Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Good morning. Orders of the day for Friday, December 3, 1993. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night, Mr. Whitford spent several hours in the Explorer Hotel, while many of us were sweating it out with the Western Constitutional Development Steering Committee. But I think he spent time to much better advantage than we did. He was fortunate enough, Mr. Speaker, to meet women called, "Diamonds in the Rough." There were nine of them who were featured on a calendar, which has been produced by these women geologists. The proceeds for the calendar will go the Walter Gibbins memorial fund, which was established in 1992. These funds will be used to purchase scientific texts and other learning materials for schools throughout the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this calendar was inspired because the women have been rather upset by a very macho article that appeared in a national magazine showing Marlborough Country type men sitting on heavy machinery, looking across the tundra with visions of great wealth. So they decided, instead of writing an article of outrage to the editor, they would produce their own calendar. This calendar contains people like: "Wildcat Wanda," who is sitting with her packsack; "Pahoehoe Pattie," who is sitting on a float of a float plane; "Kimberlite Kate," who is also on a piece of heavy machinery wearing a hard hat; "Polymetallic Pam; and, "Geophysical Jennifer." I won't go through the whole calendar because Members should really get this calendar for themselves and see what I consider to be a wonderful statement about women, by women, and the statement is so powerful. I wish people would do it more instead of being outraged. They should use humour to make a point, which is wonderfully stated in this calendar. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will try to use humour to make a point. Mr. Speaker, when I was driving back to Yellowknife from one of my weekend trips, on November 29, it suddenly hit me -- a spruce hen, that is.

---Laughter

I would like to assure the Members that I wasn't speeding and it was definitely the chicken's fault. Mr. Speaker, they do considerably less damage to your vehicle than a bison. As I continued on my way, I got to thinking about this spruce hen and I had this sudden inspiration. Mr. Speaker, the spruce hen is a strange bird. As we all know, they are members of the grouse family of birds and are not the smartest in the world. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, when you ring or cut off the necks of these birds, they will keep going because they are not smart enough to realize they are dead.

---Laughter

Some people have even speculated that if someone cut off my head I would continue talking.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, spruce hens are grey and white in colour and, from a distance, look like they might be eligible for affirmative action. The interesting thing about them is once you clean them, you never know what colour the meat is going to be or what they will taste like. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, these birds eat spruce needles and store them in a little pouch in their throat for late-night snack purposes. They also eat gravel to aid in their digestion, so they taste gravelly.

Lately, Mr. Speaker, some of these chickens are on the chip seal portion of the highway between Yellowknife and Hay River, so they have this unique northern/southern taste, the sprucey, tarry kind. Mr. Speaker, the reason I am going on about these spruce hens is I am trying to use them as a symbol for one of my favourite causes, the gradual assimilation of native culture by the overpowering influence of Euro-Canadians. Over the last ten years, I have sometimes wondered if I have been successful in getting my point across.

Mr. Gargan, your allotted time has elapsed.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, honourable Members. Mr. Speaker, spruce hen are dark on the outside, but after cleaning the meat can be red or white. So, for the purpose of my statement, I'm going to call the red meat chickens, "Indian chickens," and the white meat chickens, "white chickens." You can never tell by looking at one of these birds what colour the meat will be on the inside. Mr. Speaker, as an expert on wildlife, I know that when you simmer an Indian chicken long enough, the meat will turn white.

The chicken doesn't stand alone, Mr. Speaker, in this case. There is also Indian pork that turns to pork chops and also the Indian calf that turns to veal. Mr. Speaker, my people are a lot like the spruce hen in this respect. They are in this great melting pot, being overwhelmed by white cultural influence, at the detriment of their own culture.

Mr. Speaker, the pot is boiling and the Indian chickens are getting well-done. We may not be able to put out the fire under the pot. Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to support programs, like the DCI's healing program I spoke about earlier this week, programs that encourage cultural awareness amongst aboriginal people. It is a proven fact, Mr. Speaker, that people who have pride in their heritage and pride in themselves are less of a strain upon social programs. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause.

