to the grade 12 students and now we’re looking towards next year of providing possibly to grade 11 students and other initiatives along the way that will certainly provide benefits to the students, to the communities and also the community as a whole. So those are the areas that we’re looking at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister, in his ministerial statement, talked about education and I also heard some Members talk about the Mentorship Program here. I want to ask the Minister, I’ve been working quite diligently with him over a couple of years to look at a mentorship program in the Sahtu in terms of involving our real teachers in our culture, the elders. How do you get the real teachers into an education system to work with us and the parents? When will the Minister put forth a directive saying elders now have to be involved in our education system?

Mr. Speaker, the amount of funding that we provide to education councils, it’s to their discretion on where to disclose the funds, whether it be to the elders or to the Mentorship Program. Some of the school districts are providing mentorship to improve student attendance using various examples. So it will be up to the Sahtu education council to provide that available information.

Mr. Speaker, although this is a small initiative that we’ve initiated, we are already making progress, we are seeing some changes in student attendance going up a bit. Mr. Speaker, on a going forward basis, this summer we’re going to have a package available from the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative and I’m looking forward to implementing that with the support of the Members. So I will be coming back to the Members on an update. Mahsi.

I look forward to the initiative that the Minister will bring forward to the Members on the Aboriginal Achievement Initiative. We know students have to do hard work. They have to be disciplined. They have to have the parents influence them to go to school. The Minister is right; if you’re not in school, valuable lessons will not be learned. In terms of monitoring support for students, is the Minister monitoring the types of supports that can be provided in the school and the types of supports needed to have successful graduates to come out with a quality diploma?

I think the Member touched on it; parental involvement and community involvement. It has to be monitored at the community level as well. The school can only do so much. The education council can only do so much as well. As a department, we can do what we can to make a very successful program. So there are all these partners actively involved, Mr. Speaker, but we do have ongoing... We are currently discussing

what the Member is alluding to, such as a Mentorship Program where elders could be involved. So those are the initial discussions we are having to date and the outcome will be this summer. Mahsi.

There are many issues in the Sahtu regarding education. I just recently was notified that two students that did attend a Fort Smith course at Aurora College and one wanted to attend the NAIT program. Both dropped out and went back to the Sahtu and are now working. Mr. Speaker, these are two young men that weren’t able to pursue the post-secondary education. That’s a crying shame, Mr. Speaker, in terms of supporting our students. With regards to all these issues that can be raised in the Sahtu, the Minister will be getting an educational symposium proposal from the Sahtu to have education looked at seriously in our region here. Is he open to areas that education could be looked at differently in the Sahtu in the Northwest Territories, so we can have culture and spirituality tied strongly into our education system?

I do believe we are making some changes in our curriculum, as long as it benefits the communities, benefits the schools, benefits the students. If we do it for one, we have to do it for all jurisdictions, not just one region. So, Mr. Speaker, those are the areas that we continue to have with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. There is valuable information and discussions taking place. Each of the regions are well represented and very fruitful discussions are happening. So, Mr. Speaker, all the issues addressed here today are being addressed at those particular committee meetings. Mahsi.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I talked about the mini-hydro project near Lutselk’e. There are many positive implications to the project; however, that means nothing unless we get started. So I have questions for the Minister of ITI. Mr. Speaker, Lutselk’e is eager to see some actual work started. Can the Minister tell me how the government is engaging the community on this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government has identified the falls in the Snowdrift River as an ideal place for a mini-hydro development and work started in 2007-08 and there

was additional work done in 2008-09. We are also planning a large infusion this year. Hydro projects do take time and we have to collect about two years of baseline environmental data, we have to undertake the engineering work and also figure out the regulatory process that we have to go through. Once we get all of that information and develop the cost estimates and work plan, then we would have to develop a business deal with the community of Lutselk'e, and our expectation is that would have to be done within the next 12 months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide me with a schedule of the work plan that he just spoke of? Thank you.

We are expecting the results of all of the detailed work by April 2010. The expectation is that by October we would have our cost estimates and work plan developed. Assuming that the project is technically, environmentally and financially viable, then we would proceed through the regulatory process. Mini-hydro has a very small footprint so it won’t be flooding any large areas. The powerhouse is very small and the transmission line is very short; it’s only 17 kilometres. So our expectation is it wouldn’t take us very long to get regulatory approval. Assuming that, probably the earliest we could start construction would be in late… The decision to construct would be made in late 2010, and potentially could start construction in 2011, with power being generated in 2013-14. Thank you.

The community is very eager. Can the Minister commit to holding a public meeting in the community as soon as possible to discuss the project with the community, including the leadership? Thank you.

It’s our expectation to do exactly that, so we can commit to doing that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an essential part of developing mini-hydro in Lutselk'e would likely be an all-season road to the site, which is about 20 kilometres. Can the Minister commit to working with the community in hopes of trying to get that all-season road started this summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think the initial plans envisage that we would just have a quad trail to the site. In my view, I think it would be beneficial to have a road, recognizing that that would add to the cost of the project, and it could make a difference whether the project is viable or feasible. So I think once we get the information to allow us to determine whether it’s feasible to build an all-weather road, then we could make that decision.

