I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 18, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2008–2009, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, I will sit down with the department to get the latest update as to what’s happening and sit down with the Members as to where things are and what options may be available to us. Then we’ll decide at that point what next steps we may be taking. If it’s a meeting of that nature, then we will take that into consideration. The first step is to get the latest update and sit down with the Members.

Until I get a recent update as to what the state of the situation is in the community of Hay River, we’re being careful as to our involvement. The fact is that the Government of the Northwest Territories’ process has been on existing facilities and, as old contracts ended, on looking at new contracts for efficiencies. We have to look at a combined services retail storage facility, thereby saving some of the cost of having separate facilities. That’s the process we look at to continue. Our preference would be to continue with that path. The RFP proved a result, and we’re hoping that things will...

Mr. Speaker, I will have to defer that to the Minister responsible for homelessness, as he’d have that detail.

Mr. Chairman, I stand corrected. Their share is $190,000.

The breakdown — and I might as well give this to Members — was based on the percentage of the drawdown. For the departments that had the larger amounts of drawdown through the exercise over the year, we looked at that drawdown and applied it to the $15 million figure. For example, Executive Offices got $77,000; Human Resources, $800,000; Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, $54,000; the Financial Management Board Secretariat, $225,000; the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, $133,000; Finance, $57,000; Municipal and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is the Member referring to the Department of Transportation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 16, Write-off of Debts Act, 2008–2009, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the write-off of debts in accordance with the Financial Administration Act.

Mr. Speaker, in light of the new direction we’ve been taking as the 16th Assembly to break down the barriers and stovepipes between departments and work together to try and enhance the family and the situations that families fall under, that is something we would support. Yes, I know the departments of Justice and Health and Social Services work together. This will be another area that they can, as they have in the past, look to see how they can continue to offer a service to all family members to ensure that we have a fair system.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If this Assembly feels a motion is needed in this area, we would be glad to work with Members to come up with a joint initiative. We are at the table working with the Yukon, looking at how we can work jointly with them in advancing this. As well, at the Northern Premiers’ Conference we will once again be having discussions with northern Premiers. I’m sure Premier Fentie will be looking to address this as well.

In the context of looking at our tax options available to us as Northerners, looking at the other side of it, the equation on the cost of living as well as the tax rebate that we do have, I’m prepared to put that in as part of the discussion as we go forward as the Government of the Northwest Territories.