Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A lot of these dollars are tied to the federal stimulus funding. There was a deadline date that was set and I know it was carried forward. Realistically, can we conclude these projects within the timelines that we’re looking at, and more importantly, with the capital investment, then, from the carry-overs from previous years? Can we realistically accomplish all the work that needs to be done and that we don’t find ourselves having to either to pay back these dollars or lose these dollars because of the timeline that’s been put forward in regard to having these projects completed by I believe it’s this fall? Thank you.

Just a clarification. I think we’re having some problems here identifying which document we’re operating off of. Maybe if we can just get clarification of exactly which document we’re talking about here. We have the Supplementary Operations Expenditures, No. 1. We have the Supplementary Infrastructure Expenditures, No. 1. I think either the covering page is wrong or misplaced. Could we get clarification of which document we’re dealing with?

Maybe the Minister can tell us exactly when he is going to get around to the higher-cost communities. It’s great to say let’s do this all with the capital in the South Slave region. When are we going to see these capital investments in our high-cost, smaller, isolated communities?

Again, there are a lot of other needy projects out there, especially in the communities where you have high operational costs in the isolated communities. I’m wondering when this government is going to make an effort to make these type of investments in the more high-cost communities and bring down the cost of living in our communities, than continue to make these kind of capital expenditures. Especially in the capital and for a brand new piece of infrastructure to be built and then to put this into the mix without even allowing other communities the same opportunity to consider those dollars to be spent in high-cost communities.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the Minister’s opening statement, I did raise this issue in committee in regard to the energy priority initiatives. The Yellowknife Airport, a garage was constructed. This is a new facility yet we’re spending some $660,000-odd to put in a wood pellet boiler. I’m wondering why it is that this was not part of the design and construction of that facility and why wasn’t that built in when we constructed this new facility. It is new. I think we spent quite a few million dollars on it. I’m just wondering why it is that we’re making this major expenditure after the fact on a brand new facility. I’d like to know, for the public record, why that wasn’t part of the expenditures when we constructed the new facility.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to present a petition dealing with the matter of saving the Joe Greenland Centre.

The petition contains 291 signatures of Northwest Territories residents. The petitioners request that the government leaders continue to provide 24-hour residential support services at the Joe Greenland Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take the Minister’s advice and suggest that all tenants who are having this situation do go to the Human Rights Commission and file their complaints and maybe that’s the only place they’re going to get some reprieve here. I’d like to ask the Minister again, will you consider writing a letter to your local housing authorities and making them aware of the Human Rights Act and that it is a discriminatory matter if you are not allowing people to pick up an application?

These are serious allegations and I hope the Minister will take some leadership here. These allegations where an individual cannot go into a housing authority and pick up an application, is told that we will not give you an application, are against the Human Rights Act. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can write a letter to the local housing authorities making them aware that they cannot discriminate an individual from picking up an application and they have every right to fill out that application and process it. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could commit to writing that letter.

This has come to my attention not once but several times. I believe that we do have an obligation under the Human Rights Act as a government to fulfill our obligations as providers of services and to ensure that we are not discriminating clients. What is the Housing Corporation doing to ensure that front-line workers, whether it’s housing authorities and staff, are aware of their obligations under the Human Rights Act?