Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 11/98) - Legislation for division will be low on the list of items to be brought forward when the sixth session of the 13th assembly reconvenes next Wednesday at 1:30.

The session, expected to last only a couple of weeks, will be the second-last sitting before Eastern Arctic MLAs go to the polls to form a new government.

"It's not really anything big and substantial at this point. I know a lot of people are waiting for all the big division bills but it probably won't happen immediately," said legislative coordinator Kevin O'Keefe on Tuesday.

"November and December things will start to pick up. Unfortunately we're a little behind where we wanted to be and it's something that we didn't plan on."

O'Keefe noted that a final agenda will not been decided until caucus meets next Tuesday.

Doug Schauerte, assistant legislative assembly clerk said MLAs can expect to hear further talk on collective bargaining, pay equity and Public Private Partnerships (P3 initiative) when they meet next week.

"There's been some movement on that over the summer months," said Schauerte.

Some division related issues will be discussed as well, he added, like how the NWT Power Corporations will be split after April 1.

"There's supposed to be a memorandum of understanding drafted.... I imagine Mr. Todd will likely make some sort of statement on that during the session," he said.

Bills anticipated for third reading during the session are Bill 1, the Family Law Reform Statutes Amendment Act which brings the act in line with changes made to family law reform. Bill 2, the Inter-Country Adoption Act will implement a Hague Convention resolution on the protection of children and inter-country adoption.

The infrastructure committee, chaired by Iqaluit MLA Ed Picco, will bring forward Bill 3, the Risk Capital Investment Tax Act and Bill 4, an act to amend the Income Tax Act which work to promote economic growth in the NWT.

Bill 5 deals with regulatory reform meant to cut down on government red tape.

Bill 6, an act to amend the Worker's Compensation Act will also be discussed. The act protects workers and employers from law suits arising out of accidents.

Speaker Sam Gargan is expected to table the annual report of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Commission.

The boundaries commission report to be presented Oct. 25 to the legislative assembly will not be discussed during this sitting.

The report of the conflict of interest commission will come forward probably in December, said O'Keefe.