Yellowknife (Feb 19/03) - On Friday, Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee grilled RWED's Jim Antoine about the Waste Reduction and Recovery program, worried it will never get off the ground.

But Antoine said Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is planning to introduce the legislation by June.

"We've done some work on this," Antoine said. "It's just a matter of timing and if we have the resources to get the work done to introduce legislation."

Capital funding process is flawed, MLAs say

In other business, members want to know how capital projects are approved in this year's budget.

Comments emerged on Monday from members who said too much of the process is going on behind closed doors, and small communities are the ones suffering.

"We need a system for small communities," said Tu Nedhe MLA Steven Nitah, who added that giving money to various community projects doesn't automatically solve problems.

"Small communities don't have money to employ engineers."

Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent called for an open and fair process for setting the budget, while Hay River North MLA Paul Delorey also criticized the budget for not being transparent.

"Decisions to include or exclude projects should be explained," said Delorey.

Dealing with housing woes

A recent editorial in Yellowknifer about affordable rental housing got MLA Bill Braden's ire up.

He said the paper made a "hasty and mistaken conclusion" that new legislation being planned amounts to rent controls.

"This is a simplistic view," said Braden, who recently spearheaded a petition campaign on affordable housing to be bought to the legislative assembly in March.

"We are seeking a better way for our rentals office to help landlords and tenants iron out disputes concerning rent hikes," he said. "I know there are better ways to deal with the rental issues than our 15-year old act."

Youth drug problems a priority

Young people troubled with drug abuse and alcohol problems have nowhere to turn in the North if they want professional help, complained MLA Brendan Bell on Friday.

Many drug-addicted youths are still being removed from their families to head South to treatment centres, Bell said.

Bell directed his questions to Health and Social Services Minister Michael Miltenberger who said building a drug treatment centre for youths in the North is not a priority right now.