Mr. Chairman, the information I have here from the department is during the three years the hamlet had a care and custody agreement, Public Works and Services was not approached for technical assistance. Issues with the system operations were raised by the water licensing board, DIAND. During this period, there was a turnover in the SAO position and the hamlet was never able to address DIAND's concerns, despite promises to follow up. Further, the hamlet was unable to follow through with their plan to hire a level three operator to train local hamlet operators.

This resulted, Mr. Chairman, in a lot of lack of maintenance on the facilities on the part of the operators. The end result was that the community was in such a state that they could no longer maintain sufficient water for fire protection. I believe it was in the fall of last year that they finally decided by a motion to turn the facilities back over to Public Works and Services to maintain for them.

Public Works and Services has agreed to take it back, but we would do it at the cost identified by the department, and this includes all costs. Due to the lack of maintenance over the past number of years, it is going to cost Public Works and Services more than what the hamlet had budgeted for. The budget from the hamlet was $250,000, but Public Works and Services has identified that it will cost in the range of $400,000. Some of this work that we are going to charge back to the community would be covered by the money MACA gives to communities or the communities raise themselves.