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Mr. Whitford, your allotted time has elapsed.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on Ministers' absences from this Legislature. Mr. Speaker, since the opening on November 17, there have been only three days when all Ministers have been available to this House. Although the Cabinet may believe all of these absences were necessary, I would like to advise that it has been noted by Members that the working of the House has been seriously hindered by the absences of Ministers.

Some of these absences could have been handled in a different manner, ensuring that the work of this House continued at a steady pace. It has impeded the ability of this House to proceed with the review of the budget as originally planned. On behalf of the Ordinary Members' Caucus, I would like to ask that Ministers make every effort to be in attendance at all proceedings of the House in order that we might expeditiously complete the business of the House and better serve the people of the territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Pudlat on December 2, 1993, about Public Works and Services maintenance positions in Sanikiluaq. The department has two positions in Sanikiluaq, a power plant operator/supervisor and a settlement maintainer.

The power plant operator/maintenance supervisor position in Sanikiluaq has been vacant for five months. The department is now operating the plant through contracted services. Responsibility for the operation of the Sanikiluaq power plant is scheduled to be transferred to the NWT Power Corporation in April, 1994. The NWT Power Corporation will be hiring a power plant operator who will be replacing the department's contracted services. The department did not want to staff a position that is scheduled to be transferred to another organization.

The settlement maintainer position has been vacant since the end of May, 1993. A Sanikiluaq resident was hired on a casual basis, for June and July. A plumber with the department, in Igloolik, handled maintenance responsibilities until mid-September. Since then, the department has contracted with a Sanikiluaq company, J T Ann Construction, for maintenance services. Two staffing competitions have been held. The first was unsuccessful. The second competition has just recently closed and the results should be known shortly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by Mr. Ng on November 24.

Mr. Speaker, mineral development in the NWT has the potential to provide significant opportunities for training and employment of northern residents, for new business development and new public infrastructure.

We must work in partnership with the industry, aboriginal organizations, our communities and the federal government to remove barriers and secure commitments so that benefits flow not only from new projects, but also from ongoing exploration and production activities.

These and many other issues will be addressed in a comprehensive NWT mineral strategy, which is presently being prepared and will be available for public consultation in the very near future.

Mining can be a very uncertain business. Projects may or may not be built, or could be delayed many years. The actions we take, in relation to potential projects, must therefore be compatible with their timing and status.

For mining projects which have proceeded to the advanced exploration and feasibility study stage, such as diamond properties and Izok Lake, infrastructure issues must be addressed at an early stage, due to their long lead times necessary. Led by the Minister of Transportation, we have devoted considerable effort to raise awareness of, and support for, construction of a road to link our existing road system to new mining properties and the proposed port near Coppermine.

The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources and the NWT Power Corporation have been working with mining companies for a number of months, on studies to identify sites for new hydroelectric facilities. A study has also been completed on the possible use of oil from the Mackenzie Delta for these new projects.

Ongoing efforts to increase literacy and encourage residents to return to school are vitally important to ensuring that northerners benefit from new employment opportunities. The government will also be investigating the feasibility of transportation subsidies to offset higher costs of travel for workers who live in remote communities. In order to assist us in making decisions on investing for new jobs, the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources has commissioned a study on the financial benefits the GNWT receives as a result of new jobs being created in the mining industry.

The planning and implementation of training programs needs to track the status of potential new projects, depending on whether they are at advanced exploration, the feasibility study stage or construction and operation. For proposals such as Izok Lake, we have completed the necessary advance work to assess the skills of potential workers in the Kitikmeot communities to refine the actual job profiles. The actual training programs are being developed through Arctic College.

With several properties now being bulk sampled for diamonds, work on skills assessment and job profiles for diamond projects in the Lac de Gras area will need to start up in the new year.

Prior to construction of a new mine, a training package with the new operator needs to be finalized. For example, discussions will begin shortly on a training package for the Colomac Mine.

A benefits agreement must be entered into, between a mining company and the relevant aboriginal organizations or our government, prior to the start-up of a new mine. The GNWT has provided funding to the Kitikmeot Inuit Association to support their negotiations for the critically important IIBA with Metall Mining Corporation for the Izok Lake project.

