Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was considerable information about Fort Smith and I don't know if I'll be able to address it all, but I will certainly make an effort. With regard to the way we fight fires with aircraft -- which I believe was the first issue raised by the honourable Member -- from the consultation that has been made, we have been criticized for spending far too much money on aircraft when we fight fires and not enough in the communities. I believe that some very sound recommendations have been made by people in the communities and they will be considered. Some of these recommendations are being included in the submission that will be made to Cabinet.
With regard to how we should be compensating those who lose their cabins or any capital items in the bush, I believe there will be a more reasonable amount of funds left in the communities. We're looking at how more of the dollars could end up in the communities, perhaps by doing more presuppression work before the fire season starts and by requiring the clearing of brush around communities, cabins and lodges which will leave money for people in the communities. Rather than a holding figure under fire suppression, the creation of a target will force us to look at how we can make better use of manpower.
The Member indicated how fires should be attacked within a 24-hour period from the time they start. We can't dispute that. It is something that has been proven. Each of the fire bosses that are out there decide which fires should be attacked and how they should be attacked. That responsibility lies with each fire boss in each area. It makes it very difficult when we have very limited aircraft if, at any one time, 70 fires are starting up on a day; and there have been days when up to 70 fires will start up. It makes it very difficult for aircraft to get to all the fires. I think this was especially the case last year when we had such large fires which got away.
The fire bosses who are in the camps in the fire areas are probably the closest to the communities. Usually, they are from the general area they are managing and they usually decide which fires require the use of aircraft. The success rate of fires being fought has been up to 90 per cent in some years. Some years, like last year, the success rate was probably 70 per cent, which is somewhat lower but still a considerably high rate where firefighters were successful. Because the department no longer has an open chequebook in terms of firefighting but rather, has a target that they have to meet, they will have to make some tough decisions concerning future forest fires they have to fight. They will be looking at a target and have to decide which fires really do have to be fought. That is one thing we are looking in order to try to reduce the dollars that are used.
In terms of the type of aircraft that will now be used: in year one, it is proposed that two DC-4's would be used; in year two, one DC-4 and one DC-6; in year three, two DC-6's will be used; and, in year four and year five, the two DC-6's will be used as well. This contract has been let to a northern contractor. There are times when we have to pay a price for contracting with northern businesses and this is one of those cases where we are paying a price for contracting with a northerner, but it is something that, I believe, most northerners are agreeable with.
In terms of the type of work that is being done by the department, specifically on recycling, there was a submission made to the Financial Management Board on how we could carry out a recycling program with beverage containers. However, the Financial Management Board turned that down because it was too costly to try to operate the recycling of beverage containers.
The other large consideration to us is the environment. Beverage containers may be unsightly but they are not hazardous to the environment. The number one area that the department looks at when it considers environmental protection priorities is the disposal of hazardous wastes such as PCBs. The second in priority would be the air quality guidelines, which the department has considered making into regulations in consultation with the federal government. But at this point they are still guidelines.
The third of the environmental protection priorities is used-oil disposal guidelines. These three areas are areas that are hazardous to our environment and have been a high priority for the department. In terms of the beverage containers, I have indicated that they may be unsightly but are not hazardous. Again, a submission had been made to try and recycle beverage containers, but it was turned down by the Financial Management Board because it was too costly.
In terms of the bison ranch, I had committed myself earlier this afternoon to holding a public meeting regarding the bison which were to be brought down south. To my understanding, the people who run the ranch have never used choppers -- the bison ranch has used choppers but it has never used choppers to transport feed for the bison -- and the location of the ranch was something that the department inherited when they took over the running of the ranch. To try to relocate the ranch to another location would be too costly. At one point, it was being proposed that we should close the ranch down. I had debated that and thought that we should continue to try to make the ranch a viable operation. At the present time, we have 185 bison. From what I understand, in order to make it a viable operation they would require 200 cows, so we are nowhere near the requirement to make it a viable operation. Hence, the department's decision to try and sell off live bison to try to retrieve some of the costs that have been incurred by the department to run the ranch.
The area that we have run into in terms of wanting to hold public meetings in the town of Fort Smith has come from the chief, who is new. He wants to get to know more about what is required of him before he attends public meetings. That is where our fallback has been; we have taken the chief's suggestion and have said we will wait a little longer. Now, I believe it's time the department staff will be able to meet with the community leaders and try to agree that there should be public meetings. But it makes it difficult -- especially in the town of Fort Smith where the Dene band and the Metis are not willing to work together -- for the department to come in and work with all community groups, which we have made every effort to do in all the communities. It makes it difficult to try to get anything done when there is this dispute, this disagreement.
Next is in terms of the chief park warden who started cutting on the wrong side of the river. I've seen it in some of the communities where I've run into the renewable resource officers. There are many warnings that are given by the renewable resource officers before charges are laid. I've seen many, many warnings being given by the officers before they lay any charges. I believe that this is one case where the chief park warden had started cutting on the wrong side. It was the view of department officials that this was not really a sensitive area because if the request had been for the individual to cut on one side in a particular area, then the permit would have been issued. So a warning was given but he was not charged. The individual was allowed to carry on with his permit, except on the other side. He was allowed to cut the same amount as he would have been allowed in the original site.
In terms of the wildlife committee, this is an issue that I believe the department has made efforts to try to resolve. I believe it is one where the department would have been able to effectively work in the community with regard to departmental issues. However, when the various organizations that were approached, such as the Dene band, the chief-in-council, and the Metis, are not willing to work together, it makes it very difficult to form a committee. The individuals were not even willing to face each other on such a committee. The department made an effort to form a wildlife committee but was unsuccessful in doing so.
I hope I've addressed most of the concerns that were raised by the honourable Member. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.