Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to providing all of the options, examination of those options on this issue, to the Legislative Assembly for the February session?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. I know that many elders from Fort Resolution have lived in, and are living in, extended care situations in Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Smith. Can the Minister tell me whether the department has done any cost-benefit analysis and the feasibility of repatriating these elders to Fort Resolution and caring for them in their own home community in the seniors’ facility in Fort Resolution? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I spoke of the need to reprofile the senior citizens’ facility in Fort Resolution to handle extended care. I can tell you that a facility lends itself to doing this. So there is only a minimum capital cost involved, but there would also be a requirement for some dedicated nursing staff. Can the Minister of Health and Social Services inform the Assembly whether the department has considered expanding the level of services available through the Fort Resolution seniors’ facility to handle extended care patients?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a couple of constituents of mine in the gallery, Kara King and Arthur Beck.

---Applause

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(English not provided).

In my Member’s statement today, I want to speak about the need to reprofile the seniors’ facility in Fort Resolution to meet long-term care needs of our elders. As it stands now, Mr. Speaker, as soon as an elder gets too sick or infirm to stay in Fort Resolution, they are sent to extended care in Yellowknife, Fort Smith or Hay River. This is far away from their home, their family and community, as well as the traditional foods they need for their diet. In short, Mr. Speaker, we are penalizing elders who live in small communities who do not have a hospital, by forcing them to spend their final days in another community. I am sure that between the services of homecare and some additional nurses, as well as some renovations to the seniors’ facility, that an extended care service could be offered in Fort Resolution for a vast majority of the elders

who are sent to one of the larger communities for their final days.

I think that a case could be made that the cost of offering extended care in Fort Resolution would be comparable to the costs involved in transporting patients and providing bed space in the other communities of Yellowknife, Fort Smith or Hay River.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the provision of long-term extended care for Fort Resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister let the Assembly know specifically what his department does to help communities access funding from different sources, like the federal government, for their infrastructure needs?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everyone here is aware there are many unforeseen factors that affect budgeting from year to year. Competing priorities relating to health and safety of residents will always trump recreation infrastructure. In better words, if the water truck breaks down before it’s supposed to, it will be replaced. Does MACA help the communities that are facing unforeseen capital costs through no fault of their own through the New Deal?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I spoke about the fact that block funding under the New Deal does not meet infrastructure needs for smaller NWT communities. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a community like Lutselk’e to build infrastructure, like their recently completed arena, under the New Deal. Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs inform this Assembly how a small community could build a large piece of infrastructure, like a swimming pool, under the New Deal? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(English not provided)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

I have been talking in my language about the need to provide recreation opportunities for the youth in the communities of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. Youth in the larger communities have an opportunity to be involved in a number of activities. Opportunities for our youth in the communities I represent are limited. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that smaller communities’ councils have in meeting the needs of the population is in making those hard decisions on how to spend money that is provided by the territorial government.

Giving the communities the power to set their own priorities and plan for their own infrastructure need is a noble concept in empowering the communities. However, Mr. Speaker, I would argue that the amount of money that flows to the communities that I represent is barely enough to deliver the programs that they are required to do, let

alone build infrastructure that could keep the youth out of conflict with the law.

Mr. Speaker, the youth in my communities need youth centres to hang out in; places where they could access programs and services like tutoring or study help while being supervised in a safe, sober environment. MACA has come up with the money for a youth centre in Lutselk’e, but the youth centre in Fort Resolution is still not operational. I believe that if we keep the youths' minds and bodies busy with sports, academics and social opportunities, they will be less likely to get into trouble.

The government has a responsibility to future generations. The New Deal, in my mind, downloads the decision-making process on funding for infrastructure to the communities, thus making them the bad guys instead of the Government of the NWT. This works for larger tax-based communities who have the ability to leverage money from banks to complete needed infrastructure projects in a timely manner. Smaller community means smaller block funding, smaller pots of money, meaning that it would be unlikely the bank would get involved with those communities.

Later on today I will have questions for the Minister of MACA on the adequacy of block funding in smaller communities and just what the department is doing to help the community meet their needs, infrastructure needs in relation to youth. Thank you.

---Applause