Good afternoon, colleagues. I will now provide my ruling on the point of order raised by Mr. Lafferty in the House yesterday.

This is a sensitive issue involving real people with real life problems and responsibilities. Mr. Bromley did seek my advice before reading his constituent's poem, but only in regard to the use of offensive language.

Upon review of the entire text, I feel that the poem made clear reference to an individual who is not a Member of the House and, thus, not able to defend herself publicly.

Colleagues, there are two sides to every story. It is against our rules to use our privileges in this House to make insulting or damaging remarks about people who cannot respond. Although Mr. Bromley was reading something written by a constituent, Members are not allowed to do indirectly what they are prevented from doing directly.

Members, there have been several times during this session when negative things have been said about individuals who are not Members of this House. We are here to debate issues, not to use our positions to criticize the work of people who can't defend themselves. There are more appropriate ways to do that if a Member feels the need. As your Speaker, I will take a hard line on issues like this from now on.

I rule that the Member for Monfwi has a point or order. I direct that all references to the individual in question be deleted from Hansard.

I will now call upon Mr. Bromley to retract his remarks and apologize to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the day in question, I read into the House a poem, a piece of art, social art, if you will...

The debate is over. I am seeking an apology to the House. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize that. The poem contained a person's first name. I should have caught this and questioned it, but I did not. If in so doing I caused unintended offence to anyone, I apologize to both them and this House. Further, Mr. Speaker, I will be on guard to make sure that I will not do this again. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Public Works, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members on the renovations recently completed by the Department of Public Works and Services at the Diamond Jenness Secondary School in Hay River.

Diamond Jenness Secondary School was originally designed by
well-known Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal and has supported the delivery of education programs in the town of Hay River for over 37 years. Public Works and Services, working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, recently completed a major midlife retrofit designed to extend the life of the facility while reducing operations and maintenance costs through improved energy efficiency.

In the successful delivery of this project, we are pleased that much of the original character of the building has been preserved in the upgrading of the school including the original exterior colour.

In addition to a complete retrofit of the original school, this project also included a new trades shop to provide opportunities for students to consider apprenticeship and career development in areas such as automotive mechanics, welding and carpentry which are much needed skill sets in our northern workforce.

In extending the life of the school, this retrofit included a number of technical enhancements to conserve energy and improve its performance including:

• energy-saving lighting controls with occupancy sensors;
• the introduction of efficient, long lasting, low maintenance LED lighting fixtures throughout the concourse of the school, a first for Government of the Northwest Territories public infrastructure anywhere in the North;
• improved roof, windows and building envelope with higher insulation levels and an improved air barrier to enhance comfort while saving energy;
• a complete energy-efficient ventilation system upgrade with heat recovery to improve the overall environment and performance of the school;
• a modern building control system operating in conjunction with the biomass district heating system to improve operational efficiency and overall energy management; and
• improved access and security for after-hours community programs.

In line with our government's commitments to pursue energy efficiency and sustainability, Diamond Jenness Secondary School is now more energy efficient than ever before thanks to significant improvements to the building envelope and the installation of these energy-saving technologies and heat recovery systems.

Mr. Speaker, these energy improvements are expected to decrease the school's annual electricity consumption by 235 megawatt hours each year; a reduction of approximately 40 percent. Additionally, heating requirements will also decrease by 1700 gigajoules annually, equivalent to displacing 66,000 litres of propane or 44,000 litres of heating fuel each year. Thanks to innovative design, technology use and energy improvements, the renovated Diamond Jenness Secondary School is expected to perform approximately 40 percent better than the 1997 Model Energy Code for Buildings.

Mr. Speaker, in delivering high quality energy-efficient building projects on behalf of the GNWT, Public Works and Services recognizes that local and northern involvement in our construction industry is an important part of the northern economy. I am pleased to confirm that:

• 78 percent of the funds spent on goods and services for this project went to local and northern businesses, and
• 73 percent of the labour force was northern and 57 percent of these northern workers were local from Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, the midlife retrofit of Diamond Jenness Secondary School was successfully completed on budget with a construction cost of $28.2 million. With 78 percent of the goods and services provided by northern businesses and 73 percent of the labour by northern residents, this project demonstrates the significant economic benefits that can be achieved through the GNWT's infrastructure program.

Throughout the life of this project, there were 12 local and northern workers who participated as apprentices, four of whom have since received journeyman certification, fostering the skill development of our residents and strengthening our northern workforce.

Mr. Speaker, midlife retrofits such as those completed at the Diamond Jenness Secondary School are allowing the GNWT to preserve and enhance our existing infrastructure, improve program delivery, reduce energy consumption and prolong the life of our facilities. The GNWT's investment in this midlife retrofit has extended the service life of this facility for another 20 to 30 years and has reduced the GNWT's deferred maintenance deficit by $20,072,547.

Mr. Speaker, throughout this project the project team worked closely with school administration to create a schedule that minimized disruptions to the school's day-to-day operations. Flexibility and cooperation by all stakeholders throughout the delivery of the project was key to its success and is a model for future projects.

PWS is pleased to have been a partner in the delivery of this important project for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the residents of Hay River, and I hope that the community and students will enjoy and make the most of the new school for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

HON. ROBERT MCLEOD: Mr. Speaker, addressing housing needs is a priority of the 17^th Legislative Assembly, and the NWT Housing Corporation offers a range of programs along the housing continuum to help residents meet their shelter needs. Public housing, supports to third-party organizations that provide low-cost housing, rent supplements, home ownership repair programs, and subsidies to help low and modest income purchase homes all help residents depending on their needs. But there is more work to do and homelessness is another of the important housing issues in the Northwest Territories.

