Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Dent on June 5, 2003, regarding the proposed territorial sport and recreation board.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that meeting all of the sport and recreation needs of all of our communities and territorial organizations places great pressures upon the sport and recreation system. This is especially true as our government has made the promotion of active living a key priority.

The intent of the proposed territorial recreation and sport board is not to take away resources from the organizations that are responsible for direct sport and recreation program delivery. In fact, the proposal is intended, in a large part, to streamline the administration and governance of the system, resulting in more resources being made available for programs.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that volunteers are the backbone of the sport and recreation system. It is only through the dedicated efforts of countless volunteers in all the communities across the NWT that we are able to support the extensive range of activities that are occurring in our communities, such as track and field meets, hockey tournaments, Super Soccer, cross-country ski clubs, races and traditional games, to name just a few.

By streamlining the recreation and sport system and ensuring equitable access to lottery revenues across the territory we hope to realize an increase in the resources that are available to support these activities. It we are successful in this effort, we should be able to provide better support for volunteers in the recreation and sport system across the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, based on the recommendations put forward by the sport and recreation partners, it is obvious that we will continue to rely upon the important role played by volunteers in the system. It is not our intent to replace these volunteers with permanent employees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another return to oral question, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize in the visitors' gallery from the Special Olympics of the NWT, Karla Cairns, the swimming coach and support of Special Olympics; Val Braden, Special Olympics volunteer of the year; Pierre Lafond, Special Olympics male athlete of the year and Special Olympian and member of the Team Canada swimming team for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 25, Municipal Statutes Replacement Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill repeals and replaces the Charter Communities Act, the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, and the Hamlets Act. The bill makes many changes to modernize these three statutes, to make them easier to understand and to make the rules more flexible where appropriate.

There are changes to operation of the municipal corporation. These include:

• • providing hamlets, towns and villages with greater flexibility to stagger or change terms of office;
• • setting out the process to be followed when it is necessary to force a disqualified council member to step down;
• • allowing councils to adopt their own oaths of office;
• • giving councils explicit powers to appoint youth members;
• • allowing councils to establish boards or other bodies to administer programs and services;
• • allowing council meetings to take place using speaker phones, videoconferencing or other electronic means;
• • providing clearer direction on when council meetings may be closed to the public;
• • requiring agendas for regular council meetings to be available to the public 48 hours prior to each meeting;
• • allowing councils to provide indemnities to members in council committees for attending meetings;
• • giving a clear description of the duties of mayors, council members and councils;
• • giving council explicit powers to adopt codes of ethnics, with sanctions;
• • allowing employees of hamlets and charter communities to sit as council members in some limited circumstances;
• • facilitating alternate service delivery arrangements;
• • providing councils with explicit economic development powers;
• • allowing municipalities to establish new services or businesses and to establish or acquire shares in corporations with the approval of the Minister or the authorization of an investment plan;
• • allowing delegation agreements to be made with the Government of Canada, or other municipalities, and aboriginal governments and organizations.

The rules governing financial management are being changed, including:

• • new requirements that budgets and financial statements be made available to the public;
• • providing that financial statements need only comply with generally accepted accounting principles recommended for municipal governments from time to time by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants;
• • removing the requirement for Ministerial approval of forgiveness of debt bylaws for municipal taxing authorities;
• • providing that debts of council members may not be forgiven;
• • expanding the current powers to invest surplus money;
• • specifying that long-term borrowing may be undertaken to finance capital expenses, but not operational expenses;
• • allowing non-tax-based communities to borrow on a long-term basis for any purpose, rather than just for land development;
• • new budgeting requirements pertaining to deficits;
• • requiring voter approval for long-term borrowing and other long-term financial commitments;
• • replacing ratepayer approval with voter approval.

Provisions establishing bylaw-making powers will now set out spheres of jurisdiction and general powers to enforce bylaws, as opposed to specific and narrow heads of authority. There are new provisions for voter petitions respecting bylaws.

There are new provisions to limit municipal liability for certain matters and activities, such as municipal facilities, services and utilities, fire protection, highways, the exercise of discretion, inspections and maintenance and remedying contraventions of bylaws. The current personal civil liability protections for council members are extended to youth members, municipal officers, volunteer workers and board members.

Municipalities will have powers to allow them to effectively enforce their bylaws, and will have general authority to conduct inspections and remedy contraventions. The Minister will have the ability to intervene if a municipality is in difficulty, without resorting to the appointment of an administrator. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the interest of accuracy, I am going to take the question as notice so I can supply accurate information to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, News/North describes them as the Edison twins of Tuk. Travis Anderson and Ryland Anderson, two of our school students, won honourable mention at the National Science Fair held in Calgary. These cousins, both in Grade 7, came out ahead of almost 500 young, amateur scientists with their project. The boys decided on this particular project after coming across a model of Edison's Reproducer in a science book. With some help from their teacher, Sharon Dyck, and materials they managed to scrounge at home, they created a sound system out of matchboxes, a needle and juice cans. Connecting all this and an old record player, they created their own set of crude, homemade speakers.

Mr. Speaker, everyone at Mangilaluk School is very proud of the boys' achievements. Their principal, Steve Moseychuck, says that Travis and Ryland are real role models for the rest of the children, as they have demonstrated how you can obtain great recognition and rewards in return for hard work and determination. Mr. Speaker, no doubt the proudest people of all are the parents of these bright students, David Anderson and Lynn Julian and Francis Anderson and Dolly Felix of Tuktoyaktuk.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to these two young scientists, good news no longer has to rely on the moccasin telegraph to travel fast to Tuktoyaktuk. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents, I wish to congratulate Travis and Ryland and thank them and their parents and the staff of the Mangilaluk School for such a great effort to bring recognition to the Mangilaluk School at a national level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, 2002 was the first year of the fire service merit awards program.

This program was designed to recognize important contributions of community firefighters and fire departments in protecting individual residents and communities from the devastation caused by fire.

The department recognized the contributions of four individual firefighters on October 10, 2002, with the announcement of the first regional winners of the individual fire service awards, as well as the first territorial service merit award winner.

The department also called for nominations for the 2002 community fire service merit award. The community fire service merit award is presented to one community to recognize the efforts of the fire department and the entire community to improve the local fire protection system. The deadline for this award was extended to December 31, 2002, to ensure all nominations for communities could be included in the selection process.

Five communities have been nominated for this award. They are: Fort Smith; Fort Resolution; Hay River; Fort Simpson; and, Norman Wells.

The process of determining the winner of the community award involves completion of an assessment by the office of the fire marshal in cooperation with regional fire service officials.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce at this time that the 2002 winner of the community fire service merit award is the Town of Norman Wells. The Norman Wells Fire Department was nominated for improvements to its training program, its organizations, command and control, emergency planning and public education activities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of this House please join me in congratulating the Norman Wells Fire Department for being awarded this prestigious honour in the first year of the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 25, Municipal Statutes Replacement Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can commit to that and I when I get my report back from the department, I will pass it on to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The relocation of the tank farm is still on as a department project. We have funding for this year of $250,000, next year is $650,000 and the following year of $400,000 and in 2006-07, $525,000, for a total of $1.325 million. The only ongoing thing right now is the discussions with the community about the preferred site. They have chosen a preferred site and Public Works, petroleum products, was to go in there on May 30th with NTCL to see if the site was adequate, in other words if it could be accessed by the barge. Of course, there were concerns whether or not power lines could be run into there and if not, what would be the alternative. Thank you.