Arrangements on business opportunities would be captured in a benefits agreement for a new project. A study on strategies to improve NWT business opportunities related to the ongoing mining and exploration activity in the NWT was planned for completion last summer, but was delayed due to several unforseen problems. We expect it to be available by January, at the latest. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism is also planning to establish an office to handle industrial benefits from major projects.

We are pursuing the devolution of responsibilities for minerals. Devolution will enable us to obtain a share of the revenues from mining activities, will give us legislative powers over the management of territorial benefits and the ability to more effectively encourage and promote increased mining activity for the long-term benefit of northerners.

Mr. Speaker, a great deal of work is being done to ensure that benefits from mining activities accrue to northerners. This covers some of the highlights. I will also be tabling a paper about our overall approach to mining. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a return to an oral question that was asked by Mr. Charles Dent, on December 2, 1993, regarding the child day care symposium delegate selection.

Eighty-six delegates from across the Northwest Territories participated in the recent child day care symposium held in Yellowknife on September 24 to 26, 1993.

Licensed child care programs, child day care committees and other interest groups were each invited to select one representative to attend the symposium. To ensure representation from every community, invitations were sent to the hamlet offices where there were no licensed child day care programs or active child day care committees.

A comprehensive report of the proceedings is currently being printed and will be forwarded to each delegate. As well, all delegates will be receiving -- and MLAs have received -- the summary of recommendations from the symposium. These recommendations will assist the department in the development of a child day care policy.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Item 6, written questions. Item 7, returns to written questions. Item 8, replies to opening address. Item 9, petitions. Item 10, reports of standing and special committees. Item 11, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 12, tabling of documents. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table, Tabled Document 45-12(4), comparison of disputed adjusted bids which shows the unsuccessful bidder, Simon Merkosak, should have been awarded the contract if the proper adjustments were used in applying the northern and local business criteria of the business incentive policy. Thank you.

Item 12, tabling of documents. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table, Tabled Document 46-12(4), a letter from one of my constituents in Gjoa Haven, regarding the social assistance food allowance rate reduction. Thank you.

Item 12, tabling of documents. Item 13, notices of motion. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, December 6, I will move the following motion.

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kitikmeot, that the Minister of Transportation immediately consult truckers and workers in the construction industry with a view to amending the hours of service regulations and the large vehicles control regulations so as to expand the hours that may be worked by truckers employed in the construction industry;

And further, consultation should also be held with a view to remove the requirement for an overweight permit for those truckers operating in the geographic area of a construction site.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Item 13, notices of motion. Item 14, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, December 6, 1993, I shall move that Bill 5, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 5, 1992-93, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Item 14, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, December 6, 1993, I shall move that Bill 6, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1993-94, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Item 14, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 15, motions. Item 16, first reading of bills. Item 17, second reading of bills. Item 18, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters: Minister's Statement 3-12(4), Sessional Statement; Bill 1, Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1994-95; Bill 2, An Act to Amend the Charter Communities Act; Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Cities, Towns and Villages Act; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Hamlets Act; Committee Report 3-12(4), Review of the 1994-95 Capital Estimates; Committee Report 5-12(4), Report on Tabled Document 145-12(3): Legislative Action Paper on the Workers' Compensation Act; Committee Report 7-12(4), Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report on the Committee Review of DeLury and Associates Limited Contracts; Committee Report 8-12(4), Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions Final Report on the Elimination of the Highway

Transport Board; Committee Report 9-12(4), Final Report on Arctic College; and, Tabled Document 11-12(4), Report from the Fort Providence/Cambridge Bay Strategic Planning Workshops. With the authority given to me by Motion 1-12(4) regarding sitting hours, I will put the Assembly into committee of the whole, until the committee is prepared to report, with Mr. Ningark in the chair.

