Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, I am advised the biathlon and figure skating were dropped.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, the whole concept of Arctic Winter Games participation and how often we take part is part of the overall review the department is doing with our partners in sports territorial wide, including participation in the Arctic Winter Games.

Based on the information we are getting back, and also probably after the meeting in April in Inuvik, the department will decide whether or not we are going to continue to take part in the Arctic Winter Games biannually or whether we will do it on a four-year basis or what we are going to do here.

Many of the concerns the Member expressed were and are being considered now and are being voiced by sports organizations. I can mention that biathlon and figure skating are both taking part. We have given funding to the territorial organizations to take part in these events that are being held in Whitehorse as a second option rather than taking part in the Arctic Winter Games. Because they have been set back, we are funding them to go to Whitehorse instead.

However, that is not the same as taking part in the Arctic Winter Games. We realize that, but the whole issue of how often we take part, the cost involved, how much actual benefits the territorial sport athletes are obtaining by taking part in the Arctic Winter Games is all part of the question that I am hoping we are going to be able to settle by having this meeting in Inuvik in April. We will make a decision based on that.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Are we concluded page 4-29 before we return to page 4-37?

Page 4-37. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, regarding the fire training funds, I see it has gone down by $15,000. I think one of the things we have been pushing for the last number of years is the importance of the volunteer firefighters, ensuring we have adequate training, the resources and tools for our volunteer firemen in our communities to do their job.

I for one do not appreciate seeing a decline in this area. It may be minor, but it is still a decline. I think it is important as a government that we ensure community fire protection and the volunteer firefighters have the tools, the equipment and the training to do the job.

I would like to ask the Minister, are there going to be any improvements or increases in this amount in the future? Why was there a decline in that amount?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, right now, the fire training is done under the fire marshal's office. We are working the program assuming the fire marshal is satisfied with the training that is taking part in the communities. If there is a need and the fire marshal identifies a need for more training funding, that would be reflected in next year's business plan, because fire fighting and fire fighting training is a high priority with this government. We would address it in that manner. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was hoping this government would be the one that would dictate the budget we need. We all know we need the training for our firefighters and that our expectation for the firefighters to have people who can do the job and have the training and also have the tools and equipment to do it is important.

The one thing we see, especially communities that are on the highway systems, we feel they are the ones that have to respond to emergencies on our highways. They are also the ones that have to deal with different types of circumstances, such as accidents and not only fighting fires. I think it is important that we have people trained in different areas of first aid; CPR, different courses regarding H2S, different types of dangerous chemicals and gases that are going past our communities, so they can react to an emergency or an incident on the highway system. You have these people equipped with the training so when they respond to a fire, they know what type of fire they are going to have to react to. Through the training, they have the assurance that they have the best training around and they will be able to do the job to the best of their ability.

I would like to ask the Minister, are we looking at expanding the training that is presently being given to ensure that we cover those other areas, knowing that there is all this activity around us, especially in regard to the different chemicals and contaminants that are flowing through our communities and up and down our highway systems? Also, regarding the different types of materials that are now being used in our communities, what exactly has been done to expand the training that is presently being provided so they can acquire more certification and training in different areas?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, in the past fiscal year, we did increase the expenditures for firefighter training by $15,000 from within the department. It went from $90,000 to $105,000. We are prepared to increase the expenditure for firefighter training, in particular in reference to what I said yesterday, while we were planning to bring in a program to allow communities to have equipment to respond to emergencies on the highway.

I believe the Member's community is one of the ones that is going to be equipped, if it is not already equipped, with a pick-up truck that has an attachment in the back that is capable of responding to emergencies on the highway.

Therefore, we know that in order to take proper advantage of this equipment, we have to have training. That is what we are prepared to do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I think just touching on the area of equipment, as a government, we have to ensure that our firefighters are operating with the equipment, especially with our fire trucks.

I have received some information from the department that there are quite a few communities that have fire trucks that are almost 20 years old. I think nowadays, with people getting certified with class one and what not, mostly the transmission systems are all air systems. Basically, you are talking an 18-speed or 15-speed. These things are cadillacs and the model, a lot of them have a double shift. You have to have certain skills to operate this piece of equipment because back then, it was a you-find-them-and-grind-them sort of way to drive these vehicles. These vehicles are now coming to a point where they are having some major problems with breakdowns.

To ensure the safety of the firefighters, we have to replace these vehicles, hopefully sooner rather than later. I would like to ask the Minister, what are you doing to ensure that the fire equipment, such as fire trucks, is being replaced so our volunteer firemen can have the equipment to fight fires without having to worry about that equipment breaking down on them?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, the department is going to be doing a review of all the fire trucks within the communities. In particular, those 15 years and older. However, I think it is a well-understood fact that fire trucks are not the type of vehicle that is going to generate many miles. The fact that these things are 15 to 20 years old is based on the life of the vehicle, depending on the number of hours in the vehicle and the number of hours on a motor.

If you take into consideration the fact that it takes 20 years for these motors to generate the same number of hours that a large truck on the highway would generate, that is what is used to arrive at a time line for replacement.

I understand where the Member is coming from. I understand his concern. We certainly will be looking at all of these vehicles to ensure they are serviceable and they can respond to an emergency as required. We also have a plan in place where after they would reach a certain life, we replace them. That is what we are using as a guideline right now.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have written several letters to the Minister. I have received letters from the Hamlet of Fort McPherson. There was a proposal put forth by the volunteer firefighters of Fort McPherson to have the fire truck in Fort McPherson replaced. The vehicle was purchased in 1983. Next year, it is going to be 20 years old. They have requested to the Minister that moving this vehicle up is a priority for them, not only for the safety of the community but also for the safety of the volunteer firemen. What are you doing on this matter to ensure that this vehicle is moved up, so it will be replaced after 20 years, which is next year?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, there are three communities that will be receiving new fire trucks next year. They are Rae-Edzo, Lutselk'e and Fort McPherson. Thank you.