Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, first of all in an effort to respond here, I could pass out copies of this revised implementation schedule for main street chipsealing in non-tax-based communities. I believe I may have enough copies here. But it would give an indication of where we're planning to work within the next five years.
One important point I should point out, Mr. Chairman, is that the department doesn't think that this program is going to stop all of a sudden with the change of government or whatever, because we don't really have another option for dust control. If we phase out calcium chloride like we're supposed to, we will have to come up with another form. This is basically what we're replacing.
The schedule you're going to see does not include a certain number of communities in the first five years, because those are communities that would take an extreme effort on the part of either Transportation's and the department in order to reach them. They're neither on the barge system or, like for instance Colville Lake, although it's on the winter road now and some of the communities in the North Slave, in order to bring chipsealing into those communities it would require tying up the equipment for a year mainly because the chipsealing can only be done with a certain temperature, and that's in the middle of the summer when it's the hottest time. So we don't really have a choice of when we can do this work. It has to be done at certain times and at a certain temperature. That's one of the governing factors.
The other factors, like I said earlier, would rely on Transportation taking on some other programs within the area in order to bring down the cost. For instance, if they have road resurfacing or runway resurfacing, that then gives us opportunity for crush material. We have to have crush material of a certain size to use. We just can't use just ordinary pit run or material that's bigger than 16 millimeters. That's one of the governing factors.
If you look at the layout, the old schedule we had showed only $800,000 for the first year, and a carry over in the next year of $200,000, which is 2004-2005. This schedule is showing it all in the years it's supposed to happen. So we've done another thing, and that's in an effort to assure that there's some work in every riding. We've included the Sahtu for $100,000 worth of crush material in 2003-2004 for stockpiling. We increased Fort McPherson's stock piling and crush by $100,000 and we've reduced Tuktoyaktuk by $50,000. The engineers tell us that there's really no other option. We can't reduce that anymore or the project won't be viable. So that's what we've done there.But what we've done; if you have the old schedule, you can see the differences that Fort McPherson was reduced in 2004-2005, and we've included Good Hope for crush and stockpile in the second 2004-2005, $315,000. Another change in the first year, and I believe it's in the second year as well, is that we've included the engineering costs in those areas where there are still engineering needs. Like assessment and design, Fort Providence shows $20,000 for engineering. But they're probably the first community that's going to be chipsealed under this program, in 2005-2006. The chipsealing further down in the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort won't happen until 2006-2007.
So this allows the communities to prepare themselves for chipsealing because in some communities where it will be necessary to establish by-laws to prevent the use of lugs and chains on chipseal roads, most communities don't have that by-law right now. It will also allow them time to have training for the use of chipseal and the repairing of chipseal.
Now if I may respond to another point the Member brought up, and that's the requirement for gravel in the communities. MACA and Public Works are both working out a program, and we're doing an assessment in the communities. I believe some of the communities have already been assessed as to what their needs are in relation to gravel. But once we've done that, we can put together a program that we can take to FMB for supplying gravel to those communities that need it.
In relation to emergency measures plan, I can commit to having the emergency measures people draw up a schedule that would show which communities they'll be doing to assess, and I suppose doing an inspection in the communities as to what they have for emergency measures plan, and work with the community to put together what their future needs are. I think that's a good idea that the Member put forward.
The capital planning process; I believe both myself and the Finance Minister responded to questions in the House recently as to the capital planning process that we're planning to undertake now in regards to consultations with communities and then coming up with a final report on the capital planning process, and involve the communities in this capital planning process. I fully agree with the Member that in the past we had a system where communities got used to departments coming in and going over their capital plan needs on a yearly basis. That was replaced with MACA being responsible to go to all the communities on behalf of all the departments, but it didn't quite work out. So I agree with the Member, that we have to take a different process. I believe the Finance Minister outlined that process. It will involve communities sitting down with the department and identifying their needs.
In regards to staff vacancies in the South Mackenzie, I'm happy to say that we're in the process of advertising for a senior position of regional superintendent for the South Slave. We've now repositioned the person who was in the South Slave. We've put them in the North Slave, so we're advertising now for a position in the South Slave. I don't have the information when this closes. I'm told it closes tomorrow, so we should be making a decision shortly.
In regard to the NWTAC's request for funding, I believe I responded to that in the House today, but the department has been working with the agency for over a year now on this. We definitely agree with them that there's a need for more information into the communities. The only question we had was how they were going to go about getting this. We had to have them work with and consult with Aboriginal Affairs as to how they're going to be involved at the negotiating table, if at all, what the process would be that they would use to get their information, and how do they see themselves distributing this information to the communities without upsetting Aboriginal Affairs or the aboriginal groups. So I think that process is over. I took the proposal again back to FMB for funding, and I'm hoping that this time it will be approved.
In regards to fire guards around the communities, I'm well aware that it's been a while since these fire guards have been upgraded, and I'm prepared to sit down with RWED and see what kind of program they could come up with that would have these fire guards redone around these bush communities. I don't need them in my riding, but I understand the concern of the Members. I understand from talking with the department that we've already had some talks with RWED on the fire guards.
In regards to smaller communities and their ability to receive program funding, I'm told that Ndilo, for instance, is funded by Indian Affairs and they have a deal with the city as to services for that particular community, although it's not recognized as a community as such. I think, Mr. Chairman, if I may, I will ask my deputy if she could elaborate just a little on the small communities.