Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present the Department of Safety and Public Services 1994-95 capital main estimates. The total capital requirements for the Department of Safety and Public Services, as determined by the capital needs assessment, are $185,000.
The capital needs of the department are, for the most part, driven by enforcement legislation. Section 35(3) of the Mining Safety Act requires that the government provide and repair mine rescue equipment. Expenditures of this nature, $35,000, are recovered from the active mines, through an assessment and credited to a capital recovery account. An additional $50,000 is required by mine safety for environmental testing equipment to ensure that environmental standards for safe working conditions in underground mines, as specified in legislation, are complied with.
The safety division requires $85,000 for occupational health lab equipment to test for a variety of metal, gas, chemical, radiation and fibre or dust particles that could affect the health and safety of exposed people.
The department has a requirement for one additional vehicle for a gas inspector stationed in Hay River who will be responsible for gas inspections in all communities south of the lake. Travel to and from these communities is much more timely and cost-effective, if done by ground transportation.
Mr. Chairman, the primary mandate of my department is to administer public safety in the Northwest Territories, including promoting and enforcing public and worker safety, and protecting the interests of workers and residents. These goals are ones which my department is, and will continue, meeting as efficiently as possible. Thank you.