Total department, not previously authorized, $867,000.

We will go onto Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, advanced education and careers, special warrants, $1,737,000. Not previously authorized, $1,619,000.

Special warrants, $1,737,000. Mr. Roland.

Mr. Chairman, are we referring to advanced education culture and careers, special warrant for $1.2 million and then the $500,000 above that?

We are on advanced education and careers, $1,737,000, special warrants. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, in this area, special warrants, I have the figure, again approved April 5th. One for Maximizing Northern Employment to do with Executive Council direction, and the Aurora College Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith fuel spill. Can we get more information on those, please?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the $500,000 is money that was budgeted to fund the Northern Employment Support Program as part of the Maximizing Northern Employment initiatives. That money was needed in order to enable us to get on with providing employment. It is essential to do that early in the year to maximize the benefits, and second is to take advantage of the fact that many people were returning from university and college in the spring. That was the $500,000.

The $1,237,000 is to fund the cleanup of an environmental contamination at the trades complex. This one goes back to 1996, when a fuel tank was taken out of the ground at the Thebacha Campus and it was found that the ground around that tank was saturated by leaking fuel. There were tests done over the years and it was found that there was a fair bit of seepage of the fuel in the ground at Fort Smith. The decision was made in early April that we had to contain the contamination and begin the clean-up process.

Again, that was an item that was brought to our attention. It is fairly urgent that we get on with it. The longer we leave it, the more it spreads. Plus, it could contaminate the water sources. That one was fairly urgent to deal with as an environmental cleanup. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is there a potential here for further expenditures in the area of the fuel spill? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, with any of these kinds of fuel spills, there is always the potential for it to be greater than we thought. We are doing some excavation. We are doing it as economically as possible using the college heavy equipment operator students to do a lot of the work. As we do the excavation, then hopefully we do not find too many surprises. At this point, we estimate that the cost for this could be as high as $2.7 million.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did not catch the last part of the Minister's response. Did he just quote the fact that at this time, it is estimated at $2.2 million or $2.7 million? If I can get that clarification, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley, clarification.

Cleaning up this project will go over a number of years. We estimate, from what we know of the spill and the leak and the contamination right now, that over the next ten years it could cost as much as $2.7 million because the spill is old. It was discovered in 1996. It was happening for some time before that. Given the nature of the soil in Fort Smith, it seeped a long ways. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Although this is a trades complex, Aurora College Thebacha Campus, it is an environmental issue. Would that not be dealt with through RWED? Or is it because it originates from an education facility, that is where the budget is being identified?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, RWED has responsibility for environmental protection policies and plans and so on, but if there are spills or cleanup that is necessary, then it is the responsibility of various departments and it fits within that department.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.