I had some research done and it said that 42 percent of all our youth aged between 15 and 24 binge drink. Binge drinking is five or more drinks that they’re taking at one time. We have a serious problem. It’s coming in the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

I want to ask the Minister, would he look at Nats'ejee K'eh, only having a 46 percent occupancy rate, would he look at Nats’ejee K’eh being designated within the life of this government, or sooner, as a youth alcohol and drug treatment centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to acknowledge the hardworking trappers that are in the Northwest Territories. I was in Fort Good Hope and the people there are happy that winter is finally coming. They were quite concerned because of the late snowfall and the warm weather they have been having around the Sahtu region. Now that they are out there trapping, they noticed that the fuel prices have increased almost to $40 per gallon of gasoline. The trappers are saying that the way of life is very hard. They need close to $1,000 now to check their traplines. Some of them have 700 traps out there...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Dolynny, for bringing this motion to the floor for discussion. It speaks to a modernization and improvement of the justice that we have specific to the communities that I represent. This modernization bill here is 33 years old. The new way of thinking is to look at a motion that Mr. Dolynny has brought to the floor here. Either the commission works with the Minister and the commission works with the executive director who’s a lawyer or a person with significant management and financial experience. I think that’s the way to go.

I think that the Department...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Minister’s presentation, page 2, he talked about the elimination of regional committees. I want to ask the Minister, in light of this elimination of the regional committees, what type of mechanisms are in place that would ensure that the regional concerns and voices of matters of importance to the people in the communities that they would be heard with this new commission?

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly strongly urges the Government of the Northwest Territories to include sufficient new funding, of at minimum $2 million, in the Health and Social Services 2013-14 Main Estimates for the department to substantially enhance addictions and mental health services;

And further, that these funds be added to the department’s base for future years and be directed at program delivery to address service gaps...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of ITI had an exchange on the Sahtu oil and gas exploration and the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars that are going to be spent in the Sahtu in the next couple of years. In Fort Good Hope, they actually closed off the bid there and Shell Canada won. I think it’s just over $90 million worth of exploration.

I want to ask the Minister, in regard to the Mackenzie Valley Highway, we’re going to do this in steps and, certainly, we in the Sahtu support the Inuvik-Tuk highway to go through. We’re also looking forward to some support to build a...

When the Minister provides the information, I want to ask the Minister if he would take it to his colleagues and maybe they could designate the trappers into the government customers pricing so the trappers can pay the $1.61 per litre rather than the non-government customers paying $1.76. I ask if they would consider categorizing the trappers into that item where government customers are only paying $1.61.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services on petroleum products. I have talked about the trappers and the increase in fuel costs to do the trapping. I want to ask the Minister why the prices are so high in the Sahtu. Other smaller communities just had a 10 cent increase, I think, in Tulita. The trappers are asking why the prices are so high again this year.

I’ve always supported the take the youth trapping. As I said, a young lad in Colville Lake, when we asked the young kids what they want to be and some were saying nurses and doctors and teachers, this young guy spoke up and said I want to be a trapper. That tells you that trapping is alive and well in the Northwest Territories, especially in our small communities. It’s an honourable position.

I want to ask the Minister, through the Take a Kid Trapping program, is that like an apprenticeship program where kids can apply for an apprenticeship to learn under the professors in the university of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have talked about the trappers in the Northwest Territories. In 2008 and 2009 there were 812 trappers. Of those 812 trappers in that year, 161 were in the Sahtu. People in the Sahtu understand the high cost of living, and trapping is a business. There is a market out there with the Russians and Chinese, who all want northern furs for their own product. Trapping is a business.

I want to ask the Minister of ITI, with the recent increase of petroleum products in the Northwest Territories, especially in the Sahtu where there is gas, trappers are asking if there’s any type...