Where will the monies for that be identified, then?

I believe they'll show up under Arctic airports and probably our capital budget because the arrangement we're making with the federal government is an addition to our base O and M as well as some capital monies that are required for airport improvements over the next years. I stand to be corrected, but I think it's somewhere in the range of $24.6 million. Thank you.

Then there will be, at the appropriate time, a supplementary budget or estimate to cover that?

Mr. Koe is correct. Yes.

I appreciate the honourable Member's question. I know that it's a long-outstanding issue and clearly there is need somewhere in the capital planning process to try and find the dollars. Discussions have been under way with the regional superintendent in Baffin and the community, in an effort to try and reach some kind of strategic plan as to how we would go about this. I don't have the details here with me today with respect to the money in the capital plan for 1997. I will have to get back to the honourable Member. I can tell him that I recognize it as a priority. We are trying our best to see where it can fit.

I should also say that we are trying to put into place this year what they call a hazard beacon in the existing airstrip to improve the safety component of that airstrip. Thank you.

(Translation) For some time now we have been putting in this request. It was said that in 1997 we would get our upgrading and we kept getting responses to that effect. Recently, when the Baffin Regional Council was still in existence, this was brought to the attention of the department. People are expecting to see some activity regarding their airstrip. The MLA before my time also brought this up as an issue.

For the people from Lake Harbour who I represent, this is a continuing problem. Like I said in my Member's statement, this continues to be a problem because, as I stated earlier, transportation occurs in our region by air. We are in a mountainous region and the weather is often quite windy. We are dependent on air flights and air activities for transportation. So, like I said, for people to have safe passageways of transportation, particularly those who have to travel on medical leave, our airstrips are very important.

Before something drastic happens, I want you to consider this seriously and hopefully we can get something done with the same goals in 1997 to become a reality in your main estimates. We hope that you keep this as a priority because studies were done on Lake Harbour to see if a new airstrip could be built. So this has been an ongoing issue, and we continue to make the same request even though we realize it would consume quite a bit of funding.

Another factor is that the population continues to grow and the number of people travelling back and forth grows, and we will be expecting to see this become a reality. I realize at this point that it's difficult to commit to the upgrading of our airport, but please consider this seriously. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, we are. Thank you.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Motor Vehicles

Agreed.

---Agreed

Highway Transportation Board

Agreed.

---Agreed

Transportation Planning

Mr. Chairman, I sat here for the past two hours listening to my colleagues from seventh heaven talking about highways, ferry crossing infrastructure and vehicles, winter road highway systems and so on. On this particular page, transportation planning, I would like to ask the Minister what is happening with the request from the community of Taloyoak for the community wharf? Thank you.