Homelessness is a complex issue with many factors, and the government has a wide variety of programs that support those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This year the Small Communities Homelessness Fund and the Homelessness Assistance Fund were transferred, along with the $325,000 in program funding, to the NWT Housing Corporation from Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, with the support provided through the Small Communities Homelessness Fund, 13 community organizations are being assisted with projects which include soup kitchens, food banks, food rescue programs and supports for shelter programs, to name a few. One particularly interesting project includes the rental of garden plots at the Inuvik Community Garden. Homeless residents are involved in the planting and tending of the garden plots right through to harvest.

The Small Community Homelessness Fund is an application-based program and currently there are projects in Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Deline, Fort McPherson, Hay River, Fort Smith, Behchoko and Ulukhaktok.

The Homelessness Assistance Fund provides assistance to individuals to help resolve their homelessness situation or to avoid homelessness. This is a fund of last resort which clients access through delivery agents like community social service workers. The fund is targeted to address situations where unforeseen events occur like where a job is lost or unexpected expenses happen. During 2012-13 a total of 36 applicants have been assisted through the Homelessness Assistance Fund.

The NWT Housing Corporation remains committed to supporting Betty House with a contribution of approximately $2.3 million committed to through the MOU signed in February 2012. Betty House will provide transitional housing for women and their children. It is expected that these funds will have a significant impact in ensuring the completion of Betty House, and we believe that this initiative is an important part of our overall priority to ensure our sustainable and vibrant communities are filled with healthy, educated people free from poverty.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation's strategic plan identified strengthening the approach to homelessness and transitional housing as a priority. The NWT Housing Corporation continues to work with our partners, including other levels of government and community organizations, to provide assistance to those in need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to update the people of the Northwest Territories and our Protected Areas Strategy partners on the implementation of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy.

The Protected Areas Strategy was established in 1999 as an overall framework to guide the work of identifying and establishing protected areas in the Northwest Territories. It was developed in partnership by regional Aboriginal organizations, the federal and territorial governments, environmental non-governmental organizations and industry.

A substantial amount of work has been done under the Strategy. Saoyú-ʔehdacho (Deline) was established as a National Historic Site in April 2009 and several other areas have been advanced for protection. These include Edehzhie, or the Horn Plateau, and Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta as candidate National Wildlife Areas.

We recognize and appreciate the significant work undertaken during the past 13 years by all PAS partners, including communities, Aboriginal organizations, working groups, the steering committee and the secretariat. Work conducted through the Protected Areas Strategy has contributed to a greater understanding of the ecological, cultural and potential economic values of lands across the NWT.

The Protected Areas Strategy has provided our government and Aboriginal governments with a strong foundation for the management and conservation of lands as we prepare to take on the administration of lands in 2014.

Mr. Speaker, the work is not done. As we move forward we will need to continue to work with our Protected Areas Strategy partners to ensure we can make informed decisions on the establishment of protected areas. We will continue to support the completion of working group reports and the extension of interim land withdrawals for candidate areas to ensure this level of certainty remains until final decisions are made after devolution. We will also continue to advance the establishment of core representative areas within each ecoregion of the Northwest Territories.

The NWT Land Use and Sustainability Framework will set out the principles guiding future GNWT policy direction on land matters. Land use planning and the development of new, and use of existing, northern tools for protected areas are key features of this framework, which will be completed on a priority basis.

Mr. Speaker, working with our partners will ensure sustainability and stewardship of our land and resources. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'd like to speak about the budget process. Last year at this time, I was very discouraged about the budget process mainly because it was already set. This year I'm very happy about the process that we've undergone over the last six weeks. A lot of progress has been made in the Northwest Territories. I'd like to thank my colleagues here for their support on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, also the initialing of the Devolution Agreement, Mr. Speaker.

This government is slowly checking off the priorities that we have set as the 17^th Legislative Assembly and I'd like to thank everybody for working together. We do have a long way to go, but if we keep this up, we'll make it through the priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To begin my Member's statement today, I'd like to quote a great poet and musician, Stompin' Tom Connors.

“Hello out there, we're on the air, it's hockey night tonight. Tension grows, the whistle blows, the puck goes down the ice. The goalie jumps, the players bump, the fans all go insane, someone roars, Bobby scores, at the good old hockey game.”

“Oh, the good old hockey game, is the best game you can name. The best name you can name, is the good old hockey game.”

I started this because I've got a couple of hockey issues that are going on in Hay River over the next couple of weeks. This weekend we have our 5^th Annual Pond Hockey Tournament that's going to have over 30 teams participating in Hay River. We're looking forward to going out on the river and skating on the river like the good old days. I'd like to thank everybody who organizes that event, for putting up the large tent as we speak. It should be a great event.

The other event that's going on next weekend starts back here, and that's the Northern Hockey Challenge, where Yellowknife, Hay River and Inuvik have been participating. Hay River and Yellowknife are now going to go on a five-game series. I'm sorry to hear from my colleague Mr. Moses, who is probably going to have to wear one of our jerseys, either a Huskies or a Flyers jersey. I sure hope it's a Huskies jersey.

I'd like to encourage everybody next weekend to come out to those hockey games. Go, Huskies, go!

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What a session, and it's not over yet. Our second budget, devolution, big infrastructure bucks, Boundaries Commission... It's kept us busy and consumed our energy and attention. As we reach the pause button and time permits, it may be time to sit back and consider things in a bit more depth.

