Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in 1997, we have 13 of 39 communities reporting a deficit in their general operating fund. This is up one from last year. There were 12 that reported deficits in 1996. Of those 13, six have an overall deficit in their aggregate financial position. This is certainly not a downward turn compared to years past. This is quite consistent. In those communities there is a deficit recovery plan that is in effect and this is the immediate response that comes in after the auditor's report is received. What we are trying to do in the department is move towards a more preventative approach. We are doing that through focusing a lot of attention on our advanced SAO training course to make sure that communities have SAOs who are trained to be able to keep the financial status of the community up to speed and certainly to keep their councils informed. In the past I would say that more attention has been paid to identify the problems after they have occurred. What we are trying to do now is to shift our focus to preventing the problems from occurring through training. However, for those communities that do find themselves in a deficit position today, those communities do have deficit recovery plans and our regional staff do monitor the implementation of those plans to ensure that the recommended steps are being taken. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Ballantyne on Committee Motion 9-13(5): To Ensure Regular Inspections Of Fire Safety Equipment And Fire Safety Training
In the Legislative Assembly on February 9th, 1998. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 9-13(5): To Ensure Regular Inspections Of Fire Safety Equipment And Fire Safety Training
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 8th, 1998
Page 657
Ballantyne
See context to find out what was said next.