Thank you. The honourable Minister, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. The final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Environmental protection services. I have Mr. Picco and Mr. Henry. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon. Mr. Chairman, my question concerns environmental protection services and hazardous substances. Earlier this month, I asked the Minister regarding the Department of National Defence and their request to the Minister, I think it was DIAND, for an exemption so they could bury parts of the DEW Line sites. Now the DEW Line site structures are Armcos and the concern here was that the paint had extreme levels of PCBs. I am wondering if the Minister has any further update on what is happening in this area.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Mr. Picco.

Thank you. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have a facility in Swan Hills, Alberta that actually burns or incinerates PCBs because it is very difficult for these to breakdown in the natural environment. I would strongly urge the Minister to write the federal Minister of the Environment to state our case. I do not see anyway that the GNWT should be allowing the burial of any type of PCB material, because we do not know what the long-term effects are. By lobbying some of the aboriginal organizations to find other alternate sites to bury them, I think is incomprehensible because of the seriousness of the situation. We really do not know what the long-term impacts of PCBs are.

I ask the Minister on behalf of our government, because I do know that the Minister is acutely aware of this situation and is interested in environmental protection, that he would write the federal Minister, Sergio Marchi, to let him know that the 11 sites they are talking about which are in the Northwest Territories that we as a government, the people, do not under any circumstances want this type of material if it turns out that the PCB levels are so high in the paint, as indicated in correspondence that I have received. Again, I will ask the Minister if he would commit at this time to write the federal Minister to again reiterate that we do not want these PCBs buried. I think again, by going to aboriginal groups and trying to get another place to bury them for approval of same, is just a way of circumventing us. I think we should state our case and make it very clear that under no circumstances do we want any type of PCB material buried. I wonder what the response is from the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it is kind of worrisome for me when I look at this issue, having lived adjacent to DEW Line. I am aware of what a DEW Line site looks like and, of course, this issue has come up because DIAND has been offering some of these DEW Line sites for sale and removal. If you remove those sites, if I go in and buy a DEW Line site which consists of ten armcos, which are residential accommodations, in those cases people who buy it might not want it. That is why DIAND is asking for the ability to be able to bury some of this stuff on site, because they know whoever buys a DEW Line might not ship lock, stock and barrel south. Because when you buy a DEW Line site, you buy the copper wire instead, the pipes, the PCB on the wall, the paint.

I understand the Yukon Minister has now come out against it publicly about any type of these facilities being buried in that jurisdiction. My other concern here is if DIAND has gone to different aboriginal groups asking for permission for landfill sites, and I am not aware that they are, but if they are doing that, let us say one aboriginal group says yes, you can buy it but the other aboriginal group says no, then where does that leave the territorial government who has to look at the whole jurisdiction? What happens to the scientific evidence? As the Minister said, there is no scientific evidence saying that it may leak into the ground but there is also no scientific evidence saying that it does not. I think it is a concern and again I would ask the Minister to draft a letter asking maybe to clarify from both Ministers, from the federal Defence Minister and from the federal Environment Minister, exactly what is happening here. I think that at the end of the day, it may be too late when these buildings are sold and burial starts taking place and then ten years down the road we might be into some type of controversy.

Again, I would ask the Minister to draft a letter, to contact the federal Ministers and let them know the concerns. I do not think that I am isolated in my concern here, Mr. Chairman. I think there is widespread concern across the territories with PCBs. Again, science itself does not know the cause and effect of the leaking into the ground. But I can tell you that in this case, Mr. Chairman, I would be on the nimble side, not in my backyard. I would not want them burying it in my community. I would not like to see them buried in someone else's community because I do not know what the effect would be. Again, I would ask the Minister, will he take another look at it and write/communicate our concerns to the appropriate federal Ministers and then again update the House, because I do know the Minister is concerned with this issue. We are all trying to do what is right for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Picco.