Thank you. The only way I can reply is, it was the decision of Cabinet to retain the Stewart Hodgson Building because it is a special building that has a computer main frame. Although the option was there, Cabinet decided to retain the building. It is not because this group is not trusted or any of those other reasons the honourable Member is saying. It was the way the decision was made.
Debates of Feb. 16th, 1998
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Krutko.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Final clarification. April, 1997, there was a letter sent to the Minister of Public Works by the Denendeh Development Corporation regarding an idea of job prospectives they had. Just to be clear for the record, there was a letter sent to the Minister of Public Works at that time?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Mr. Minister, would you like to respond to that?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
I have asked the officials to see if they can locate that letter. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. On page 5-8, asset management. Operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $42.577 million. Agreed? Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister check with some of his officials within his department with regard to talks held between Mr. Greg Herndier of URBCO on what might come up for sale or what might be leasable in Yellowknife? Specifically, could they check to see if discussions were held with respect to Lahm Ridge Tower? I have been informed by Mr. Herndier that they would have been interested in the building, but were told there was no way the lease would be extended on that particular building. Could the Minister check with his officials to see who has had discussions with Mr. Herndier and what were the nature of those discussions? Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We will find the information the honourable Member is requesting. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. Like Mr. Krutko, who was informed by the Denendeh Development Corporation, I was informed by Mr. Herndier that they were extremely interested in the Yellowknife office situation and were willing to work on this whole area. They would have put in an offer on the Lahm Ridge Tower, but all indications made to them were, the lease would not be extended and it would not be renewed. I need to have some feedback from the Minister to check with his officials to tell me what that was all about. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 841
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the information I have is: if the question is about the Lahm Ridge Tower lease, I said over and over again that the lease, even though it is on over hold legally, is still a legal agreement. I do not see where the information would come from that it was not going to be extended. We will check with our officials. The
deputy minister and the superintendent do not have that information. Perhaps, Mr. Greg Herndier may have talked to some other officials. We will check into that to see where this direction is coming from. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. I have Mr. Steen and Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, thank you. A couple of questions for clarification. Mr. Chairman, I understand Lahm Ridge Tower was in over hold, and I understand it was an over hold pending a decision of Cabinet as to what to do with the office space plans. Also, there were two other leases that were in over hold at the same time. They were all subject to Cabinet giving direction as to the office space plan. The question I have is, why would the deputy ministers proceed with a lease that was in over hold unless they had direction from Cabinet to do so? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The deputy minsters had determined by that time, this was one of the long-term leases that they would like to retain. They did not require Cabinet approval to renegotiate the extension of this lease. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, the reason they were in over hold in the first place for two years was, they were waiting for a decision in Cabinet on the office space plan. The office space plan did not get approved until January of this year. Is the department suggesting to me, they went ahead regardless of Cabinet's approval on this extension even though it was in over hold waiting for Cabinet's approval?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The deputy minister did not require Cabinet approval. The reason for the over hold was at the beginning of this government, there was, again, not a lot of different initiatives that required amalgamation, reduction and personnel. There were going to be more amalgamations, but it did not happen in the first two years. The reason for the over hold was that we did not know how the government departments were going to look after all the changes were made. By January, 1997, it was quite obvious that no more major downsizing and amalgamating was going to happen with the government departments. It was quite stable by that time. The departments were pretty firm in how they were going to look for the next little while. The decision was made to start moving ahead and developing some scenarios and options to deal with the office space requirements in Yellowknife. Some of the over hold were reactivated. Specifically, in the case of Lahm Ridge Tower, it was activated by the then owners wanting to, because of good timing, they decided to negotiate their lease and get it out of over hold and move it into an extension. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Asset management. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, were there any other contracts in over hold, leases in over hold, that action was taken on at the same time? In other words, priority for one, priority for the others seem to be equal. If you can make a decision on one, it seems obvious you can make a decision on all. Was there action taken on the other over holds?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. We have a bit of a detailed question. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 842
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, there was Northern United Place where there was an over hold and we needed a place for the Arctic College. We made an arrangement to negotiate an existing lease with Northern United Place. Thank you.