Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In light of my Member's statement, I suggested that other ways of dealing with economic times is stopping the linkage with the G.N.W.T. construction dollar. I would like to ask the government leader, Madam Government Leader, I would like to know, how much of the G.N.W.T. construction dollar during the fiscal year 1992-93 was awarded in the N.W.T.? I also recognize that we still

have a few months to go through and how much of that money was awarded to the contractors outside of the N.W.T.? Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I know that in our attempts to try to respond to the communities and keep the amount of dollars in the Northwest Territories, we are making some progress. On the exact dollar figure, I will refer the question to the Minister responsible for construction projects, the Minister responsible for the Department Public Works.

Thank you. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will get that information for the honourable Member by the end of the week. Thank you.

Thank you. The Minister is taking that question as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker. I have got your copy of the details, according to the government, on what occurred after the spill which happened in Fort Providence on August the 26. It was not until the next day that the Minister of Renewable Resources, around 10:30, was advised of the spill. I would like to ask the Minister whether or not he was informed of the spill at that time, at 10:30, or whether or not he was informed of it after I informed the government of the spill?

Thank you. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In response to the Member's question. Yes, my office was notified on August 27 around 10:35 in the morning. If my memory serves me right, I remember we were in an Executive Council meeting all morning that day. I got into my office about 11:30, and the notice was on my desk. The barge ran aground at about 5:45 on August 26, and was reported at 8:05 by Evelyn Krutko, who is our renewable resource officer, as soon as she was told. She, along with the R.C.M.P., went down to the spill area as soon as they could, by boat, and reported back again to the spill line.

The volume, the perceived volume at the time, was about 2,790 gallons, that is about 62 - 45 gallon drums. Later, we were told that the spill was a little over a 1000 gallons, which translates to about 24 - 45 gallon drums. Yes, Mr. Speaker, my office was noticed at 10:35. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker, it was around 11:00, or 1:00, in the afternoon of the 27 that the Ministers and the honourable Member from Nahendeh met on the course of action to be taken. It was following that, that there was a charter into Providence. I would like to ask the Minister, between the time of 10:35 and that time, what kind of action did his Department take when he was informed that there was a spill? Did he wait until the Executive met to discuss it, or did he take action right away?

Thank you. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As soon as the spill was noticed on August 26, 1992, at 5:45, the first report that came out was from our office at 8:05 that night. At 8:15 the spill line notified Bob Loutitt, who is the Canadian Coastguard, the lead agency in responding to spills in water from ships. At 8:15, at the same time, N.T.C.L. reported this is on August 26 to spill line that they were transferring fuel and moving the barge to a safer area. At 8:20 the spill line notified the Canadian Coastguard with a second report of that day. At 9:00 the Renewable Resources officer and the R.C.M.P. officer, as I indicated earlier, went down to the site by boat when the N.T.C.L. was transferring fuel from the punctured tank.

The following day, at 8:30 in the morning, the pollution control division, which is my Department, distributed the three reports received from G.N.W.T. agencies and communities, these are Fort Smith region, emergency measures organization, Fort Smith Renewable Resource Superintendent, Municipal and Community Affairs lands division, Department of Transportation, and Hamlet of Fort Providence.

At 9:23, on August 27, Fort Providence Renewable Resource Officer took a tour, by helicopter, the boom had been put in place around the barge and evidence of sheen was found about 25-30 miles downstream. Islands near spill site showed the presence of oil at the water line.

At 10:30, Mr. Speaker, the Fort Providence Renewable Resource Officer returns from the helicopter site tour, then at 11:18 the Fort Providence Renewable Resource Officer faxed results of helicopter river inspection to the Pollution Control Division of my department. At 11:40, the Government of the Northwest Territories emergency measures organization contacted Pollution Control Division of my department for information to provide to the Executive regarding a press release.

At 11:47, the spill update from the Fort Providence Renewable Resource Officer was distributed by the Pollution Control Division to spill line signatories and G.N.W.T. contacts. At 11:59 requested information was faxed to emergency measures organization. At 12:15, a meeting was called by the Acting Government Leader, Honourable John Pollard, to discuss the spill events and the events that took place after that. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I asked the Minister whether or not he took any course of action when, at 10:35, the Minister of Renewable Resources offices advised of the spill.

Were you advised of the spill at that time and did you take the appropriate action to ensure that there was not too much damage, did you wait until the Cabinet met at 12:15, or did you wait until that time to take the necessary action?

Thank you. Mr. Allooloo.

Mr. Speaker, my office was notified by my department at 10:35 and at that time the Executive was meeting in the Executive boardroom, as soon as I got into my office the report was on my desk. Right after that, the Acting Government Leader called a meeting of all our players to inform all of us what had been happening at Fort Providence. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral Questions. Member for the Baffin Central. Excuse me, Mr. Gargan, the last supplementary.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my final supplementary to the Minister of Renewable Resources. There were a couple of people on the river, Ernie and Walter Bonnetrouge who reported the incident to the Wildlife Officer in Fort Providence around eight o'clock. N.T.C.L. reported the spill around 8:15, but the spill occurred around five o'clock in the afternoon.

I would like to ask the Minister whether or not N.T.C.L. reported it between that three hour period when the spill was on, or did they only act after the Wildlife Officer made his observation.

Thank you. Mr. Allooloo.

Mr. Speaker, my information tells me that the first report that came out from N.T.C.L. to spill line at 8:15, the spill occurred at 5:45, and there was nothing reported prior to that by N.T.C.L., although the first report to spill line was done at 8:05 by Renewable Resource Officer. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member for Baffin Central.

Thank you. Mr. Pollard.