It's two out of two. Regular MLAs, through considerable solidarity and belief in priorities, modified the proposed budget once again. True, the modification is slight at half a percent of the budget, but as we all know, the dollars actually available for new initiatives are modest. What to make of this? Is this system working? Again, for context, Regular MLAs supported 99.5 percent of the budget. Debates were extensive, there was much back and forth, decisions were made. This sounds to me like a reasonable and responsible compromise and a good basis to go forward on.

Due to the good work of our Premier and his very capable negotiating team, and that of the 16^th, we now embark on the heavy work of implementing devolution. Many still wonder if the GNWT has the maturity for the task, but who wouldn't want the power? As I've asked before, will we really bring the people along with us as we embark on this new focus? To some degree the response to the latter question will answer the first. If we have the confidence and maturity to do meaningful consultation and engagement on the Devolution Agreement and a plan for its implementation, things bode well.

The Inuvik-Tuk highway attracted vigorous debate, and decisions were made that will influence the availability of infrastructure dollars for priority projects for years to come. Regardless of positions, everyone had in mind the best outcome for the people of the region and of the Northwest Territories. Time will tell the wisdom we had.

The Boundaries Commission ends its mandate soon. Their critical work in upholding the principles of democracy will only be exceeded by this Assembly when we discuss their report.

With the super-storm of high oil prices, climate changes, and a permanently depressed global economy related to the first two factors, we, as every jurisdiction, must adapt to new realities. Doing the same thing harder will no longer serve. Our stable population, our high economic activity, our hugely disparate incomes provide both opportunity and challenge. As we move forward I will be looking for signs that I can be optimistic in my expectations.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has indeed been an amazing six weeks here in the House and in the Legislature. I am very proud and glad to say in the House today that what we've done and the decisions that we've made over the past six weeks, and all the discussions that we've had, we are going to be changing lives within the next fiscal year. We are going to be changing lives for the better for residents of the Northwest Territories and in years to come.

In the six weeks that we've been here, there have been a lot of emotions, a lot of debates, and what residents of the Northwest Territories don't see is everything that happens sometimes right from 7:30 in the morning until late at night, and some meetings that go on beyond the rise of the House.

When we did start this session off and we had the opening budget address, Members on this side of the House were very happy to see that we did have a footprint in that budget address in terms of the deliberations that we've had. I have to say that even though we like to call it our footprint, and over the last six weeks and all the discussions that we had, I'd like to call it our footprints; committee members and Cabinet working together for the betterment of the residents of the Northwest Territories. And this I was very happy to see. In the 16 months that I've been here, the frustrations that I had in my first few months sitting in this House and seeing that we can actually make things work, change some policies, legislation, and the way we do business, and that we're actually listening to people.

I remember last year when we finished up here, I thanked all the staff for all of their hard work. It is amazing the hard work that goes on in this building when we're in session. But there are a lot of other people that we have to thank. We have to thank the families that sacrifice for us to be here and support us while we are here. But we also have to thank our residents, the front-line workers, the nongovernment organizations, the volunteers that sometimes lobby outside this building, that send us e-mails, that continually contact us and ask us to bring things forward into this House. The people that see the groundwork and see the actual work, that do the work that we are making decisions on. We listen to them and we want to let them know that for the next two and a half years, we're going to continue to listen to them and we're going to slowly make those changes so that the next budget round we're going to have more things to offer and more great decisions that are made. I thank all my colleagues here in the House today, and the staff.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Over the course of the last six weeks I've tried to raise issues from every one of my communities, and I'd like to raise another one for the community of Nahanni Butte.

Ever since the flood, the radio station has not been replaced at all. I know most particularly was the CKLB infrastructure that's there has been damaged. CKLB has several other communities, and they've been trying to repair those communities, as well, but they've been running into funding difficulties. But most particularly, with the Nahanni Butte, I think the total comes to about almost $7,000 to replace that radio infrastructure there. I think it's really important. Especially when it comes to emergencies, you do need those community radio stations up and running. You have to advise the residents of those particular communities how and when to do things.

Later on today I'd like to ask questions of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs about how we ensure that the community radio stations locally are funded and how we ensure that they're there running for the people and for the safety of all residents.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI regarding diamonds.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If our Electoral Boundaries Commission has its way, my Deh Cho riding will not exist in the next election. It will be folded into a large group of far-off communities. This is true of every proposal made by the Boundaries Commission.

This is unjust. It may comply with the cold, hard numbers a court suggested as standards for the composition of a riding, but this is a classic example of how the numbers do not tell the true story.

Even now, Members who live in Yellowknife are fairly quickly available to their constituents most of the time. But an MLA with many isolated communities in his or her riding has little time to visit them all. We spend half the year in Yellowknife away from home. For example, we've been here for about five weeks, in addition to our other business travel.

The proposal for 18 ridings would shift the Hay River Reserve into the Hay River North district. It also eliminates the Tu Nedhe riding. The result would leave the rest of the communities now in the Deh Cho riding with Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti.

I am pleased to say that many people in these small communities only speak their first language. However, there are three Dene languages in the proposed riding. It is very unlikely that any MLA would speak them all. There are also three Dene land claims covering this riding, and Metis claims as well. There are also competing interests in claims among these groups. The MLA's ability to represent them all would be seriously impaired.

That same riding as is proposed, if there are 19 seats in the Assembly as there are now, once the lines are moved, most of the people of the Deh Cho would end up in the riding with three Monfwi and Tu Nedhe communities. However, the Hay River Reserve would still be moving to the Hay River North. Cultural difference seems to have been ignored.