Thank you. The committee will now come to order. When we concluded yesterday we were in general comments of the NWT Housing Corporation. What is the wish of the committee? Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Chairman, we would like to address the Department of Renewable Resources. If we are completed, we would like to look at the NWT Power Corporation. Since we have noted Mr. Pollard is back, we would like to get into the Department of Health. Thank you.

Thank you. Do we agree that we will stand down the Housing Corporation and go to Renewable Resources, NWT Power Corporation and the Department of Health, in that order? Do you agree?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Bill 1, Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1994-95

Committee Report 3-12(4), Review of the 1994-95 Capital Estimates

Department Of Renewable Resources

Thank you. Does the Minister of Renewable Resources have opening remarks? Mr. Kakfwi.

Introductory Remarks

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Antoine, do you have opening remarks from the Standing Committee on Finance?

Standing Committee On Finance Comments

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On Renewable Resources, the committee noted that the department is planning to spend $458,000, in the fiscal year 1994-95, for mobile equipment in all regions. The project substantiations provided to the committee show a long inventory of snowmobiles, ATVs, boats and outboard motors. Many of these requests appear to duplicate those made in the previous year. When questioned by the committee, the Minister advised that the department relies on replacement standards developed by Public Works and Services to replace mobile equipment for field operations personnel.

Committee Members feel that the department could cut back on expenditures for mobile equipment without hampering the efficiency of the department. One means of achieving savings is to lease locally-owned equipment as necessary. The committee also believes that the process used in disposing of capital equipment can be improved. Therefore, the committee makes the following recommendation.

I move that the committee recommends that the Department of Renewable Resources reduce its mobile equipment inventory in all regions. This reduction in inventory and the related savings in capital dollars should be demonstrated in 1994-95 and subsequent fiscal years.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. The motion is in order. To the motion. There is no quorum. Thank you. There is a motion on the floor by the Standing Committee on Finance.

Question.

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried.

Mr. Antoine.

In last year's report, the committee recommended that the department's video equipment budget of $10,000 be removed and that the activity be privatized. This item was removed for the fiscal year 1993-94, but the capital budget for the fiscal year 1994-95 shows proposed expenditures of $115,000. The activity has, obviously, not been privatized. The committee is not convinced that it is necessary

to expend government funds to invest in video production facilities. There are private sector resources capable of providing the required service, most likely at a lower cost.

I move that this committee recommends that the funding identified for video equipment for the fiscal year 1994-95 be deleted, pending a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of all feasible options for acquiring the required services. The options considered should include the following, as a minimum:

-in-house productions;

-development of a government-wide video production facility; and,

-use of private sector resources to provide the required service.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Continue, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That concludes the Standing Committee on Finance's report. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. General comments. Would the honourable Minister like to bring in his witnesses? Mr. Minister, for the record, would you introduce your witness please.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. We are on page 10-7 of the capital estimates. General comments. Mr. Koe.

General Comments

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to make some general comments in the area of environmental protection. Earlier this week, my colleague from the Kitikmeot, mentioned some of the contaminants under the sea, and the inability of the federal government and our government to determine what's there and whether they are contaminating the water.

I have other concerns in terms of a lot of the other issues from pulp mill effluents, that come down the rivers that feed into the Mackenzie and, subsequently, flow downstream into the Beaufort Sea. I know this department is responsible for the administration of the Environmental Protection Act and the Pesticides Act. I'm just wondering what kinds of things the department is doing in terms of enforcing and looking after the areas under the Environmental Protection Act.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Deputy Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will break my area into three main areas. First of all, on the Mackenzie River basin. We have been working with the other provinces that share the basin, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and the federal government, to come up with a trans-boundary water agreement that will put some control on the kind of pollutants that end up in that water system. Those negotiations have been going on for basically 12 years now. We're reaching the point where the provinces are in agreement with us and I believe the federal government is onside.

We will have a trans-boundary water agreement in place, hopefully by late next spring. That agreement will be a basis of understanding on both water quality and water quantity in the Mackenzie. Of particular concern to us are the pollutants coming out of the pulp mills. In terms of ocean dumping and the contaminants in the ocean, all of the water in the ocean is under federal responsibility. We continue to monitor what is happening, and in January we will be receiving a report from the federal government on pollutants and other matter that is in the ocean that the federal government knows about.