We expect the government will have all that information by this October. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue asking some questions of the government on how they sole source contracts. I’m having a little bit of trouble understanding the rhyme and reason that the government uses for sole sourcing contracts in certain instances.

On the Department of Public Works website, they have the opportunities for people to sole source contracts throughout the government. I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works, other than negotiated contracts, under what circumstances can deputy ministers of Minister award contracts without some sort of competitive process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess there are three considerations that would be utilized for a sole-source contract to be awarded. First of all, the goods, the service or the construction have to be urgently required and the delay would be not in the public’s interest. We would also consider if there was only one party available that is able and capable of performing the contract. If it’s a contract with a consulting service or a company, that it will not exceed $25,000 in value, and if there are other types of contracts, of course, but that’s the basic criteria we use for sole-source decisions. Of course, some of those decisions are made outside of headquarters. We also have the ability for some of the regional offices to award the sole-source contracts, and they are required to follow the contracting authority that’s there. Thank you.

I thank the Minister for that. The next question I’d have for the Minister: in sole-sourcing contracts, when sole-sourcing contracts are being considered, I’m just wondering if the Minister can let me know if that’s considered to be a best practice by the department. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, of course, Public Works is responsible for the contracts awarded within the ranks of Public Works, and sole sourcing is one method that we use, it’s a management tool. There are criteria that sets out when it can be utilized and that’s what we follow. Thank you.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works what measures are in place by Public Works to ensure the contracts are awarded fairly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, of course, the financial end of a contract, the end result of a good product, those things are all considered as we do an evaluation after the project is completed. Mr. Speaker, we have to point out that sole sourcing, of course, is only used in the situations that I outlined in the previous questions. So those are what we utilize as a guide and the end result is usually what determines whether the best practices were used in the case. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works whether or not his Cabinet colleagues are all fully aware of the policies that are on the Public Works website when it comes to sole sourcing contracts, and whether or not they have actually read that section of the website. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, this is a management tool, as I indicated before, and each department has their responsibilities that lie within the contracting policies, and they have all read the terms and are all up to date on the practices of this government. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement and the questions in the House of last week with regard to Deh Cho Hall, to the Minister of Public Works and Services. Our government has been on a campaign to reduce, reuse and recycle, and here’s an opportunity to do it with our Deh Cho Hall that’s slated for demolition this coming summer. But I’ve been hearing reports that there may be an environmental report out there saying that all the material is contaminated. Can the Minister tell me if this is true?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was a little surprised to hear the Member raise the issue of the demolition of Deh Cho Hall. I thought maybe he was recycling his Member’s statement, or in the event that we were both talking about the same thing and he had some information that I wasn’t aware of. Mr. Speaker, we have made a commitment in this

House to the Member that we would look at a salvage component to the demolition of Deh Cho Hall. We have not had any information, at least that has come to my attention, that all the materials are contaminated. We assume there is going to be material that is contaminated, but we have, as part of this program, put in the requirements for a salvage and recycling program. I can certainly check with my officials to see if there is any concern regarding contamination, but as far as I am concerned, we are moving ahead and there is going to be a salvage component. Of course, we can’t have a free-for-all and it will have to be controlled. That is what will have to be worked out as we move forward on this. Thank you.

I am glad that something like this can be worked in the terms of reference for demolition of Deh Cho Hall. I’m glad that the department has not made a decision that no material can be salvaged. So once again, perhaps I’ll just ask the Minister what is the timeline for developing the terms of reference for demolition of the Deh Cho Hall.

Once again, yes, we want to have a program in place that will allow the community to have some benefit from the materials that are available through salvage and recycling. We certainly need to ensure that there is a safety component incorporated in this process. Direct access is probably not something we want to see. We’ll have a controlled area where salvage material will be dropped off so that people can come and pick through it or take what they’d like. The scope of work is already being determined. We’ll have all the different components required prior to going out to tender this summer. That’s our intent, is to have this done in the next little while and completed over this year or so. That’s our plan. Thank you.

I’m glad that the opportunity is there, maybe there, to salvage as much materials as we can for the public and special interest groups. As to the timing, does the Minister know yet about the timing, when the demolition will begin and when it will be complete? Thank you.

We don’t have any firm dates as of yet. As soon as we do, we’ll make sure we forward it to the Member. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just in terms of organizations or myself, contact with Public Works and Services when it comes time to award the contract, who would we contact on behalf of the residents and organizations about material and salvage material for special interest groups? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we can certainly commit to having our own Public Works

staff to notify the different levels of local government in the community. Any public notification and how the salvation program itself would be operated I’m assuming would come from the contractor that has the contract and would determine what the safest way to distribute materials and salvage and dismantle this building would take place. So we can provide notice to the Member as we notify the community governments. The rest would have to be up to the responsibility of the contractor. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to address my questions today to the Minister for Health and Social Services. I have some questions in regard to the recent release of information about possible change to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program. I am very appreciative of the work that’s been done by the department and the staff in the department to do a lot of research and to provide a lot of data. My questions go to the process that has been used to date and the process that’s been planned for the future in terms of consultation.

The motion that was passed last year by this House required the Minister to involve the public and to involve stakeholders and any consultation with regards to bringing Supplementary Health Benefits Program changes back. So, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister how she feels that involvement of the public and the stakeholders was done leading up the recent release of information. Thank you.