The Boundaries Commission has also suggested adding two seats, for a total of 21 ridings. That is near the Deh Cho communities, including the Hay River Reserve, will be linked up with the three small Monfwi communities. People in my riding do not see wisdom in this. The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife's boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife's boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but these votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented. I think anyone who knows NWT would say no, and emphatically no at that.

I don't know if there are any ways to improve on these proposals, but I cannot support the choices offered by the Boundaries Commission. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to share my comments on the report of the Auditor General on the NWT income security programs, a report released last week.

Income support is supposed to help people who have no other way to pay for basics such as food, shelter and clothing. The core shelter benefit is for rent or mortgage, utilities, damage deposit, home insurance and so on. The core essential benefit is for food, clothing, personal needs, transportation, telephone and household supplies. This audit looked at four income security programs, the Income Assistance Program, the Student Financial Assistance program, the senior home heating subsidy and the Child Care User Subsidy. For anyone remotely associated with income security, it was no surprise that the report was scathing.

A quick perusal of the report's table of contents shows the following problems with these programs, problems which have long been recognized and suffered through by income security clients and the organizations who help them. They are:

• inconsistent processing of client applications;
• payments not made on time and incorrect payments, either too much or too little;
• forms and back-up paperwork lost or misplaced;
• inadequately trained staff and insufficient opportunities for staff training;
• not enough staff to handle the workload;
• staff overburdened with work, handling too many files;
• inconsistencies with how different officials apply the rules to applications;
• management not adequately monitoring staff performance;
• a lack of clear processes to support program delivery and manage the work; and
• limited assessment of program performance.

All of these deficiencies indicate a division at Education, Culture and Employment that is not operating as it should. It results in clients who suffer the consequences, a reduced quality of life and a lack of self-respect, both of which the Income Security Program is supposed to avoid.

I would like to quote a constituent I recently met with to discuss consistently late support payments. This is her assessment of the current situation: Over the years, there have been numerous problems with income support. It has been bounced from Health and Social Services, where social workers worked with families and knew all the issues, to Education, Culture and Employment where families are falling through the cracks because there is no one department looking at the whole picture.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

My constituent went on to say: Since ECE has taken over, that department has become the enforcer and the two departments, Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment, do not talk to each other. They are in conflicting roles.

The Auditor General's report didn't tell me anything I didn't already know but it does quantify the deficiencies for MLAs, the department and the public. Now as the department formulates its action plan in response to the Auditor General's report, I hope that the department has the blinders off, and I hope they remain objective and honest about their performance and about the Auditor General's findings.

There's an opportunity here for ECE to make some major adjustments to its Income Security Program delivery, to revise it for the better, and revise it to benefit the clients it's intended to serve. I'm happy to see that the department accepts the Auditor General's recommendations. The proof of their commitment will be in the actions they take to fix the problems. I'll be watching for that. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The review of public accounts is the cornerstone of financial accountability and governance in the public sector. In the NWT Legislative Assembly, this oversight is performed by the Standing Committee on Government Operations or, as we like to call it, Gov Ops for short. Our Gov Ops committee works in tandem with the Auditor General of Canada to hold the government to account for its use of public funds and resources. Generally, in overseeing government's expenditures, we examine the financial accounts; we examine whether the government has spent funds for the purposes intended by the Legislature; we examine whether funds spent were with due regard to economy and efficiencies; and we evaluate governance means to measure its own effectiveness.

In our modified Westminster system of politics, the Auditor General of Canada has the power to report the findings to the Legislature but does not have the sanctioning power. That is, they cannot force departments or agencies to correct deficiencies. Therefore, the Gov Ops committee plays an essential role in bringing about corrective action by endorsing the Auditor General's findings and recommends corrective action.

Sadly, during the 15^th and 16^th Assemblies, the standing committee chose not to address public accounts as part of its mandate. As a result, there was no standing committee review for public accounts until last year's closed-door review, which was eight years in waiting.

Excitingly, we have turned a new corner and I'm pleased to report that this Friday at 11:30 a.m. the present Standing Committee of Government Operations will, for the first time in the history of the NWT, publicly broadcast our review of the public accounts for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Our Gov Ops committee, chaired by Mr. Nadli, comprises of Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Moses and myself, and we look forward to shedding transparency and clarity to our public purse. We want the people of the NWT to know that this committee has fought hard to bring back the proper oversight expected by their elected officials and we look forward to tabling our findings later this spring. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister of Public Works and Services for his very comprehensive Minister's statement today: Diamond Jenness Secondary School Renovations.

It just seems like yesterday that I was standing up in this House waving that thick volume of material that was the technical review of the Diamond Jenness Secondary School and I guess lobbying hard on the government to get that midlife update done on it, and I'm happy to celebrate with the citizens of Hay River on June 29^th when we have the unveiling, the reopening of the new and improved Diamond Jenness Secondary School. This event will take place on June 29^th and it will coincide with probably the biggest ever homecoming hosted by Hay River. Many, many former graduates of Diamond Jenness Secondary School will be there to celebrate with us, and we have a graduate of that school with us here in the Chamber today, a fine specimen of the GNWT education system, my colleague from Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

I'd also like to say that maybe we can televise the grand reopening of the high school on our new Bell Vu channel. I would like to thank again the GNWT, the contractors, the staff at Diamond Jenness, the teachers. About midway through the renovation the Minister was down and we did a tour, and we saw boxes and incoming supplies and everything all over the place. So although it's a happy thing to get your school renovated, it does take a lot of patience for the staff and the teachers who work around a major renovation like that all the while keeping the school open, and for the students as well, I'd like to thank them.

