The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe my colleague was asking with respect to the scheduling for the implementation of the digital communication system. I was just answering the Premier's question, when he asked me if I was under investigation for RCMP and I said I did not know. Mr. Speaker, there have been some delays on the implementation. We are hoping. We have to do what they call a test bed, test the system. It would be fair to say that I am a little disappointed in the delays. However, my notes indicate that they hope to have the test bed completed and the service standards established, hopefully, by November 15th. Thank you.

Oral question. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. Two questions. Mr. Todd.

Let me say, Mr. Speaker, when we announced this program, there was a great deal, from all of us, I believe, enthusiasm about its value not just now but in the future. In particular, when we talk about distance education, distance health, et cetera. So conceptually, I think, we are all excited about the idea about distance education, health and the fact that we are going to put the north into the 21st century with the transportation highway or whatever the term is. My understanding that is the first deadline, I think, we have missed. I did say earlier that I am disappointed with it. We have put the company on notice. They better get their act together. They had better meet the standards and meet the deadlines that we have now set. If they do not meet the deadlines by November 28th, which is when the request for the completion of the report is, then I will have to look at the options that are available to me, advise my Cabinet colleagues accordingly, get their support and advise the company as to what steps we are going to take.

In fairness to the Ardicom group, we are confident and optimistic as a northern based joint venture company that it will be able to meet the new deadlines set before it as it enters into this new millennium on the information highway.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I do not know. I am not a technical expert on communications. I do not know whether the Ardicom group has outdated technology. I certainly hope not. I do not know if compare the technology of the Internet service providers whether theirs is superior to what is being proposed by Ardicom. What I do know is that we want to put the Northwest Territories on the cutting edge of the communications highway. That is what we intended to do. Certainly, it was my intention in the early stages that we would try to find some way to accommodate these Internet service providers as my honourable colleague has said from Yellowknife all the way to Rankin Inlet, Inuvik, Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay. I thought quite frankly that there was to be a meeting held between my department which is

responsible for this communications and the local suppliers in the communities. My notes indicate that has not happened. I apologize to my colleagues for that. I just got word of it right now. I will assure them that when this House is finished today, it will happen as quickly as possible and we will try through whatever efforts we can to protect and integrate the interests of the community-based internet service providers along with the visionary communications highway that we hope will unfold as we move into the 21st century. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Roland.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

I suspect I know where my honourable colleague is heading with this line of questioning. I believe that in the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development there are some policies in place with respect to market disruptions as it relates to grants that may be given to companies. I could not tell you categorically today whether, in fact, there is a market disruption policy as it relates to this local internet service providers and the Ardicom contract. I would have to look into that. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Todd.

Well, the short answer is yes, Mr. Speaker, I will look into that issue. I think that I need to elaborate a little bit. I recognize the concerns of Mr. Zubko in Inuvik and others in Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet, et cetera. But when we held this program forward, it was never the intention to take away business from these local suppliers. I thought that we would work together to see if there would be some compromise reached where we could integrate what they were doing and what we are doing. I mean this initiative of a digital communications system is territorial wide. It connects into the international digital service, et cetera. It was a proposal put forward, I want to remind everybody, a joint venture owned and operated by a number of Aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups in the territories.

It certainly was not the intention, at least not mine anyway, to take away from those who are delivering at a local level some of the digital communications systems. I understand the frustration of my honourable colleague and his other colleague from Fort Smith. I will undertake to first of all, one, determine if there is in fact a policy in place and, two, perhaps more importantly get the meeting that should have happened weeks ago between ourselves and the local internet service providers to see if there is some arrangement that can be reached and some compromise so we can get on with this very important initiative of providing distance communications to all our communities across the territories before April 1, 1999. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is twice in two days. I will have to take that question as notice because unfortunately I do not have detailed response that I know my honourable colleague for Iqaluit would want me to give a him. It would probably be more appropriate for me to provide him with a full descriptive explanation of where we stand in this issue which I will do later on this week. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ningark.