Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

The Minister responsible for the Liquor Licensing Board, Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, my apologies. I did not catch the question. I wonder if my honourable colleague could repeat it again because I did not have my hearing aid plugged in. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Mr. Picco, would you repeat your question please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If you had to follow the Internet, you would have had heard that. Mr. Speaker, each time beer and liquor is purchased in the Northwest Territories, a percentage is charged back as a deposit fee by the user. The person who buys the beer has to pay a deposit fee. What

happens to the deposit fee that is charged less the money that is returned when the bottles are returned, when they are brought back? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not really have time to look at the Internet or the time the people were saying about me as Mr. Picco does but I understand anyway. My understanding is that any revenues that are net revenues generated within the liquor component rolls back into the revolving fund. That is my understanding of it. Thank you.

Oral question. Supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that revolving fund I understand has a considerable sum of money in it that could be used to help facilitate some of the social problems that we have tabled about in this House. Can the Minister tell us what happens to that revolving fund?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It revolves. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It sounds like the Minister is in orbit. My question is this, Mr. Speaker, when x number of thousands of beer and liquor is sold in the Northwest Territories this government charges a fee for let us say ten cents a dozen of beer. If those beer bottles are brought back, the person gets refunded so there is a considerable amount of money that is being accumulated in this revolving fund. My question is what we are doing with that money? I know it is being orbited somebody should give Mr. Minister a lesson on the planetary orbiting as we go back to the planet Vega. Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know it is a serious question so I will try to answer to my good friend, comrade Uri, but Mr. Speaker, any revenues that are generated from the sale of liquor whether it is in the sale of liquor or it is in the ten percent that we get on the bottle of whatever goes back into the general fund of the government at the end of the day and on the balance sheet in relationship to revenues. I have said many times that I cannot say where we got $30 million with the sales here, we are netting out $10 million or let us assign that $10 million to specific programs. That money goes in the general revenues. Any expenditures not set frequently to the House and the committees that required on the social end of things have to come through the normal business planning exercises, et cetera. and voted on this House. Thank you.

Oral question. Supplementary. Final supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In other jurisdictions, I understand that money raised like for example on the deposit that are used to help develop social programs, I am wondering then if the Minister could look at takings of this money in this revolving bag holding an escrow and use it for social programs charted that way. Is that a unique aspect that has been done in other jurisdictions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

My goodness, Mr. Speaker. My honourable colleague is the chair of the committee. He has been active in the budgetary process for two years. He knows full well that is not the way in which we do things. The social envelope, Mr. Speaker, and I have said on frequent occasions when we did, our budgetary exercise was reduced only 1.5 percent. In fact, we put more money back into the social envelope through re-profiling of dollars later on after the budgetary exercise was completed a year ago. We are not prepared, even though it is done in other jurisdictions, to say out of the liquor fund we are going to put x amount of dollars towards a specific preventative program when it has to go through the budgetary exercise, through the planning stage and through the committee process and is assigned the appropriate priority which I think this government has clearly demonstrated. And through it reduction program because, as I said earlier, we only reduced the social envelope 1.9 percent. The answer would be no, I do not think that is the way we would do business. I am surprised my colleague would ask that question given his experience, depth of knowledge, as a chair and active opponent in this House of the economic ills of the under privileged, etc.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Honourable Mr. Kakfwi. The community of Broughton Island have expressed concern over

possible chemical contamination at the abandoned side of an old United States Coast Guard Weather Station at Padloping Island. Will the Minister state when this abandoned site at Padloping Island is scheduled for clean-up? Also, can the Minister tell me what rule the Department of Wildlife and Economic Development has insuring the clean-up site at this old land site. Thank-you.

Thank you. The Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Mr. Kakfwi.