Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to indicate to the honourable Member that we do not have any staff in the regions. All the staff we presently have are located in headquarters. The one way people from the communities and the regions might get in touch with our officers is through a toll-free number that is provided to receive complaints from the regions.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Given that there is a toll-free number that a complainant is able to access, many employees in northern communities, especially in the eastern Arctic, are unilingual, I wonder if there is a way that person can get in touch with a person who is able to communicate in the chosen language? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Mr. Nerysoo.

I'll review the comments that have been made because I think it's a legitimate concern and, as a government, we should somehow try to respond to the requests that are being made by unilingual individuals.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Are you finished, Mr. Ningark? Okay, we're on labour board and labour services, total O and M, $428,000.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Public Utilities Board

The next page is 08-14, Public Utilities Board, total O and M, $543,000. Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The philosophy of the board is to move toward a cost-based rate system and there has been a lot of work done in that particular area. I wonder if the Minister could give us an update as to when we can expect to move fully behind the concept of cost-based rates?

Thank you, Mr. Ballantyne. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I realize the PUB is under my responsibility here but generally, for financial and accounting procedural reasons, the Minister who is responsible for those particular questions is Mr. Todd, who is not here at the moment. At the appropriate time, the honourable Member could raise those questions with him.

Do you want to leave this item until another time? If the committee agrees, and Mr. Todd is in his seat, we can direct the question to him. We are on page 08-14, Public Utilities Board. Mr. Nerysoo has explained why he can't respond to the question that has been asked. I wonder, for the record, if we could have the question repeated for Mr. Todd's benefit?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The question has to deal with the Public Utilities Board. For a number of years, it has been the underlying philosophy of the board -- and indeed of the government -- to move toward a cost-based rate system. The feeling of the government was to show the real costs and if we have to have subsidies that we do them up front so everybody knows the rules of the game. There has been a lot of work done in this particular area by the board. I wonder at what point does the Minister expect us to move fully behind the concept of a cost-based rate system?

With the agreement of the committee, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the honourable Member said, the Public Utilities Board has been working along with the NWT Power Corporation in trying to come to some kind of understanding about what the real cost is and what the charge-back should be. It is a fairly complicated system we have out there with a whole variety of different rates. I was talking with the chairman of the Public Utilities Board last week and I am anticipating that they're going to be able to present to the NWT Power Corporation fairly soon the results of their review of that particular issue.

Mr. Ballantyne.

Maybe, Mr. Chairman, the Minister could give me a more definitive time frame. Very soon, within three months?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I never asked the chairman of the Public Utilities Board exactly when this was going to come about. I know it's a priority, both for the PUB and the NWT Power Corporation. I'm not in a position today to tell you definitely when that review would be complete and when it would then be vetted through the appropriate public consultations. I don't have a definite answer. I know it's a priority and I know we've been fairly aggressive in trying to complete the review that was undertaken several months ago.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Mr. Ballantyne.

That's fine. I wonder if the Minister could undertake to find out and let me know when we could expect it to be completed? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Todd.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, I'll undertake to try to define more clearly when we think this report will be complete.