Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to be accused of being the Minister of evasion and...what was that word?

-- Interjection

It is not in the dictionary, Mr. Miltenberger. I apologize, we are not supposed to speak to Members across the floor.

Mrs. Groenewegen, could you answer the question that was directed to you by Mr. Dent?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that the issue of homelessness may be one that may require various departments to put their heads together on. I cannot commit in terms of what financial resources may be available at this time. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Item 7, returns to written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, report of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters. Minister's Statement 1-14(2), Sessional Statement; Tabled Document 14-14(2), Our Communities, Our Decisions "Let's Get on With It!", Final Report of the Minister's Forum on Health and Social Services; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Education Act; Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act; Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act; Bill 6, Interim Appropriation Act, 2000-2001; Committee Report 2-14(2), Accountability and Oversight on the 2000-2001 Interim Appropriation; Committee Report 3-14(2), Governance and Economic Development on the 2000-2001 Interim Appropriation; Committee Report 4-14(2), Social Programs on 2000-2001 Interim Appropriation, with Mr. Delorey in the chair.

I would like to call the committee to order. We left off yesterday with the Department of Transportation and the Honourable Mr. Steen. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Dent.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to recommend that the committee continue consideration of Bill 6, along with Committee Reports 2, 3, and 4 concurrently. Specifically to continue consideration of the Department of Transportation's interim appropriation followed by Education, Culture and Employment, and the Department of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. We will take a short break and come back with the Minister of Transportation.

--Break

We are reviewing the interim appropriation with the Department of Transportation, and the Honourable Mr. Steen. Mr. Steen, would you like to call in your witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I would.

Does the committee agree?

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in please.

Mr. Steen, if you could, for the record, please introduce your witnesses.

On my right is Lynn Cook, director of finance and on my left is Peter Vician, deputy minister of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. General comments. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have gone through the interim appropriation for Transportation. I have read it forwards, backwards and I used black light to see if there is anything hidden in there that I missed. I used lemon juice to see if there is any invisible ink. No matter how many times or how I read it, there was no reference to Highway No. 5. This is the fifth year that I will put my concerns on the record that there is road in the South Slave and specifically for me, the Highway No. 5 component that still sits there. There are some requirements to upgrading. There is the chip seal. There has not been one inch of chip seal from the salt mountain in five years.

Mr. Chairman, we are reasonable people. We do not want the full highways' budget. We do not want millions of dollars of the highways' budget. But we would like a few shekels dedicated towards Highway No. 5, so that we are not totally forgotten. The concern I have is that after five years, there is a growing sense that we have been forgotten. We have very modest expectations and requests. We figure that for $200,000 a year, we could move five to ten kilometres of chip sealing a year. After five years, the level of impatience and frustration is growing. I know that there are demands. I know there is a tremendous pressure to put all the money into Highway No. 3. But the realities are, there are thousands of taxpayers south of the lake as well. Thousands.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my colleague from Tu Nedhe as well, who says Highway No. 6 is in a similar circumstance. I made a Member's statement about this. I want to go on record once again pointing out that there is nothing in here, there is no hint that it will ever be in here. Yet it is something I have to bring up.

I will have to ask the Minister when we can expect to see even the most modest investment in Highway No. 5. Any efficiencies that are recognized in the region, they seem to identify the money through their variance processes and the money is siphoned off somewhere else. There is very little incentive that appears to be efficient and tries to use money within their budget and move it into capital improvements.

For the fifth time, I think it is the fourth Minister of Transportation, I would like to get some indication. This is a new century. We are sitting here in the 21st century still asking for the same thing. Will there be an opportunity here that people can count on where there will be recognition that there is Highway No. 5 in the South Slave that needs some attention as well? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I thank the Member for his comments. I realize every Member in the south at some point has been asking for recognition of their highways in their ridings, by having some capital directed towards a particular highway. As Members know, the department is faced with reductions in our budget, rather than increases. As a result, there is no way the department can go forward with all of its plans for improvements to the highway systems.

I could give an example...even if we were prepared at some point in the last two years to start directing more resources towards Highway No. 5, along came the oil and gas industry on Highway No. 7, and impacted that highway. We have to respond to situations over there before the highway totally disappears.

We are caught in a situation where we keep trying to identify capital improvements to all the highways, but at the same time we are being asked to reduce our capital expenditures to meet our fiscal situation. I would like to point out to the Members, Mr. Chairman, the department was hit with an overall 15 percent reduction in capital. Even though it levels off at 10 percent across the board in all departments, this particular department has been reduced by over 15 percent in capital.

In order to give the Members some idea as to whether or not we have future plans for Highway No. 5, I will ask the deputy minister to speak towards that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Vician.

Thank you, Mr. Vician. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister indicate, if we look at existing resources even in the Fort Smith area or the South Slave region, what opportunities are there should some deficiencies be realized and not all operations and maintenance funds are expended? If by good management, they do recognize some surplus, is there an opportunity to keep that money within the area and actually do some road upgrading to that avenue? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Steen.