Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is the Standing Committee on Finance review of the capital estimates for 1995-96 for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Committee Members have heard about significant changes taking place in the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. The committee was surprised by this sudden unexpected and significant reorganization.
Piped Versus Trucked Services
In examining a project to build a large subdivision in Rankin Inlet, the issue of piped versus trucked water and sewer services was discussed. While committee Members acknowledge that both methods have advantages and disadvantages, the committee is concerned that, without proper long-term study of the two alternatives, any decision to go with one method or the other is necessarily arbitrary. The committee would like to see the department develop a more comprehensive study of the costs and benefits of each method. This study should take into account future maintenance requirements and the impact on employment in communities.
City Of Yellowknife Funding
The committee would like to repeat its concerns regarding the block funding agreement with the city of Yellowknife. Specifically, committee Members are awaiting resolution of the discussions concerning the amount of funding for central business district (CBD) water and sewer projects. The block funding agreement was intended to be of mutual benefit to the Government of the Northwest Territories and the city, and to be a model for other tax-based communities. But if this issue is not resolved appropriately, other communities will hesitate to adopt the block funding model. The committee again encourages the department to be reasonable and fair in their negotiations with the city of Yellowknife
Firefighting In Small Communities
One community issue that came to the attention of committee Members was the lack of adequate firefighting capabilities in smaller communities. Some Members expressed concerns that chemical fire trucks were often not adequate in fighting some fires. They suggested that the department examine simpler solutions, such as providing pumps and hoses to communities with nearby water sources -- rivers or lakes -- to be used for fighting fires along with fire trucks. With adequate training, this might be an inexpensive way to greatly improve the firefighting capability of many communities. The committee strongly encourages the department to examine this suggestion and report back to the committee.
Also, committee Members expressed concern about system for alerting communities to fires. Many fire alerting systems are old and deteriorating. Meanwhile, communities are also outgrowing their present fire alerting systems. The committee encourages the department to review fire alerting systems in communities and report its findings to the committee.
That concludes the Standing Committee on Finance's report, Mr. Chairman. Mahsi.