Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm just curious why we're holding on. If we're giving up the HR function and allowing it to consolidate in a proper format, why are we holding on to the computer services offered in this department? I'm just curious on what dinosaur thinking we have holding on to this semi, little, independent autonomy, and what's stopping us from moving them into the greater collective. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, like any business or corporation, you have to have a strong communication system. With our IT program it does link us directly to our LHOs, to our

maintenance operations, so we can have a hands-on communications system with all of our 23 local housing authorities with regard to the maintenance programs, and also to ensure that we are able to pass information back and forth. Again, it's a system that we feel is critical to the operation of the Housing Corporation, especially with the type of business that we're in when you're dealing with maintenance programs and also ensuring that your inventories are all in place and that you're able to keep tabs on what you have in stock, and also how the communications is dealt with financial information sharing between our regional offices and our local housing authorities, and also transferring files from one spot to another.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm not exactly sure the Minister said anything that the TSC doesn't do for everyone else. Maybe the Minister would like to say that on the record; his opinion of the TSC versus the ability of the Housing Corp. I'll let him get that in when he has a chance. I don't think the Minister said anything that we don't do now for every other function, so maybe I'll get the Minister to address this another time. But I would like the Minister to at least commit to having a discussion with me separately on this item. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, one of the other reasons is we do believe that our system is secure and we don't have to depend on someone else. If the system goes down, we're able to respond to it. Especially with the problems we see with the IT program in the other departments, I think we have a better system than they do and it's functioning well. So it's not broke; we'll keep it.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a couple of questions for the Minister with regard to the travel. In 2003-04 there was $109,000 and then in 2004-05, the main estimates came out to be $36,000, and the revised estimates for 2004-05 is $98,000. What's the big difference in travel there, Mr. Chairman? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, with regard to 2004-05, that number was understated, and we're basically dealing with the actual number. As you can see, the actual cost was $109,000. So to bring it more in line with the actual costs, that's why we're going with the $98,000.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On the contract services, also to go back to 2003-04, it's $140,000 and then in the main estimates it's $11,000; then in 2004-05 you come out with $125,000. Can you explain that? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, again it's bringing it in line with the actual contract services we have. We do have contracts with groups such as the Arctic Energy Alliance, and government corporate services, and also with regard to the different homeless coalitions that are out there. We have been contributing money through these contribution agreements, so we do have arrangements with these different organizations. So in order to get a real snapshot, we included all those contracts under contract services because they are not grants, they are contracts we had to provide a service to us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Ms. Lee is next. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have some questions on page 8-17. Mr. Chairman, the budget for the executive for next year is $618,000. I would like to know from the Minister how many PYs are in this section. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There are three PYs.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess the Minister can say no, but is it possible to get a breakdown of the salaries along with the three PYs?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister.

Yes, I should be able to get that for the Member.