So now we have the Purple People Eater, as it is fondly known, that will remain on Hay River's landscape as a landmark, as a tourist attraction and probably the most remarkable purple school anywhere. Now with this new improved school, with decentralization, we just need more government jobs so more people can fill it up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to take this very brief opportunity to thank the Pages for all their work here. In particular, I'd like to recognize two Pages from P.W. Kaeser High School in Fort Smith, Anna Gervais and Aurora Vassal in the corner over there. I want to thank them for their hard work. They came here during a good week. They got to see the Prime Minister and were here during some very, very important proceedings.

I'd also like to thank Anna's hardworking grandmother, who has been chaperoning them for the week.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week the crew members of Her Majesty's Canadian ship Yellowknife are conducting a namesake city visit here in the city of Yellowknife. During their namesake city visit they will be conducting a number of civic outreach activities with charities, schools, Aboriginal and government organizations, as well as participating in the Long John Jamboree. I had an opportunity to tour the ship late last fall and it was a great opportunity to meet the crew, tour the boat and thank the members of the crew for all the important work that they do for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Later today I will be recognizing a few of the crew members in the gallery.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my last Member's statement of this long winter session to pay tribute to a Canadian icon who died recently - as my friend Mr. Bouchard also did - the one and only Stompin' Tom Connors.

Stompin' Tom was a friend to all Canadians and wrote timeless songs about our great country from sea to sea. In his honour, I'd like to perform my own version of a song he didn't write but often performed.

I was walking the winter road from Tulita to Norman Wells

when along came a trucker like a bat out of hell.

If you're going to The Wells, he says,

with me you can ride.

I climbed in the cab

and then settled down inside.

He asked me if I'd ever seen a goat road

quite so bad as this.

I said, listen, bud, I've travelled every road

from Tuktoyaktuk to Fort Smith.

I've been everywhere, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Hiking the Canol Trail, man,

I breathed the mountain air, man.

Travel, I had my share of travel, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Where ye have been, he says?

Oh, let me see now, a couple places.

I've been to Salt River, Trout Lake, Midway, McPherson,

Taltson, Porcupine, Carcajou, Coppermine,

Detah, Dory Point, Fort Res, Checkpoint,

Behchoko, Gameti, Wekweeti, Whati,

Hay River times two, Boot Lake, Sahtu.

I've been everywhere, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Drove the Ingraham Trail, man,

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Travel, I've done my share, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Now this truck driver turns to me and says,

Look, buddy, you ain't the Sahtu George Jones,

you want to get out and walk?

And I say, why? Somebody else wants to talk?

Inuvik, Aklavik, Ndilo, Tsiigehtchic,

Huskey Lake, Kelly Lake, Lac de Gras, Enodah,

Fort Liard, Fort Good Hope, Wrigley, Paulatuk,

Twin Lakes, Colville, up, up, up in Tuk

K'atlodeeche, Jean Marie, Nahanni Butte, Lidlii Kue

Fort Providence, Jean Marie, it's okay in Lutselk'e.

Now this truck driver says, Look here, buddy,

I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk about all those small communities.

How about a few places from good ol' Yellowknife?

Like Range Lake, Great Slave, Weledeh, Frame Lake,

YK Centre, YK South, Kam Lake

Two more seats for YK? Give me a break!

---Laughter

---Applause

I've been everywhere, man. Everywhere. Ever good, man.

Cross the barrens bare, man,

I've breathed the Arctic air, man.

I'll always be a Sahtu man!

So safe travels to my fellow MLAs, man.

And to you too, Stompin' Tom.

We'll miss you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

I see when you retire you do have a future. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleague from Boot Lake said it well, before me, when he said we have to thank our families for all the time we're down here. I've got my wife, Judy, up in the gallery. I thank her for her support. I've also got up in the gallery, my sister-in-law Debbie. Welcome to the Assembly. We also have Ellen McDonald and Melissa McDonald, both from Inuvik.

We have been here for a long time. We've been here for six weeks and my grandchildren are watching. I'm coming home tomorrow and, yes, I bought you something.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a couple of individuals from Her Majesty's Canadian ship, the Yellowknife. When I toured this ship last August, I was reminded several times it's a ship, not a boat. I had a note from one of the Members who has indicated that I've called it a boat already. I apologize for that. With us today are Lieutenant-Commander Cory Gleason, the new commanding officer of the HMCS Yellowknife; Petty Officer First Class Calvin Langager, the coxswain and senior non-commissioned officer of the ship; with us as well is Lieutenant David Connelly, the Aboriginal and Northern Affairs advisor Joint Task Force North and vice-chair of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. Welcome, and thank you for all that you do.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to recognize some people from the health authorities and Health and Social Services. These individuals are taking advanced investigations training. We have Cheryl Abraham, Fort Providence, Deh Cho Health and Social Services; Jocelyn MacLean, Fort Simpson, Deh Cho Health and Social Services; Debbie Greenland, Inuvik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services; Lisa Norris, Aklavik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services; Ellen McDonald, Inuvik; Melissa McDonald, Inuvik; Tasha Lake, Yellowknife; Amanda Neville, Yellowknife; Vanessa Rankin, Yellowknife; Cheryl Armstrong, Yellowknife, all from the YK Health and Social Services; Elaine Sanchioni, Tulita, Sahtu Health and Social Services; Carlie Tucker, Behchoko, Tlicho Community Services Agency; Brian Kolback, Department of Health and Social Services; Anneka Westergreen, Department of Health and Social Services; Lynn Barry from the Canadian Society of Investigation of Child Abuse; and, of course, Judy McLeod, Inuvik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services.

