Oral questions. Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the March 5 issue of the Inuvik Drum there are four requests for proposals from the Department of Social Services. One is a for contract home for young offenders; another one is to provide open custody facilities for bush camps. Both close Friday, March 13. In the proposals there are clauses where the contractor shall obtain and maintain comprehensive general liability insurance coverage in the amount of not less than two million dollars.

My question to the Minister of Social Services is how does he expect contractors to get this type of insurance when very few insurance firms in the North can provide that type of coverage for people looking after young offenders.

Minister of Social Services, Mr. Whitford.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If that is the case then why was that information not provided in the ads? If you read the ads it is fairly clear what is required and nowhere does it say that this is negotiable or other alternatives can be discussed or negotiated.

Mr. Whitford.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure who they would talk to there because you do not have a superintendent and the acting superintendent is on leave. I was advised that the clerks were phoned to put these ads in the paper and that is how these ads were put in. The deadline is tomorrow and you have to phone Yellowknife office to get copies of the proposals, and there it says alternative methods may be looked at. So I am not sure who they would contact in Inuvik today.

My question is, if this is the case that operators can negotiate and get alternate coverage, why were they not told or why was this not publicized?

Mr. Whitford.

Last supplementary, Mr. Koe.

I think the Minister missed my question. In prior contracts the need for insurance was waived by the department, and the department, or government, covered this insurance in their general insurance coverage. To my knowledge no firms in the Northwest Territories, and I will have to confirm that, can provide this coverage, so they have to go south. It is very difficult to find a firm that will provide coverage for a bush camp operation to look after young offenders. The cost is significant.

My question is, with this type of call for proposals and insurance costs that you are asking for insurance coverage, the cost of care goes up significantly. Is the department willing to bear that cost?

Mr. Whitford.

Oral questions. Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to Renewable Resources. We all know the Peary caribou have to be conserved. We have to work together to conserve the Peary caribou. Has your department come up with a plan? As for the Baffin caribou, there are only 14,000, and this is for the three communities of Broughton Island, Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. The caribou are far away and the people have to hunt the caribou by plane. These 14,000 caribou are not enough.

Last summer the people of Resolute asked me if they can go and hunt the caribou in another area, and they had to pay $9000 to go, and 14,000 caribou is not enough, Can your department look into this and look into the funding; if they can erase the funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Ningark.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is his first question on this matter; this is the first time I am aware of this. I would like to tell the Member that we will look into this and we will answer the Member.

Oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. We just earlier on today got a fairly extensive briefing on the expansion and closure of the DEWline site and the North Warning System. It is my understanding the Department of Economic Development is going to be the lead department in the acquisition of the surplus assets with the closures. My question to the Minister would be, can he provide us with a complete list of the equipment that is going to be placed in the hands of the GNWT?

Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I am unable to do that at this time, but I can tell the Members that there was a meeting on February 17. It was an interdepartmental meeting between Public Works, Economic Development and Tourism, Health, Government Services, Transportation, MACA, Renewable Resources, and the Science Institute. As we are the lead department, it was chaired by Economic Development and Tourism. Mr. Peter Allen, assistant deputy minister, is the co-ordinator.

We are not actually buying those assets, Mr. Speaker; we are co-ordinating other departments that have an interest in those assets. There is a report being prepared that will inventory all of those assets, and as soon as I have those assets, their locations, and who is interested in them, I will provide them to the House. If the House is not sifting, I will provide them to the Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.