Our role there is simply to monitor and pressure the government to do whatever we can, in terms of ensuring that material that is potentially harmful doesn't end up in the ocean. The position of our government and our department is basically, no ocean dumping. We don't feel it is necessary to dump anything untreated into the ocean. Last year, there was an issue of scrap metal and I think that issue clearly outlined our position.

The third area of responsibility has to do with Quebec Hydro's plan to build a large dam on the Great Whale River. Whenever water is dammed up like that there is a creation of some pollution that ends up in the waters. In this case, it would probably be mercury from flooded forests. We are working with Quebec Hydro and with the federal government to try to come to an agreement that there will be a thorough assessment done of the impact of that project on Sanikiluaq and the Belcher Islands, as well as the whole Hudson Bay, before it goes ahead.

Again, we're negotiating that one. We haven't come to any final terms in terms of how the assessment will be done or what the guidelines will be. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. Your response raises a whole slew of other questions. You mentioned Quebec Hydro, and on our back step there is tremendous hydro development

in the Snare Lake area. I'm just curious, what type of work are you doing before these developments take place, such as base studies before the hydro dam is put into place. One of the concerns is that we don't seem to have any baseline information so that once a project is developed or once a contamination occurs, we have something to measure the impact of that contamination. I'm just curious, what are you are doing as a department to investigate potential hydro developments in the Dogrib country?

Thank you. Mr. Minister. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, we have not done anything yet in terms of collecting baseline data, specifically for the proposed Snare River hydro dam. As this project gets close to reality, we will be collecting the baseline data that would be necessary.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

The same type of question goes for the water contamination and pollutants that flow into the Mackenzie River basin. I know when I was in the negotiating business, that was a major concern of people who were downstream from where the contamination seemingly occurs. Neither government, federal or territorial, could accurately say that this was there before and this is what is there today. All we know is that our fish species are being contaminated and, in some areas, water doesn't taste the same as it used to. People in the communities notice these things so they're concerned.

Scientifically, no one can say for certain this is what is happening. I'd just like to ask, again, what are you doing in that area at this time?

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the main activity we're participating in right now is what is called the northern rivers basin study which is a federally-funded study of northern rivers, primarily in Alberta, looking at all pollutants in the river but specifically at the pulp mill impact. We have a fair bit of information right now on dioxins and toxicants which have both come from the pulp mills or, possibly, from some flooding which happened.

We continue to monitor it and are doing some studies. We, of course, feel there could be more done. However, we're doing whatever we can within the resources we have. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. How exactly is this monitoring done? Do you have equipment? What type of testing are you doing? How do you determine levels of contaminants and dioxins in water? Do you have a science lab somewhere or do you use federal labs, or whatever, in other places?

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

We're relying on the federal government, at this point, to provide the equipment and to do most of the analysis themselves, although our people do participate at times. They have the equipment. Also, the pulp mills have some equipment and do a fair bit of testing themselves, in terms of the pollutants from their specific operation. We don't have that kind of equipment ourselves.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Koe.

I find that interesting because, obviously, the pulp mills are going to be a bit biased on the type of information they release and, in some cases, I would assume the federal government too because of the amounts of subsidies they may put into some of these businesses to keep them going.

The reason for my line of questioning, Mr. Chairman, is that there is $25,000 going to be allocated for, I assume, safety. It says tools and equipment but, in your mandate, the division requires safety and other technical equipment. I'm just curious, how much safety and technical equipment can we buy for $25,000? When I was younger, I worked for Fisheries and Oceans and I know the types of equipment they need to analyze dioxins and toxicants in water and air are in the millions of dollars, so $25,000 is not very much. We're responsible, as a government, for these areas. I would have assumed there would be more allocations for technical equipment to be bought.

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the only equipment we're proposing to buy this year is air sampling equipment which will be used for the Giant Mine emissions, Snare Hydro and so on. It's a mobile facility, trailer type facility.

