Mr. Speaker, I think the question was, if I understood it correctly, who is eligible for consideration for the local priority. Mr. Speaker, if that is the question, under the BIP policy, there is a provision for a local status. Any company that is doing business within the municipality where they register for local status would then be eligible for projects that are connected to that municipality.

For example, if a company is doing business in Enterprise and there is a road repair through Transportation that borders on or goes through the Enterprise municipality, then the company would be eligible. In order to be eligible, they have to be doing business in that jurisdiction.

There is a registry that is kept by the BIP office in RWED. Companies fill out the application form. If that is accepted, then they are included on the registry. That registry is available through a BIP web page and registry. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am referring more to projects on the highway outside of communities. Where are the boundaries that establish what companies can bid on those projects? If the work is outside of the communities or outside of town, where are the boundaries?

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, of course in the Territories, any business anywhere in the Territories is eligible to bid on projects. Whether or not they would get the local status would be determined by the way they had filed their application with the BIP registry.

If there is a road repair that does not border on any municipality, then no one would be eligible for the local registry. If they are a bona fide northern company registered that way, then they would get the northern BIP preference.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, seeing as the Minister used Enterprise as an example, I would like to ask the Minister, can he see a situation where a project is put out to tender starting in Enterprise and going anywhere from Enterprise, and having two companies identified as local on that, one being Enterprise and one being Fort Providence, but Hay River is not local on that contract? Can he see that situation happening, and would there be a problem with that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, theoretically, yes. If a project bordered on or passed through both municipalities of Enterprise and Fort Providence, to follow the Member's example, then you could have two companies, one from Enterprise and one from Fort Providence, which would both qualify for local priority.

If that project was not adjacent to or through the Hay River or municipal boundaries, then the Hay River communities would not be considered as local under the terms of the BIP policy, as I understand it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a tough time getting the answers on this one. Mr. Speaker, if the project starts in one community but does not border either one of them -- I am talking about proximity to the job. Can you see that? If it is only going through one and not the other, then how can it be Enterprise and Fort Providence but not Hay River? Let us say Hay River is closer to the job site than Fort Providence is. How can Fort Providence and Enterprise be eligible but not Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I understand the BIP policy, and this is really within the Department of RWED, but a business that is located in a community that is in the area but not adjacent to the project, or the project is not within their boundaries, would not necessarily be considered for local preference.

Hay River could be ten kilometres away from a project, but if the project is not adjacent to it or in the boundaries, then the businesses in that community would not be eligible. How close they are really does not have a bearing under the current BIP policy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.