Mr. Chairman, will the Minister ensure, and not only in the Keewatin but in other regions, that the superintendents or MACA staff attend those community transfer discussion meetings?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will make sure they are available for the community meetings.

Thank you. Are there any general comments or questions? Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Mr. Chairman, one of the objectives in the lands area is to implement a computerized land application tracking system to facilitate more efficient processing of land applications and the preparation of land contracts. How is this coming along? I wanted to raise this as there are still some members in the communities, such as Baker Lake and Arviat, who are going through much time trying to complete their applications for land, and others who are in arrears because they had let go of their land and are still being charged. I would like to know how this is progressing? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, it is coming along. We are trying to streamline within our department to see if we can be more efficient in delivering our services to communities. Once this is done, we will work on communities to make sure they are tied into our system. Thank you.

Mr. Arngna'naaq.

I would also like to know if at some point in time where the processing of land applications will ever come to either the regional or community level. Is that under MACA's plans?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is already in some of the regions. In some areas, once the training is provided to regional people it will be transferred to the regions. Also, when the land claims are implemented they will be in the regions and also in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Chairman, I have a number of questions, which I believe should be asked of this department, to do with the implications of the new long-term staff housing strategy. They have to do with the implications of new customers for residential water and sewage subsidies, customers who are changing from government to private residential, the cost of the subsidies, the impact on municipalities and whether the administrative costs will impact on the financing formula which is in place. There are also implications on land development in that part of the government's strategy is to encourage home ownership, particularly in the more remote communities. If this is to succeed and be pursued, we will need to know the availability of private residential lots in communities where the impacts are going to be felt, and what the costs might be to develop those lots if they are not presently available.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to mention those issues because I think they are issues that the department should be dealing with as we consider the implications of this new policy. I am not sure if the time is now while the main estimates are being considered for this department, but I am sure the Minister has taken note of those questions and will be prepared to answer them along with other related questions when the staff housing strategy is considered in committee of the whole later on in this session. I just want to note those concerns in my general comments. Thank you very much.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Arvaluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to use Coral Harbour as an example because I am well aware of the community and this may be the same case in other communities. When they start doing community planning they never look at the condition of the land. When the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, does land planning, the engineers should look at the condition of the land before they start designing land lots.

(Translation): Thank you. Mr. Minister.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is left up to the community where they are going to make the lots available. We generally do not give them advice as to where to put their lots. It is up to the communities to decide where the lots are going to be. We also assist them through funding and the technicians do the land surveys.

Qujannamiik. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What is the purpose of geotechnical tests of the soil when, in fact, in the end they just ignore them and build houses there anyway. The Housing Corporation's expensive houses crack, especially in today's building construction as plaster walls are very rigid and easily cracked when the house moves. Can the Minister tell me why they cannot find out that this ground is unstable after the soil is tested, or geotechnical testing is done? In the construction process the ground is not yet stable but they proceed with it anyway.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. After the geotechnician has surveyed the area, he provides advice as to what type of foundation the house should sit on in any particular area. They should know the type of foundation a house or building should have on any one of these surveyed lots, and how much fill is required for the pad. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My concern is that when the town's plan was established, for Coral Harbour for

example, the hamlet requested MACA make different town plans because this particular soil was not suitable for building. However, MACA's reply was that the town plan has been completed and you have to use all these lots first before we establish a different plan. As a result, we had difficulty with the home owners in convincing them that these are the lots which MACA assigned, because they do not want to build there either. We ended up having only hamlet staff housing and one HAP house built there. As a result, those buildings are cracking. I do not know what the community's power and responsibility is in influencing MACA where the houses should be built. The story is different from what the Minister says. Much of it is from the region and the regions insist that it be done this way, contrary to the hamlet's advice.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.