Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two returns to oral questions, first in response to Mr. Krutko who asked a question on July 26th in regard to the Yellowknife Correctional Centre.
The Financial Management Board reviewed and approved the Department of Justice's proposal to reprofile the Yellowknife Correctional Centre capital project from enhancement and renovation project to a replacement project on June 4th, 1999.
Ferguson, Simek and Clark, a Yellowknife engineering and architectural company had been retained earlier in the year to complete the functional plan for the proposed enhancement and renovations project. They concluded that it would be cheaper and more efficient to build a completely new facility over a shorter period of time. It was also concluded that further savings could be achieved by sharing plant and services between the Yellowknife Correctional Facility and new male young offenders facility. Savings were estimated at $1.34 million in capital costs and $262,000 annually in on-going operations and maintenance.
The department accepted the consultant's conclusions and proceeded to the Financial Management Board with a recommendation to revise the capital project. According to agreed procedures by advising MLAs and the Standing Committee on Government Operations on capital project changes, the government was obligated to forward information on this Financial Management Board decision of June 4th, 1999. Information was forwarded on July 14th, 1999. An apology has been forwarded to the chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations for the delay.