Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thanks for coming back again. It's nice to see you.
I have a couple of things. From my standpoint in looking at northern Saskatchewan, what I see is that many northern communities in northern Saskatchewan are purchasing a lot of property in urban centres such as Saskatoon. I look at Patuanak, which purchased property right in the downtown core and on the outskirts of Saskatoon to build a mini gas bar. What I've seen as well is my home reserve also purchasing property right in the core of Saskatoon, which at one time was being considered for a casino; however, that didn't come to fruition.
What I see is that many of the communities specifically in northern Saskatchewan don't have the economic ability to promote businesses on reserve. Many of the first nations communities and some Métis are purchasing property in the cores of such cities as Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Regina, for instance, and creating a different spinoff for development.
Economics is one of the key elements to help first nations communities get the hand up, not the hand out. I'd like to get some more clarification in regard to urban reserves. How are they benefiting the municipalities? Also, for the first part, are they looking at how they are affecting the municipalities as partners?