Thank you. I do agree that a solid investment in the youth will alleviate a lot of the issues that the Member has raised. Again, I think I pointed out before, it’s one of the reasons, as Members of this 16th Assembly, we’ve

determined that the youth are a very important investment, and I think we’ve proven that with the amount of money that we’ve put into youth in the last four years. Thank you.

Thank you. In Fort Resolution this government and municipal government has spent I think over $1.5 million to build a youth centre. It would be important to maximize the future spending there, utilize that building. Does the Minister

support more funding going into a small community’s committee to Sustainability on Rural and Remote Communities committee so that those communities can provide more support for our youth?

Thank you. The committee for Rural and Remote Communities was a very important committee that provided very important advice to the government in allocating funds, and I think through some of the work of the committee we’ve recognized on that committee, too, how important it is to invest in the youth.

The $400,000 that we recommended going into the Regional Sports Program I think is an excellent example of the investment in youth. The Youth Centre Funding Initiative is another good example of that. We actually doubled it from $250,000 to $500,000 for the youth centres across the Northwest Territories and we’ve had, I think, almost every youth centre in the Northwest Territories has taken advantage of the program, and we look forward to seeing the new youth centre in Fort Resolution. I understand they’ve done some excellent work there. Again, it’s a commitment by the community itself, because they took the initiative to invest in a youth centre, as we’ve seen across the Northwest Territories. I’ve been fortunate to have attended a few openings. Paulatuk has also decided that a youth centre was a priority in their community. So we’re starting to see a lot of community-driven priorities and allocation of funds towards those priorities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Time for question period has expired. I’ll allow the Member a final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. We all understand that it’s very important to spend more money on the youth and that we provide supports for the future of the Territories. Will the Minister direct his staff to look at possible realignments in the funding to support the Hamlet of Fort Resolution to hire a qualified youth worker so that the infrastructure that we’ve built does not go to waste? Thank you.

Thank you. I think in the communities that have put up a youth centre like Fort Resolution, I don’t think those infrastructure projects will go to waste. I think the communities themselves have the ability, through their O and M budgeting process, to allocate funds as they see fit, and most of the communities would have recreation workers.

As a department, as a government, we also provide $825,000 to all the communities across the Northwest Territories for recreation purposes. That’s on top of the O and M monies that we give the communities. So the community itself would have the ability to adjust their budgets so they could

take advantage of the new youth centre. I’m sure they have someone to work in the youth centre, but they do have the ability to adjust their budgets to hire people as they see fit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to the orders of the day, item 5.

---Unanimous consent granted

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, honourable colleagues. I want to recognize an important G’asho Got’ine from Fort Good Hope to Yellowknife, Wilbert Cook Sr. Along with him is his girlfriend, Celine, and their baby, Tyrell. Also with Wilbert Cook is Wilbert Cook Jr. and his son Joey and his son’s girlfriend, Donna. I’d like to welcome them to the gallery.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to recognize in the gallery former residents of Fort Simpson Mr. Will Cook Sr., current resident Ms. Celine Gargan, and new constituent baby Tyrell. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I want to welcome everyone in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

1. Please provide a list of all community parks

and territorial parks located in the Sahtu region.

2. Please provide a breakdown of the budget for

the expenditures that will be contributed to all aspects of parks and other tourism initiatives for 2011-12.

3. Please provide a strategy that outlines a plan

to increase the presence of GNWT parks and other GNWT tourism initiatives in the Sahtu for 2011-12.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Part 1 – 22nd Annual Report of the Victims

Assistance Committee of the NWT, April 1, 2010, to March 31, 2011.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Take a Kid Trapping and Harvesting Report, 2009-2010.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled, Aboriginal Student Achievement - A Status Report, May 2011.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a video disk, Hand to Toe - An Exploration in the Art of Giving, the first Hot Docs to be produced by an NWT filmmaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, I’ll move that Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, be read for the first time.