Yellowknife (Feb 21/05) - Fed up with showboating and other MLA antics, legislative assembly Speaker Paul Delorey told members he would be keeping them on shorter leash from now on.

On Thursday, Delorey complained of long preambles leading into questions from MLAs to cabinet ministers. Question period is typically an hour long, but has often extended well past that.

He said it was a serious matter and a "waste of time" for everybody in the legislative assembly when MLAs or cabinet ministers feel the urge to grandstand instead of dealing with the question at hand.

"I'm sure you'd prefer a light touch than a heavy approach," warned Delorey.

Have doggie, will travel

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay says he can't understand why an RCMP dog and its handler have to be located in Yellowknife.

The dog unit is part of a $1.4 million budgeted for 10 additional RCMP positions in the NWT.

He said the territory would be better equipped to fight the illicit drug trade if the dog unit was sniffing them out on the Merv Hardie ferry at Fort Providence.

"Why wouldn't we look at putting a dog and a handler on the ferry or at Fort Providence where the drugs are coming in," asked Ramsay on Wednesday.

Justice Minister Charles Dent said the RCMP told him the biggest drug problem is in Yellowknife, and besides, the dog is destined to serve the whole territory.

"The dog will travel around the Northwest Territories and service all parts of the Territories as required," said Dent.

Where's the health authority?

Health and Social Services Minister Michael Miltenberger says "God willing, and the creeks don't rise," the Sahtu region will have its own functioning health authority sometime in the foreseeable future.

Miltenberger made his colourful comment after Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya asked him what was taking so long.

The decision to create a separate health authority in the Sahtu was made more than three years ago, but the agency still only has half the jobs filled and doesn't have a board to run it.

"A catch-22 for us is availability of accommodations for the staff in Norman Wells who want to fill the positions," said Yakeleya.

Miltenberger said eight housing units are going to Norman Wells this year to help house health authority staff.