Also today I notice Graeme Drew, who is the senior admin officer from Lutselk'e Dene First Nations.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize David Connelly, a resident of Weledeh, here with his colleagues. I would also like to recognize Peter Redvers here representing Sambaa K'e Dene Band of Trout Lake and Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation of Kakisa and their considerable work on the Protected Areas Strategy.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize the two Colville Lake Pages, Chantell Orlias and Lecy Gully. Both are here this week.

I'd also like to, along with my colleague Mr. Abernethy, recognize the YK ship crew from Vancouver. I appreciate the tour there.

Also some former high school students, Debbie Greenland; of course, Mr. McLeod's wife, Judy, and the mental health worker from Tulita, Elaine. Also a good friend of mine, Peter Redvers.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to recognize a Page who has been working very hard for us all week. Ryan O'Brien is a Frame Lake resident. He goes to school here in Yellowknife at Sir John. Thank you to Ryan for his hard work and to all the Pages for the work that they've done for us.

On behalf of Mr. Bromley, I would like to recognize his constituency assistant who is a resident of Weledeh but he kind of forgot him. Mr. Craig Yeo, welcome.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Mr. Peter Redvers, who has been doing work with the community of Kakisa and also Ka'a'gee Tu First Nations.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a Page that I have from the riding of Kam Lake, Ms. Caleigh Matheson. I also want to thank all the rest of the Pages for all the work that they've done for us over the entire session.

I'd also like to recognize Mr. Peter Redvers, a constituent of Kam Lake. Welcome to the House.

Also, the folks in the audience from HMCS Yellowknife. I was there in I believe it was 1996, when the ship was commissioned. Good to see you here. Pleasure for you to be here.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a Page here who is from the Yellowknife Centre riding, Wendy Giang. She is a Sir John Student.

The other thing is, at the same time, I would like to recognize Mr. David Connelly, who has been a friend for many years. I appreciate his conviction and devotion he provides the HMCS Yellowknife. It's good work he does.

Finally, the same as Mr. Ramsay said, I'd like to thank all the Pages, those from Sir John, Colville Lake, and certainly PWK for their hardworking services here. I'm grateful for it and I certainly hope you enjoyed the time here.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I'd like to welcome all visitors here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today. Thank you for coming.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier of the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Premier some questions around the Norman Wells proven area. Specifically, I want to target on the resource revenue issue with the Government of Canada. I want to ask the Premier, in regard to this issue here, if the Government of Canada is holding firm on their stance that this area here is not a resource revenue sharing deal other than they have other interests, such as a commercial venture, and if there are any other type of discussions to see if they will move away from that definition.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have had those discussions on several occasions with the Government of Canada, first and foremost during the development of the agreement-in-principle. We couldn't resolve it, so it was punted to the negotiations of the final agreement, so to speak. We made some progress by the fact that they have agreed that royalties will be paid on two-thirds of the Norman Wells interest. The Government of Canada remains steadfast, though, that their one-third share is ownership, it's a commercial interest and that it is not a royalty. On that basis they do not see fit to pay royalties on it, because they are very clear that it is not a royalty.

I've done some of my own research and I found a very interesting document that in 1944, July 21^st, Imperial Oil and the Government of Canada struck up a management/ownership type of deal with the Norman Wells oilfields and that they've been taking a cut in the share of that development fuel since then; even longer.

I want to ask if the Government of Canada is changing the rules as time goes on and because they're so adamant not to release that definition under what is stated in the research I have that Norman Wells is looked at resource revenue rather than the ownership. Is the Minister looking to see if there are some other leverages that we can use, for example, if Canada is willing to sell their share of the Norman Wells oilfield?

As part of the negotiations process, we were able to limit the extent of the Norman Wells oilfield so that for a period of time they were looking at all of the Norman Wells area that would be covered. We were able to limit it just to the existing oilfield from Norman Wells. We also discussed, and the Prime Minister mentioned it in his response to a question, that from time to time the Government of Canada sells off assets of commercial interest and if it does happen, then there might be a possibility there for royalties.

I should point out that in the ‘80s, or when the Gwich'in and the Sahtu took the Government of Canada to court for unpaid royalties, there was an out-of-court settlement whereby both the Gwich'in and the Sahtu signed an agreement that the Norman Wells payments were not royalties, in order to receive compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

We're looking at the bigger issue with the Norman Wells royalty regime. I want to ask the Premier, because of the interest now in the Norman Wells area, and not just the Norman Wells proven area, does the Premier see the Husky, the Conoco, the Shell type of structure that could possibly see the federal government looking elsewhere outside Norman Wells to say there's not millions but there's billions to be had. Is that something that we have positioned ourselves so that they keep their hands out of our pockets?

We believe we have been able to successfully negotiate that, but recognizing that that field is still being proven. It's still in the exploration stage but the potential is unlimited. I think there's tremendous potential in the Sahtu and we'll see it come to pass.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say, because, again, in my research, there were regulations, a management regime, and in the time when they were making the deal, Aboriginal people didn't even have the right to vote in Canada. These were all being done on Aboriginal lands that we're supposed to have a treaty. Now we're taking over devolution, and part of taking over devolution is the 24 acts, regulations and legislation that we're going to take over. One of them is the Canadian Petroleum Act, I think, and I want to make sure that we are set and the federal government is not going to interfere with our type of resource revenue sharing that we need in the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Premier, will his department look at some of these things that ensure that the federal government does not poke its hands in areas that it shouldn't be.

