Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What I would like to know is, how long will this be maintained? How long will FMB be funding for maintenance of these units, through the Housing Association?

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

This Nanisivik situation, as my colleague knows, is a bit of a unique situation because of the large role that the mine plays there and some of the historical involvement of the government. It is certainly our intention, as long as the staff housing requirements, we would continue to pay. However, if they get transferred to the Housing Association for public housing, we would transfer whatever dollars over or if we sell them. If we can find a satisfactory arrangement with either the mine or the individuals to sell those units, then that is when we would stop contributing to the O and M.

Thank you. Directorate. Mr. Henry, as I indicated, I may have not recognized you because I was not watching you, so do you wish to continue?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one question. I did not quite catch what the Minister had said in response to my question about if a contractor, a building contractor purchases a unit in a community, will he be able to use that unit to house his personnel during construction? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

Well, I am not the Minster responsible for contractual arrangements with Public Works or the Housing Corporation. It is my understanding that under our tender arrangements that commercial accommodation policy is the criteria. We have policies in place to protect commercial accommodation, bed and breakfast, et cetera, and people who own houses. Thank you.

Thank you. Directorate. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it is important to point out that the Nunavut Secretariat is in the Executive, but the Premier has delegated the operational responsibility for that, to myself. That is the reason why he, yesterday indicated that I would answer the questions.

I think transitional costs, I believe that is what my colleague is talking about, we have been tracking that for both last year and this year. We are into our second year of tracking of what we believe are transitional costs related to the division of the two territories. We have been doing that on an ongoing basis for the last year and a half.

Thank you. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Minister.

Well I know, it would be fair to say it has been extremely difficult to define what is a division issue and what is not a division issue. That may be why we were not tracking it as early as we should. I do not know. I received this portfolio 15 months ago and when I took responsibility over for division, that was the first thing I put in place. How are we going to track what the costs are? The costs are to the best of our ability, are quite frankly judgmental. I think it could be fair to say that. I mean they are. It could be wages, travel, material purchases, contracts, fees, furniture, et cetera and I have insisted in letters to all Ministers that their deputies track, to the best of their ability, what they believe are divisional costs, both east and west.

We are in the process of doing that right now and I have some preliminary numbers, year to date that I could share with my colleagues indicating what we think the overall costs to date have been with respect to division. I have got to qualify that by saying the criteria, et cetera, for deciding what are division costs, has been somewhat judgmental, but at least it is there. It provides us a basis on which to initiate discussions and negotiations with respect to transitional costs with the federal government. Thank you.

Thank you. Directorate. Operations and maintenance. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Mr. Todd, do you have the figures?

Well you know, frankly it is almost impossible to break it down east and west because you are working in sync for the fact that there are, and since I have taken over the ministry there are two basic developments of two governments. I do not know how many times I have to say that. That is the way I perceive it. I do not see it as one government, Nunavut, because it happens to be a little further ahead in its organizational framework. I say there are two governments. No, I do not have it broken down by east and west. What I have is a reasonable judgmental fiscal analysis of the cost to date by department as of the period ending October 3rd, 1997.

Thank you, Mr. Todd.

February the 3rd, 1997, which I am prepared to share with my colleagues.

Thank you. Directorate. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.