Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it may have sounded like two different questions there, but it was not. I am just trying to get around to my final supplementary and that is on the privatization of property management services which includes the leases of some of the properties we are leasing. My question is on the privatization of property management services. The leases that we currently hold for those social housing units, are those entailed with this property management?

Thank you. Again, just to indicate to the Members where there is a requirement for clarification, I do not include that as supplementary. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would hope the property management tender we will put out will in fact include the leases the government pays for. In other words, we will have the private sector manage the leases on any surplus housing the government currently pays for. For example, the pilot project in the Keewatin now looks after all the leases, looks after all the maintenance and looks after the collection of the rents from the individual tenants. We are certainly looking for an expansion of that program. I look forward to be able to move quickly, before spring of this year, to conclude it right across the territorial framework, so that government can be out of the business of housing and put in the private sector where it belongs. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my Member's statement, I stated that I would be raising a question with regard to small businesses in my community. I was talking about a construction contract that is going to go on in Clyde River. My question is to the Minister of Public Works and Services regarding the construction company that is bidding for the contract. I wanted to find out if he has an update on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

The Minister of Public Works and Services. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The request for a negotiated contract was received by the government some time ago from the community and from the MLA. Cabinet, after reviewing the proposal, decided to support a negotiated contract. One of the conditions we have to follow in the Nunavut area is a 21-day waiting period where we advertise to the general public and to other companies that we do intend to contract through a negotiated process. During this

21-day waiting period, if another Inuit-owned company expresses any interest in getting the contract, the negotiated contract is cancelled. Then we go to the competitive process. For this particular contract in Clyde River, I had heard unofficially there had been another company that was interested. I have since checked into that and there has been no official request from any other company so far and, with a few days left to go, there is no other interest expressed. We will be negotiating with this company in the next week or so.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Honourable Mr. Arlooktoo for his answer with regards to the people who are bidding for the contract in Clyde River. They are from Clyde River and they are local people. I am proud of the fact they can receive help from the Minister, Goo Arlooktoo. Can he tell me if the local company of Clyde River can be given some answer to my question? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Mr. Arlooktoo.

(Translation) Mr. Speaker, I cannot give a definite answer as to the exact date when this contract will get started. As I stated earlier, we will wait for about ten more days. If no other people or other company comes forward to bid for this contract, we will work with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Barnabas.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Transportation. (Translation ends) ....access road contracted before the budget for access road was formed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Transportation. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did not quite catch what the honourable Member's question is. It lost something in the translation there. Thank you.

Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will repeat my question. Were the communities which requested an access road consulted before the budget for access roads was formed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government has a Community Access Road Policy and all the superintendents in the regions have a copy of this document. I could provide that document to the honourable Members here, so they have a clear idea of how this policy works. According to the policy, there is a process in place that communities have the initiative to provide a proposal working along with the Department of Transportation officials in the field. This proposal then moves forward through the process. Yes, communities are supposed to be consulted on the access road program through our field people in the Department of Transportation. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How many communities have requested an access road? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this Community Access Road Program is a very popular program. It started out with a very small budget and, over the last few years, we have increased that because of the popularity of it. It is a very good program for the communities to provide access into the hunting areas and into tourist areas. There is a lot of interest in it. Most of the communities in the north are interested in the program. We have only a limited amount of dollars in the program therefore, as I said earlier, it is based on a first come, first served basis. Those that are in the program right now are being funded and there are others that are not. I do not have the exact number of which communities have applied, but I could get that information for the honourable Member. Thank you.