We definitely want to make sure that is the case. That's why the legal and technical review of the final agreement that we're doing right now is so important, because we want to make sure that doesn't happen.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I was asking questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on training for the Inuvik-Tuk highway. I guess you could say I was putting the cart before the horse, but now that we have made decisions on the Inuvik-Tuk highway, I'd like to ask the Minister again, is the department making any plans for training in the Beaufort-Delta starting this spring.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. That is a great question. This is an area that we are preparing. I just met with the standing committee this morning, just preparing for whether it be the Deh Cho, Sahtu and Beaufort-Delta, there is so much activity that will be happening in that area. We need to plan now. I've instructed my department and also my senior staff that we need to develop, if there is a committee in place already, what are the training needs and the requirements at the community level and let's focus on those are let's have a meeting immediately. We're forming a steering committee to deal with those matters, especially the Beaufort-Delta now that we just approved infrastructure. We're going forward on that and we are full force following through with that.

It's projected that we'll provide 400 jobs on the Inuvik to Tuk highway. There is a lot of training that needs to be done. A lot of our workers right now are actually travelling to the Sahtu for all the work that's happening there. There is a lot that we need to do in the communities. Will the Minister use the facilities and the capacity in the communities to provide the training, whether it's Class 1 and Class 3 and heavy equipment operating?

Those are the areas that we need to discuss with the group, and when I mention the group, that's the community representatives, the industry representatives. They are the experts that will provide the community-based needs, the human resources. We do have community learning centres. We have the colleges. Colleges are part of the process, as well, and the Mine Training Society, if they happen to be part of the process. I think they should be part of the process, and other industries and organizations that are part of the group. We're going to have a dynamic discussion identifying short-term, mid-term and also long-range plans on the training needs. My Department of Education, Culture and Employment at the regional level will be actively involved.

When we did do our budgeting process, we didn't anticipate the added training needs that we are going to need in the Beaufort-Delta. I'd just like to be assured by the Minister whether we will have training in the communities, whether it's every six months. We do have a lot of training that needs to be done, but I'd just like to be assured.

With the project that's going forward now, there are going to be various training aspects and that's what we need to identify. I want to push this forward expeditiously with potential partners that are there in the Beaufort-Delta and, based on their needs, develop plans of action pertaining to training. That's an area that I'm committing to with my department, working with the regional representatives, and also industry and Aboriginal organizations. We need to plan now.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to ask the Minister if he will work with the Minister of Transportation to ensure that we can find a way around the process, I guess you could say, for the basic driver's licence. Right now, when a person gets their learners they have to wait one full year to actually get their licence, and I don't believe that we can wait one full year for our residents to follow that process. We need to speed it up. Will they work on that?

I agree that these types of training should be pushed forward in advance. I will be working with the Department of Transportation on this particular piece of work where we've done that in the past in other communities, whether it be a Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3, and even Class 5. There are certain individuals that want to take this training. I will commit to the Member that we're going to put that forward, and then based on the communities' needs, if that is the interest, then we'll definitely fulfil that.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to follow up on the Minister's statement earlier today on the update on the Protected Areas Strategy from the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources and see if I can seek some more clarity. He did state we will continue to support the completion of working group reports and the extension of interim land withdrawals for candidate areas, which I really appreciate. He also says we will continue to advance the establishment of core representative areas within each eco-region, which makes sense.

My question is: Are any of the five areas currently scheduled for consideration as national wildlife areas included in these representative areas, and as national wildlife areas being contemplated, will they be put on hold for some unscheduled amount of time until the northern tools materialize or what's the plan for those? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ones that are most advanced, of course, are the Edehzhie and there are the other candidate areas mainly in the Deh Cho. The work is being done, as I outlined in my statement to the House, and we intend to keep moving. We do have northern tools that exist and we're prepared to be more proactive in actually looking at using them and not just talking about using them. We will continue to have discussions with the federal government about the federal designation as well. As I indicated in the House yesterday, I have to have discussions with Minister Kent to that effect. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I also would like to know exactly what are these new and existing northern tools that we hear referred to explicitly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I've indicated, I believe yesterday, as well, we have the ability in the North to set up parks conservation areas, critical habitat, wildlife habitat. As we move to devolution and we take over with all the enhanced responsibilities, there may be other types of tools that will come up and make a certain amount of sense as we lay out work that's going to be within the Land Use and Sustainability Framework and regional land use plans.

Thanks to the Minister. Some time ago committee commented on the NWT Land Use and Sustainability Framework but it seems to have disappeared into the quagmire. Will the Minister be bringing this forward for consideration by committee before it's finalized? Mahsi.

This is a critical piece of work. It has a history that dates back to the previous Assembly. We have been working on it diligently. As the Member's indicated, they see some of the work. Yes, as we move forward to the next stages we will be, as per protocols, working closely with committee in the proper sequence to make sure that they have their input at the front end of this process. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is: What will our role be in land use planning, actual land use planning on the ground under the new auspices of devolution? Mahsi.

We will look to have a key role at the table. The federal role won't be as visible. We need to have our thinking clear, which is why we're working hard on the Land Use and Sustainability Framework as well as all the other subsidiary and interrelated strategies that we're working on. We're going to be at the table and we're going to be much more proactive because we're going to have the authority, plus, with our thinking much clearer coming from the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, we'll be able to hopefully move these processes with more alacrity. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I was reading in the news, there was a press release put out yesterday by the Government of Saskatchewan - actually, the Health department, Government of Saskatchewan - where they've created this incentive program to lure doctors into rural communities. I want to know if the Minister of Health and Social Services was aware of this news release, and if the department has any plan of action in terms of recruitment of physicians, which we know is already a challenge throughout Canada.