Inland water is still the responsibility of the federal government. I suppose, until that becomes our responsibility, we wouldn't be investing heavily in water sampling equipment. The federal government does have a fairly extensive water lab and we have to rely, at this point, on their analysis. We do participate and monitor what they are doing, though.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I recognize that it's currently a federal responsibility for the waters. You've said that, obviously, there are concerns and there are no current ocean dumping sites. I pointed out in my statement a couple of days ago, that it's also recognized that in the past there have been ocean dumping sites. Are those sites now identified? I had posed that question to the Minister that day, but he wasn't quite sure, so I'm just trying to get that clarified.

Thank you. Mr. Minister. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the federal government is doing an identification inventory of those sites and so on. We expect to receive a report on ocean disposals and so on, in January, 1994.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Is the federal government being pursued for an initiative to clean up the sites they know of?

Thank you. Mr. Deputy Minister.

Yes, Mr. Chairman. Under the environment protection strategy, there is a provision for the federal government to clean up the sites. They are doing them. I don't have the order in which they're doing them with me, but they have a list and an order of the sequence in which they're doing it.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

So, currently, obviously, they have undertaken to identify some of these sites and you have some information available. Could you make that available to myself?

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Yes we could.

Thank you. General comments. I have Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, I will allow Mrs. Marie-Jewell to go ahead of me.

Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to ask a couple of questions with regard to Renewable Resources recognizing the commitment of the government to build a tanker base facility in Fort Smith. I'd like to ask the Minister whether the size of the tanker base has yet been determined by the government, and whether the comprehensive fire management review study has been completed. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your comments are noted. Mr. Deputy Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The size of the hangar has not yet been determined. That will be determined once the analysis of the fire program review has been completed.

Thank you. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Last year, during the budget process, I asked when we determined this review to be completed. I recognize the review is under O and M, Mr. Chairman. However, the tanker base -- whether it's going to be through an O and M lease or whatever -- is a capital infrastructure. I'd like to ask the deputy minister when he anticipates the study will be completed, in order to determine the size. I think that's the major stumbling block now that's holding up proceedings of construction of that tanker base. I'd like to know if he can confirm that. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Deputy Minister.

Mr. Chairman, the consultant has finished his work. We are doing some further analysis within the department. I expect the review will be totally completed within the next month to six weeks.

Thank you. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

During the last session the previous Minister made a commitment that that review would be completed by the end of May. Recognizing that it won't be completed for another month to six weeks, you are looking at a good ten months later than you initially anticipated. Would it be appropriate to anticipate, because of the completion of this study, that has placed an impediment on determining the size? Therefore, progress on that tanker base being built is very slow. Can I receive comment on that, Mr. Chairman? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Deputy Minister.

Mr. Chairman, it is impossible to design the hangar or decide the size of it, until we have the fire program review completed. It is slower than what we had anticipated. It has been a more complex task than we thought it would be.

Thank you. Member for Thebacha.

I am trying to find out when they would anticipate construction of this hangar. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If everything went well and we were able to begin planning the design for the hangar by February, then construction could be started within a matter of three or four months, although DPW could tell me better. But I expect it would be somewhere in that range, to finish the design and enter into a contract with someone to build it.

Thank you. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is, providing everything goes well. If the study is not completed until February, and they don't anticipate problems, you will probably look at three months from February for any type of construction. You are looking, again, into the next fire season. We have tried to say, each year as we pass the fire season, many of those benefits keep going to the south, as opposed to staying in the north. Once the study is completed, then the whole proposal package has to not only go to DPW for construction, but through the Cabinet process for the funding

required. At the earliest date, when would they anticipate proceeding with construction for this tanker base?

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I think the earliest date we could look at would be some time this coming summer. That is, assuming there are no major problems and we would get supplementary money to build the hangar, because we don't have the money in this budget.

Thank you. Member for Thebacha.

It has been noted there is no money in this budget. It has also been noted that the process in getting this construction started has been extremely slow. As well, the government has made a commitment. Is the Minister aware of any indication of the government reneging on that commitment?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. The Member for Thebacha.