Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I realize that it may be rather early to see any effects as a result of this plan. Could you comment on what benefits have been realized from this inception of this program? Is there any increase in the public new housing or any more construction of these new public housing in the future? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There has been I think two main areas of benefits. One is you have a family that has a brand new home in most cases, and other you have a family with a renovated home. That is another benefit.

In the area of where we are building new homes, we have been targeting the higher income families that are in public housing. So, one of the benefits is that the higher income family moves out of public housing, moves into their own house that they will pay for from their own pockets, then frees up the public house that another family may well move into. That has been the most benefit. No, it has not resulted in any building of new social housing units. There just are not any.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I understand what the Minister is saying now but about a different topic again regarding the Snare Lakes housing delivery. In the future if there is any more housing to be delivered, I hope to help the community of Snare Lakes in my riding. I wonder if there are any packages that might be coming up that way in the future? One, to be delivered and, two, how it is going to be delivered since the winter road would be out according to recent Ministers that I have questioned? If there were to be any delivery this coming winter, how else would it be delivered, should it be by air, or by winter road, by what means of transportation? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Obviously, I do not have specifics on all the communities, but I would certainly be willing to direct my staff to look at what has been requested out of Snare Lakes and to ensure that they receive all the information that they need to apply and be successful in getting their share or getting what they are eligible for under the program.

In terms of how the housing packages are delivered there, I do not have that information. It would be in the same manner as any other infrastructure or cargo being delivered to that community. I would work with the Department of Transportation Minister on that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member is correct that the housing demand in the western Arctic has certainly increased. The last housing needs survey

showed that the families in core need have increased over the last few years since the last needs survey. Because our delivery is based on need and demand, I reported to the Standing Committee on Infrastructure some time ago that would mean an increase in the housing assistance that we deliver for the western Arctic in general. In terms of specific communities the new program we have would try and deal with the need survey deals with specific solutions for the specific communities.

On the senior citizens homes or the seniors residences, the Housing Corporation is responsible for the building only of those homes. The allocation is with the Department of Health and Social Services, Minister Mr. Ng.

I would like to call the house back to order. Mr. Krutko on question number two.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think one of the problems is the complexity of the whole resupply situation that it is one that involves the present resupply which is to take the fuel from the refinery, at this point in time, which is in Edmonton, at another point in time, it could be elsewhere, which is loaded onto rail cars and taken by rail to Churchill, unloaded at the big tank farms and taken again, to the communities after being loaded on barges. There are quite a number of issues. There was a point in time when we had some problems in getting permission, recently from the tank owners in Churchill about actually storing fuel in the tanks.

After some work by the Public Works and Services staff, there was an agreement to do use the Churchill tanks as we had before. I think the difference is that the fuel that will go to these tanks will not come through the railway, but will be delivered by NTCL by tanker and stored in Churchill, and then NTCL will take the fuel and deliver it to the communities this coming season.

That was the issue that had been worked out and that was apparently communicated to the resource committee, recently. As I said before, it was other staff or another Minister that had made the presentation, I was not involved in that.

As far as opposition to what we are doing now, I think it is important not to overstate the opposition. I understand that there has been a letter from Mr. Dillion from the Delta area, Mr. Wilcox from Cambridge Bay, the Hamlet of Arviat as I understand is the only council that has made a motion in this regard, and there has been other opposition. I think it is one, again, of making a decision, a choice, which we have obviously made, and a choice I think that a responsible government would make if you look at the long-term cost or long term savings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was going to mention in my earlier answer, in regard to the motion by the standing committee, apparently about no more tanks farms. This is not a proposal that includes the building of tank farms. The Department of Public Works and Services informed the review of the Keewatin Resupply Steering Committee that environmental audits were underway and would be done in September. I can certainly update the appropriate committee on the results of that.

The field we are talking about is very different from the unrefined heavy oil that was spilt in the Exxon Valdez accident. We are talking about refined, light fuel that behaves differently when it is spilled in the ocean. It is something that disperses or spreads out very quickly into the air, although it is not desirable, it is something that is totally different.

As far as environmental studies go, I do not have the details but the pipelines that we are going to be building are just additional to the ones that are already there, in a slightly different but probably, mostly within sight of the present one. As far as the vessels go, the fuel is being delivered to these communities on an annual basis now by different, smaller vessel. One in the water, just the same. That is exactly why we cooperated with the Government of Canada with the hydrographic surveys to make sure they were safe.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would not want to make a guess on how Members would vote on a particular motion if it was introduced in the House. I would certainly see my role as informing Members even more about the importance of this project. Why it is a good idea. Trying to gather support as I am now for the project. I think in my own mind it is very clear that it is logically the best thing to do. Therefore, I would not want to speculate about such a motion being introduced and perhaps passing.