What is the Minister of Health doing, in terms of this news release that has come out of the Government of Saskatchewan? How is he going to address this or are there any incentives from the NWT that will keep us in the running for some of these physicians? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Recently we had transferred the territorial physician recruitment, developed a Territorial Physician Recruitment Strategy that's developed to improve recruitment to the Territories. We hadn't contemplated luring doctors with cash, but rather improving the system and how we attract them back to the Territories. We have a fairly healthy compensation package for doctors that wish to work in the Territories and we are seeing some success. Recently, since we've developed this recruitment strategy, we have some doctors in Inuvik, Fort Smith and now the first one in Hay River. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I do understand in terms of discussions that standing committee has had with the Minister of Health and Social Services and his department on these compensation packages, but what the Government of Saskatchewan is doing is very unique in terms of the cash amount that they are giving to physicians that recently graduated, and they're actually going even retroactive for ones that qualify and it is a pretty substantial amount.

Is the Minister contacting, perhaps, some of his federal counterparts in terms of how to address this kind of situation? One jurisdiction is often some type of mechanism to get doctors into the rural communities when they would be taken out from other jurisdictions. Is he speaking with his federal counterparts to address this issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I haven't specifically talked to other Ministers. We all have the different types of issues in recruiting doctors. There are doctor shortages everywhere. It's just that our percentage of our population that don't have immediate access to doctors is probably higher than most, maybe not as high as Nunavut but higher than most places. We develop various strategies. We have a website. We have bursaries. We have 22 medical students from NWT now out in school that we are tracking. Like I indicated, we offer a good compensation package. We also offer residency to any doctors that wish to come here to gain some experience and practice. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, seeing as this press release just came out yesterday from the Government of Saskatchewan, I ask Members, especially the Standing Committee on Social Program members to take a look at it because it is going to possibly have an effect on the positions in our recruiting strategies for the Northwest Territories where we have a shortage of physicians.

Should we start to see that has an impact on the Northwest Territories, what is the Minister of Health willing to do to address this issue, working with possibly the Government of Saskatchewan or the Government of Canada? Can he make a commitment to trade some discussion or some type of strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in Saskatchewan they're trying to attract doctors to communities with less than 10,000 people. All of our communities, with the exception of Yellowknife, have less than 10,000 people. Again, our game is a little bit different but, of course, as we meet at the federal/provincial/territorial meetings, I would talk to the executive deputy minister and see if there would be some value in us having a discussion with a jurisdiction such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, which also have remote communities, and Alberta to see if there is maybe something that can be gained from having the discussion. I will certainly do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We always talk about the communication between governments and committees and even between committees here. Was the Minister of Health made aware of this press release that the Government of Saskatchewan put out that's possibly going to affect the Northwest Territories creating this awareness in getting some recruitment for physicians? Did he have any discussions with his counterpart in Saskatchewan, or was he made aware of this press release when it first came out? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I had not had previous discussions with the Minister of Health from Saskatchewan on the press release. However, when there is anything that's pertaining to health right across the country, we have individuals in our communications that would track it, pull out some information and eventually, as we sit down and go through various agenda items with the deputy minister as part of regular routine, we discuss what's happening in other parts of the country in as far as health goes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I raised the issue about the broken CKLB radio transmitted in Nahanni Butte. I'd like to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs if this was taken in account during the flood damage and ultimately, as well, how does Municipal and Community Affairs assist communities with local radio stations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that I think there were issues with that particular radio station before with the towers or the infrastructure before the flood and I'm not sure if there was a claim made, but the Member's second part of his question he asked how we can assist. They are able to use some of their O and M funding for infrastructure. However, if the costs are quite high, then they can use some of their infrastructure money to assist with the infrastructure for radio delivery. As well, my understanding is that there is some monies available through ECE to assist with the O and M of the radio station too. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Also, is there any way that this government can help a community like Nahanni Butte with the capital costs? I've got an estimate. We met with CKLB officials and they said Nahanni Butte replacement infrastructure would be about, I think it was almost $6,500, including the technician to travel in there. So I wonder if there's any capital dollars within MACA or within our government that we can look at addressing this need. Thank you.

Thank you. As far as capital dollars go, MACA has absolutely no capital funding dollars. We give all the capital funding dollars to the community and they can make a determination. If they want to spend the $6,500 on this particular piece of infrastructure, then they have the ability to do that. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Is the Minister aware, when working with his colleagues, of any other places where the community can access some infrastructure dollars to address this specific need, and in fact, while the Minister is in charge of, as well, emergency situations, and having a local station will greatly enhance our emergency services in all the small and remote communities? Thank you.

Thank you. I would have to have discussions with my colleagues on any potential pots of money that might be available. Again, I reiterate the fact that we do provide a lot of infrastructure money to the communities and the Member raises the point about the emergency side of it.

Again, there was an old federal program where we were able to access some kind of money for that. That's gone now. We'll wait and see what the rules are on the new pot of money that the feds are coming out and exactly what our share may be. So there may be opportunities there for that too.

I think, at the end of the day, in a situation like this where it is an emergency, the community has well within their means to pay for the infrastructure and then the O and M, there are some monies available for that too. But I will commit to the Member that I will work with my colleagues to identify any kind of pots of money that might be available to the community. Thank you.