Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for all the questions, but not having been at the table, I am wondering if the Minister could clarify what is in the document here. It says that contract work to be completed and paid for by the end of July. Does that mean the water supply improvements will be complete and there will be fresh water in the community? Thank you.
Debates of March 23rd, 2000
This is page numbers 235 - 268 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Fort McPherson water supply improvement request for the interim appropriation, as indicated in the document, is to do some preliminary work on Deepwater Lake.
However, there is an additional request that has gone on to the Financial Management Board Secretariat to advance this project from following years. This project was originally slated to be a multi-year project. However, because of the urgency to try to improve the water in Fort McPherson as soon as we can, we have submitted to the Financial Management Board Secretariat a proposal to try and get more money into this project.
Actually, the Financial Management Board Secretariat's approval of the project would see a substantial increase to this budget above and beyond the interim appropriation. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister indicate what he means by a substantial increase? What scope of work would that additional money enable Municipal and Community Affairs to do? How much closer would that bring this overall contract to being resolved, and a water treatment system in place? Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In this particular project, to accommodate the people in Fort McPherson in assuring they have good water, have requested an interim appropriation. We have only now submitted a Financial Management Board Secretariat proposal that was considered and that is going to see the multi-year amounts...we have moved them all up. It is going to see a reprofile of $2.3 million upon the Financial Management Board Secretariat's approval. That is going to be coming through the system later on. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 261
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Will that amount of money be sufficient to conclude this project? The $2.3 million, in addition to the money that is in the interim appropriation?
I also have another question about why this is where it is right now. It was not in there, but you decided to move things up as of when? When was the decision made to try and move this up? Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
The original plan for Fort McPherson saw the completion of the project in the year 2003. Due to the urgency of the matter, there were a certain amount of dollars that were slotted each year to improve it. We reprofiled it, and today the Financial Management Board Secretariat approved the amount. Because of the interim budgeting process and the work we had to do in Municipal and Community Affairs to try to move it forward to the Financial Management Board Secretariat, it just came through today.
Yes, I think it is sufficient. We as a government are moving as fast as we can to try and accommodate the community of Fort McPherson, so they can have good, clean water. It is a matter of processing the necessary permits with other governments that we have to deal with right now to make sure we have access to the lake, and the actual work does happen. It is possible for the spring and the summer. We are slating to have good water delivered to the community of Fort McPherson as soon as we can.
Right now, we are saying March 31st of next year is what we are aiming at. Hopefully sooner. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to commend my colleague at the end of the table for his perseverance. My final two questions are will the work that is being done address the issue of THMs? Are other projects being deferred to accommodate this? If so, what would those projects be? Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are going to have to go through a supp on this one here. We do not anticipate any cuts in other areas. The re-profiling of the dollars that were going to be slated in the five-year capital plan for this project, our intention is not to cut other programs to accommodate Fort McPherson.
Yes, it would eliminate the THM problem. The water we are getting from Deepwater Lake is clean, fresh water. We anticipate it will eliminate the THM problem once we start accessing Deepwater Lake. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a process that was supposed to take place in this, going from a P3 project back to a capital project. In order to do that, you had to get direct permission from the Financial Management Board Secretariat. Has that process been concluded?
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We had already done that last fall, in November. We had re-profiled it. It is now a regular project. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding the five-year capital planning process, in 1997 and 1998, there was $250,000 identified for preliminary planning, which was some three years ago. Yet here we are today, having gone from the planning process to a P3 project to a capital project. Will this be the end of the process? Will we not have to find a new mechanism later on to conclude this process? When do you see this process being concluded?
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the last three years, I know the community was looking for different places they could get good water. I know they have looked at the Pio River and other sources. My understanding is Deepwater Lake has been identified as the source for the water. I have indicated with the enhancement of this particular project, it would see the completion of this whole process by March of next year. Thank you.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
The Chair Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Antoine. The Chair would like to take a moment to recognize some people in the gallery. Janice Daniels, Carol Common, and Julia Lace. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.
-- Applause
We are dealing with Municipal and Community Affairs, operations and maintenance, $18,322,000. Mr. Dent.
Funding For Capital Projects
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 262
Charles Dent Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was just wondering if the Minister could tell us the amount that is being provided for block funding to tax-based municipalities, has there been any reduction in the amount that is going for this interim period to any tax-based municipality?