Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 6, Interim Appropriation Act, 2000-2001 and Committee Report 3-14(2) and 4-14(2), and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the committee of the whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What I am saying here is we could save a lot of money for the departments if the ten kilometres were turned over to Yellowknife on the Municipal and Community Affairs formula funding, which I know is not that much. I worked for the hamlet of Rae. We were receiving minimum dollars, barely enough to run those roads. By giving $59,000 to the Yellowknife local, it does not seem fair to all the other communities that are formula funded to maintain their roads. I am saying that maybe this is one place where the department can look at to save some money.

By doing this, I think it would be fair to everyone else and Highway No. 3. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to go back a question I had yesterday about how the department kept turning over services, like municipal boundaries, to the communities. I just did a calculation on your study of traffic volume on Highways No. 3, No. 4 and the Yellowknife local.

I received the traffic volume report for Rae, on Highway No. 3. For 90 kilometres, the daily traffic volume average is 5,480. They are getting $52,085 for maintenance, compared to Highway No. 4 to Prelude, which is only 66.2 kilometres. The cost to maintain that, and I am talking about winter maintenance, is $64,960 for 66 kilometres. The traffic is only 1,460 average daily. Then I come down to the Yellowknife local, where I am saying the contract should be turned over on a formula basis, like Municipal and Community Affairs does for the communities, because the cost for ten kilometres for Yellowknife local roads is $59,024.

It is more than 90 kilometres of highway to Rae for maintenance. Just looking at this and looking at our territorial deficit, we can see where the problem is. Our department is not operating efficiently. Our people are not doing their job. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Separating the North Slave from the contract with Stanton Regional Hospital can save the government a lot of money in the future. Is the Minister willing to make changes to future contracts so that all communities can be involved in future contracts? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For over a year, the Dogrib Community Services Board has tried to get the Stanton Regional Health Board to transfer medical travel funds to their board. Would the Minister consider this, as there are at least three contractors that are available in Rae for this service?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in my statement in the House, I mentioned that the Dogrib Treaty 11 Comprehensive Claim negotiations are in the final stages. An important part of this comprehensive land claim agreement is that it includes land claim and self-government matters.

One area that needs to be addressed between the government and the Dogrib Community Services Board is the issue of medical travel. Right now, the Stanton Regional Health Board is preparing a contract for transportation of patients from Rae to Stanton, Providence to Stanton and for patients within Yellowknife.

I can certainly understand the Stanton Regional Health Board issuing a contract for medical travel for patients in Yellowknife. However, I cannot understand why the same contractor would be responsible for providing transportation services to Rae.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services tell me whether the Dogrib Community Services Board was consulted as to their wishes for medical travel to and from Rae?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, I talked to the director of operations of the Stanton Regional Health Board. I had concerns about how the contracts for medical travel are given out. Right now, these contracts are done as a package. The successful bidder provides medical transportation services to several communities. North Slave contractors are concerned that they do not have the same opportunities to bid on these contracts as Yellowknife contractors.

I looked into this matter, and the way the contracts are tendered, small contractors do not have a chance to be successful on their bids. In particular, it does not make sense for the government to pay for Yellowknife cabs to pick up a person in Rae to bring them to the hospital. Later, the patient is returned to Rae, and the cab comes back empty to Yellowknife. Essentially, two empty trips are made for each patient from Rae who calls for medical transportation. I am sure that a more cost-effective service can be provided. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services regarding this matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, just going back on that road again, like I said, there is no maintenance being done on it. I do not know where the money is going. If you are not going to use it on Highway No. 3, could you please give it to Highway No. 8 for the maintenance?

-- Laughter

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Maybe the highways department might look at putting Highway No. 3 maintenance out for tender so it could be well-maintained. Right now, since January, I have been complaining about the highway and it has only been plowed three times.

There is a lot of money going to operations and maintenance. I just want to know where the money is going because I do not see it going on that highway. So if you can tell me where the money is going, I will be happy and I can tell my people, oh, the money is being spent right. What are you doing with the money you say you have for operations and maintenance? Thank you.