Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of ITI had an exchange on the Sahtu oil and gas exploration and the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars that are going to be spent in the Sahtu in the next couple of years. In Fort Good Hope, they actually closed off the bid

there and Shell Canada won. I think it’s just over $90 million worth of exploration.

I want to ask the Minister, in regard to the Mackenzie Valley Highway, we’re going to do this in steps and, certainly, we in the Sahtu support the Inuvik-Tuk highway to go through. We’re also looking forward to some support to build a highway into the Sahtu. I want to ask specifically to the Minister, is there any discussion up around Fort Good Hope to building a winter road up to the Dempster Highway. I know people in Fort Good Hope were talking about this. Is there any type of discussion with the department?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The two leases near Fort Good Hope totalled $92 million. I thank the Member for bringing that up.

On the discussion regarding connecting the Mackenzie Valley winter road between Fort Good Hope and Tsiigehtchic, it’s something that was brought up at meetings. I was on a constituency tour with Member Blake in the spring and it’s something that came up at a number of his communities. It is also something that I’ve instructed the department to include in the business plan that was before the House just a couple months back.

It does require a great deal of permitting. It’s certainly not something that could occur this coming winter, but something I see happening next winter, perhaps, if the permitting can get done. It would really, to me, make a statement about the Mackenzie Valley and the fact that the Northwest Territories is open for business. We don’t have an all-weather highway down the Mackenzie Valley yet, but if we could connect the valley with a winter road, I think that’s a step in the right direction, and it says the right things about the economy here and our intent to get an all-weather highway down the Mackenzie Valley at some point in time.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 8, written questions. 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. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled A

Vision for Energy in the Northwest Territories – Developing the 2013 Northwest Territories Energy Plan, October 2012.

Thank you. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Action Plan 2012-2016, 20/20: A Brilliant North – Public Service Strategic Plan, July 2012.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a letter from the Minister of Human Resources to myself, dated August 16, 2012, on the GNWT’s Safe Advantage program results.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a letter to Prime Minister Harper regarding the Financial Investment Protection Act, “First Nations lands and treaty territories cannot be sold out to foreign investors.”

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 15, notices of motion. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the NWT Housing Corporation immediately cease treating child tax benefits as income for the purpose of calculating public housing rents;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories work to identify and eliminate other similar inconsistencies in its subsidy programs;

And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this motion within 120 days.

At the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly strongly urges the Government of the Northwest Territories to include sufficient new funding, of at minimum $2 million, in the Health and Social Services 2013-14 Main Estimates for the department to substantially enhance addictions and mental health services;

And further, that these funds be added to the department’s base for future years and be directed at program delivery to address service gaps identified in the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, 2012-2015, rather than further evaluation and studies, with the ultimate objective of creating a seamless, integrated system of addictions and mental health programs delivered within the Northwest Territories;

And furthermore, that the government provides to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, before the February-March 2013 sitting of the Legislative Assembly, a list of the proposed new addictions and Mental Health Program delivery investments to be implemented in 2013-14;

And furthermore, that the government provides a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the Government of the Northwest Territories inform the federal government of our dissatisfaction both with the dismantling of the federal environmental protection regime and with the federal government’s failure to consult and inform this government on changes directly affecting our interests, the ensured integrity of our environment

and the content of devolution negotiations that are currently underway;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories immediately begin to determine the cost of repairing and maintaining the environmental management regime post devolution in order to restore it to the responsible standards expected by our public;

And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories begin to identify the means through which such costs could be funded;

And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. You may proceed.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, colleagues, for allowing me to continue on with this motion.

WHEREAS the NWT Housing Corporation implemented new public housing rent scales on July 1, 2012, including new criteria for determining tenant household income in order to assess their rent;

AND WHEREAS the new criteria for household income includes child tax benefits which were not previously assessed as income;

AND WHEREAS federal and territorial tax benefits are intended to help eligible families with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories Income Support Program does not include child tax benefits other than the National Child Benefit Supplement for the purpose of its household income assessments;

AND WHEREAS by clawing back child tax benefits, the NWT Housing Corporation is working at cross-purposes with other territorial and federal programs;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the NWT Housing Corporation immediately ceases treating

child tax benefits as income for the purpose of calculating public housing rents;

AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories work to identify and eliminate other similar inconsistencies in the subsidy programs;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Mr. Menicoche, to the principle of the bill.