Thanks to the Minister. The lack of promised on-the-ground resource centre programs in Ndilo is disappointing at the end of the year here. I know one kafuffle is that it had been the

Minister’s insistence that it be a one-year-only program and who would want to invest effort in a flash in the pan kind of program when consistent long-term programs are obviously what’s required.

Given the failure to date, how can the full year allocation of funds for this project in Ndilo possibly be spent in a responsible way in the next few weeks before year end? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that, of course, my department is working closely with Ndilo and also Tulita, and dealing with the family resource centres. With Ndilo over the past several months, they have been working on establishing a child and family resource centre and will be getting implementation. We have been diligently working with them. My understanding, also, is that $125,000 funding has been allocated last fall. Those are just some of the initiatives that have been worked on, but I can provide the latest update to the Member from my department. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the dollars have been allocated but not handed over. There is a major difference there.

Two family resource initiatives were announced, the other being in Tulita. Can the Minister tell me what the status of this work is and are funds going to the communities on these pilot programs as well? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the information I have is they received $125,000, but I will double check with my department. The funds should be flowing to the organization to start implementing their establishment. I can assure the Member that I will follow through with this and get back to the Member. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my colleagues from Sahtu and Nahendeh about the extension of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley and Norman Wells, given the level of economic activity going on in the Sahtu and the projected level of activity, not wanting to rain on anybody’s parade, but I have to ask the question.

Inuvik-Tuk, I know the federal government is talking about putting 75 percent of that money into that road, but in your recent trips to Ottawa and in your recent discussions, has the idea ever surfaced of

putting a higher priority on the Wrigley-Norman Wells portion of the road over the Inuvik-Tuk portion? I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation or the Premier, I guess, has that ever been considered, given the level of activity in the Sahtu at this time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The money that we are going to be receiving from the federal government to construct the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk road is earmarked for that purpose. The communities in the Beaufort-Delta have worked many years at securing that funding, working with our government. Our intention is to construct the Inuvik-Tuk portion as the first portion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

In response to Member Yakeleya’s questions earlier, should commercialization happen and these wells be brought into production, that is going to change a lot of things in the central Mackenzie. Once construction starts on the Inuvik-Tuk highway, yes, our focus will certainly switch to southern portions of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister said that the funds of the federal government have been earmarked. I guess that’s good news. I mean, 75 cent dollars from the federal government is very good news. It’s been earmarked.

I’d like to ask the Minister if in fact there are not still many hurdles with respect to the commencement of a project like that, and if we as a government should not be paying due diligence to the Wrigley-Norman Wells in view of the activity, in case the other project does not proceed. I don’t want to wait until we turn the soil on one project before we start paying attention to the other.

Are these two considerations being applied concurrently? Is it not true that there are many hurdles to overcome yet before we can start the Inuvik-Tuk highway? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we currently don’t have a commitment from the federal government on any other sections of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. That commitment is for the Inuvik-Tuk portion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. That’s where we’re going to start.

There are a few items that we have to overcome here in the near term, but our anticipation and expectation is that we will overcome those items. We’ll get the decision made here in the House, and hopefully that decision can be made during the life of this sitting here over the next six weeks. That’s our expectation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of this session, I rather barged into the

Premier’s office, where Mr. Ramsay was, and suggested that we should turn our attention to the lower portion of the highway and forget about the upper portion. But Mr. Ramsay assured me we will do both. Industry will participate in the Wrigley-Norman Wells portion.

What gives him confidence to say that industry will come to the table? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier to Member Yakeleya, in any discussion I’ve had with industry – and I’ve had a number of discussions with industry, the companies that are doing work in the Sahtu – there’s a genuine interest by them to have infrastructure put in place. All you have to do is look at Husky constructing a 40 kilometre all-weather road on the other side of the Mackenzie River into one of their ELs to see that there’s some commitment there. As this moves forward, as those wells are proven up and if they are going to be brought into production, certainly industry is going to be a big partner of our government.

Again, we’ll talk to the federal government. I think it has to be an initiative that sees people working together, and that is industry, our government and the federal government. I think that’s going to happen sooner rather than later. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep this short. The federal government has expressed a great interest in opening up the North; they have expressed great interest in the development of energy sources in the country. With that in mind, Mr. Ramsay speaks of the federal government coming to the table.

I’d like to know when this government would intend to put forward any kind of formal proposal to the federal government to participate in that part of the highway, as well, the Wrigley to Norman Wells. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier today in my Member’s statement, the community of Tsiigehtchic has been without a nurse for the last 15 years. We did have a nurse in Tsiigehtchic for many years before this position was removed. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what is the department’s plan for a nurse for the community of Tsiigehtchic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department plans to continue to work with community leaders and the health authority out of Inuvik, the Beaufort-Delta Health Authority, to try to provide nursing services, physician services into Tsiigehtchic. Ultimately, we would like to somehow place a nurse or two in Tsiigehtchic, but because of the Integrated Service Delivery Model there is not enough work for two full-time nurses. So we’re going to try to work something with the authority and Fort McPherson to try to do something where they can have emergency coverage, which is really, I think, the main issue, that even though the nurses go there during the day, there’s never coverage in the evening. If something happens in the evening, we have to find a way to try to provide that coverage. So we’re having those discussions now. Thank you.

Thank you. The Minister said they were in discussions with the department. So at what stage are the discussions that he’s having with the department with regard to a nurse in Tsiigehtchic?

Thank you. We are at the very initial stages of this new idea of trying to somehow have a situation where the nurses can actually live in Tsiigehtchic. There are a few things that must fall into place. One is security when the nurses are called out. Right now, because there are no RCMP officers located in Tsiigehtchic, we’re going to try to find a way that the local community can provide security. Number two is housing. We have to find some housing where we’re going to place two there. There may be room for one nurse now, or there may be room for both nurses, but somehow we’ve got to find suitable housing, and then the most difficult task of actually putting the job out and attracting someone that would be prepared to work that type of schedule, which may mean working in Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic both. Thank you.

Just for the Minister’s information, the community does have one unit designated for a nurse in Tsiigehtchic. I’m sure they’d free up another unit if that was made available.

I’d also like to ask the Minister, will he enter into an agreement with the community of Tsiigehtchic for a pilot project for a licenced practical nurse as an interim measure. Thank you.

It sounds like it would be a good idea, a good way to pilot something. I know that a type of restriction sometimes that governs registered nurses on whether or not one registered nurse can remain in a small community by themselves doesn’t restrict the licenced practical nurse in the same way.

We think that the majority of the work within the Integrated Service Delivery Model can be done by an LPN. So I would be prepared to look at that. Thank you.