Floyd Roland

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Member is right; there have been a number of problems with a number of projects in Sachs Harbour. Unfortunately we’ve had weather delays, and that’s one of the issues we have to deal with as residents of the Northwest Territories. Accessibility is hampered at times, as we’ve heard earlier today. The Sachs Harbour health centre renovation is largely complete. They were planning to do a substantial completion inspection in April, but it was aborted due to weather. In fact, the people doing the inspection tried to get into Sachs Harbour yesterday...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to update Members and NWT residents on this government’s fiscal position and outlook.

When I presented the budget in February, we were looking at a fairly positive fiscal situation, both in the short and long term. At that time, we forecast a 2004-05 year-end operating surplus of about $44 million, primarily the result of the increases to our formula funding grant and federal health transfers arising from last fall’s First Ministers meetings.

Despite receiving these additional funds, our interim public accounts will show...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, May 30, 2005, I will move that Bill 10, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will work with the Minister in seeing what timelines can be put into this. He has committed to bring it forward before the end of this session. I am not sure if it will be Monday or Tuesday, but he has committed to getting that information and we will honour that before the end of this session. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister of Health and Social Services has answered on a number of occasions in the House, he is preparing information to share with Social Programs and Members of this Assembly. It wasn’t a political shell game. The facilities that are being referred to are contract facilities that are run by Bosco Homes at this point. That is why there is reference to that facility, but information is being put together to be shared with Members of this House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I can say it's not Canadian Tire money.

---Laughter

We received the message and we were notified that in fact a company that had filed a tax return in the Northwest Territories was writing some prior years' losses against that filing and our portion of that filing that reimbursement, I guess, to the company is $36 million. We were working with the federal government trying to ensure that on the other side of the scale there is an increase to the transfer side as our corporate tax or own-source revenues, as we call them, also impact on transfers.

There is a bit of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I understand the Member’s question about putting signage up to inform people who go into the liquor stores to purchase products for others to inform them of the penalties of that, that they would be involved in supplying minors, that is something I think we can definitely work on; putting up signage that would reflect those concerns. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in speaking to the Member and the issue that he has raised about the sale of overproof products in the stores throughout the Northwest Territories, that’s something I will take into serious consideration. There may be a number of ways in trying to deal with this, but I will look at that and work with the Member on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I could probably get into a long response into how the contracts are controlled. Basically as they are set out there’s a prescribed number of hours, as well as a list of products that could be for sale in the Northwest Territories. Through that we would have our Liquor Commission hold the product and ship it out to the contractors throughout the Northwest Territories. The list of product that is available for sale is determined by the department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister stated already in this House, this government already has a number of initiatives underway to ensure that all communities in the Northwest Territories benefit from some of the services we provide in the territory. That is one of the things we have to also keep in mind. Again, the Minister has committed to providing information to Members of this House, so that they can see the trail that’s gone to this point. It’s not something that came up yesterday. It’s been discussed for some time and we will provide that information. Thank you.