Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. I have been beating the drum on this side on my favourite two words: Highway 7. I, like my constituents who use it daily, have rattled on the washboards, sunk in its mud holes, avoided the sinkholes. Actually, I didn’t avoid it. I actually stood in one with Minister Ramsay a couple of years ago, and now at kilometre 169 there’s a dip so big it reminds of a roller coaster.

My constituents value that highway and I believe our government should as well.

Highway No. 7 is part of our National Highway Transportation System. The residents of Fort Liard and Fort Simpson, who use the highway daily, would like this road reconstructed back to the standards of a national highway. I am very dismayed that, despite raising and highlighting the major attention that Highway 7 needs, I never see these two words mentioned in any official government documents such as our yearly budget addresses, speeches by Cabinet in Ottawa, and most recently the Minister of Transportation’s opening remarks in Committee of the Whole yesterday. They tell me it’s a priority. But like an idea, it’s not an idea until it’s written down. So make this a real priority. This government simply must be beating the drum too.

Two new initiatives, the Slave Geological highway and the Mackenzie Valley Highway expansion, have significant documentation and significant attention by our government. This is the level of attention and written priority that simply must be given to Highway No. 7 in order to get this piece of infrastructure supported in Ottawa. The benefits of upgrading the road base are many and can generate much needed revenue in the future for our government.

I would say that my efforts and the support of my colleagues are not fruitless. This Assembly has dedicated capital resources for repairs for some reconstruction this year in the capital budget and there is a long-term strategy. However, I believe, as I have stated today, much more has to be done to make this highway a real priority for this government for our Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Chief William Koe isn’t the only one concerned about elders in Fort McPherson; we are all worried about them. The simple fact is that Fort McPherson needs more home care workers. A single worker cares for more than 30 people. On average, that means that elders receive only four hours of care in an entire month. It’s not enough, Mr. Speaker, and as the population ages, the situation is only going to worsen.

The community really needs at least one more full-time worker with up to four home care workers available on a rotational basis.

In December 2011, at the outset of the 17th Assembly, the former Minister, Tom Beaulieu, acknowledged the need for better home care workers in the Mackenzie Delta. He specifically stated that the Beaufort-Delta authority would be looking at hiring more home care workers in Fort McPherson.

Again, on June 6, 2012, Minister Beaulieu stated that smaller communities are asking for a simpler, less expensive response than a long-term care facility. He said that the department would be increasing the number of home care workers.

Two years later, in June 2014, the current Minister of Health and Social Services tabled Our Elders, Our Communities. It’s supposed to be a blueprint for the department’s Aging in Place Action Plan, basically ensuring that elders can live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. So far, Fort McPherson hasn’t seen any action on this action plan.

I’ll have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two Hay River Huskies. Jackson Fuller and Jet Maher, please stand up. They’re here for a hockey tournament this weekend. I’d also like to recognize Shelley Maher, one of our ladies that put together our Arctic Winter Games bid recently. Obviously, I saved the best for last, the love of my life, Julianne Fuller.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize some individuals from Tu Nedhe today. First, I would like to recognize our interpreters that have been interpreting all week here. There is a new interpreter in there, Dennis Drygeese from Lutselk’e and, of course, also the veteran interpreter, Tommy Unka from Fort Resolution. Also, we have two Pages from Lutselk’e, Dacho Poole and Johnny Yassie, and their chaperone, Jordan Michel. I am not sure if he is here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce, to you and through you, in reference to my Member’s statement earlier today, Mr. OpenNWT himself, from Range Lake, Mr. David Wasylciw. Thanks, Dave, for joining us today. Of course, I would like to welcome one of my pharmacist colleagues from Hay River, Ms. Julianne Fuller. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot top my colleague’s introduction of his visitors in the gallery, but all four of the Hay River residents visiting here today are residents of Hay River South, so I would also like to welcome them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of the Pages who has been working with us for the last couple of weeks, Raya Laframboise. She’s not in the House today, but she has been doing great work along with all the other Pages who have been working with us for this week and last week. I can’t see him, but I can’t not say hello to Mr. David Wasylciw. Welcome to the house, David. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a Page from Yellowknife South, Kyra Hanninen, and thank all the Pages that have assisted here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize the good work of all the Pages in the House. This is a long session; I know a lot of the Pages have put in long hours here, so thank you. I want to specifically recognize Ashley Stride. Ashley is a constituent of Kam Lake and a student at Sir John Franklin School. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. I would like to welcome everybody in the public gallery here

today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On February 6, 2015, the Minister of Public Works and Services announced an immediate fuel savings of eight to nine cents per litre in 16 communities that it serves. This is indeed great news for these NWT residents and I applaud the government for finally capturing the recent lower fuel prices by passing on such savings and helping to lower the cost of living for our Northerners. However, upon further analysis, I do have questions for the Minister.

Can the Minister indicate by what methodology did Public Works and Services come up with the eight to nine cents per litre saving model for these 16 communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Public Works, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We determine price by the actual price of the products and the transportation of those products and, of course, the distribution once they are in the community. We look at those and, recognizing that the fuel was not actually in the community yet, we are looking at the rack price of fuel down south and when we are going to buy, anticipating the transportation costs in there, and we were very comfortable with the reduction. We could anticipate more reductions, as well, later on in this winter road season. Thank you.

From the Minister’s own words, it sounds like some of this fuel is not yet in the community and it appears that the PWS fuel services’ buying strategy is using some form of hedging that they are applying and passing to the customers. This strategy would suggest that these fuel savings would extend well into next season’s bulk purchases as well.

Can the Minister elaborate? Are these fuel price savings being hedged over a two-year window? Thank you.

These prices are for this year. We think that the price may stabilize or go back up a bit, but we haven’t hedged the cost of fuel moving forward. We have the Stabilization Fund that’s designed to stabilize the fuel costs in the communities. When the fuel prices go down, we increase the Stabilization Fund. When the fuel prices go back up, we decrease the Stabilization

Fund, keeping it stable but not two years into the future. Thank you.

Even if we’re using the term “stabilization,” it’s still a form of a hedging because we’re balancing out those prices. Should this hedging concept produce even greater savings per litre with a new summer bulk purchase program and should fuel prices remain the same or stabilize, does the Minister see further reduction of the price per litre being passed on to the residents in these communities? Thank you.