Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have made a decision to extend it by an additional three years to allow us to carry out the transfer and have a good transition period, and not have the disruption of any kind of uncertainty. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What steps has the department made to enable the contractor to then recruit, hire, and train a workforce in this new location? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been ongoing work done with the contractor. They have been very proactive and productive in assisting us in the transition and mapping out the steps, and I will ensure that we include that in the plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I am curious as to how all these things can be, as the Minister said to us earlier, cost neutral. We already know that the expense of this is budgeted. We believe that an additional $700,000 from the plan, approved over a year ago, is simply to have the same service done here in Yellowknife. We're talking about transition, training, and many, many things here. How can the Minister convince us that the continuance of this can be at all cost neutral? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The capital money is already in the budget, and we're already paying the program costs. So from that perspective, we consider it program neutral. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, again, we're seeing denial and just spinning off positions that have already been taken. They're on the record from service professionals already, that providing the access to the kinds of professionals and community services that we already have will be an added expense, an inconvenience, and a barrier to providing good service. How can the department continue to ignore this kind of information? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've considered all the issues raised and information we had, and we made a decision, and we're acting on it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier, with regard to the ferry dispute in Fort Simpson, and the ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Has this government sent the Industrial Relations Board an appeal letter, stating that this is an essential service to the Nahendeh riding communities of Fort Simpson and Wrigley? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, we have looked at this situation. There are specific criteria, I am told, that must be met in order for a program or service to be considered essential. This ferry operation does not meet those criteria. The advice that we have received is that there's no basis to appeal the ruling, because the ferry simply doesn't meet the criteria set out for an essential service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was unaware that there was no room to appeal a decision by such an important board that has such important factors for the residents of Nahendeh. Can this government write, on our behalf, that a ruling of essential service is necessary for us? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know if pursuing the definition of "essential service" that this board uses is a way of going, but I can assure the Member that I am writing to the federal Minister of Labour to advise him that this situation has to be resolved one way or the other, without zeroing just on trying to redefine it as an essential service, but let's find a way of working with this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier, the Honourable Joe Handley. My questions relate to information which has recently come to light with respect to sole sourced contracting, and it has been reported in the media that a number of contracts -- seven in total, I believe -- were awarded to a local consulting firm. The contracts exceeded the allowable limit in value. Some of them exceeded the amount that was predetermined that they would cost, and these were sole sourced contracts that did not receive the approval of the Executive Council as per the rules for such sole sourced contracts. I guess it then begs the question, on a government-wide basis, does the Premier know of any other departments, or are there any other instances, where this practice would be taking place? Thank you.