Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by the honourable Mr. Krutko on April 21, 1999, in regard to policies to assist small business.
The Business Incentive Policy is the government's main procurement policy. The policy provides existing northern businesses with a level of business incentive that compensates for the higher cost of operating a business in the Northwest Territories. The business incentive provides a 15 percent bid adjustment for approved northern businesses and an additional 5 percent for operating the business in a specific community, resulting in a combined preference for local content of 20 percent. Despite this, it is still the responsibility of individual businesses to bid competitively on government contracts.
A negotiated contract for the design and construction of a new school at Fort McPherson was awarded to the Gwich'in Development Corporation by the Beaufort Delta Education Council. Tetlit'zheh Construction Ltd. is a sub-contractor under this contract. The parties to this contract are currently under mediation in an effort to resolve outstanding issues.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.