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

Then in that business planning process, Mr. Speaker, what is going to be the ability of us as MLAs to work with our constituents, to represent our people and have a real tangible impact and effect on how that business plan is going to roll out and affect their families, their futures and their careers? I'm asking for some meaningful input here and I don't know that I'm going to get it. I'm really hearing done deal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member indicated, we operate on this side of the House in a perennial minority situation, and that point is brought home to us time and time again. It's something I'm very, very cognitive of, and we're all very sensitive to the need to work in a consensus style with all the MLAs, both those from Yellowknife and those from outside Yellowknife, but as a collective for the common good. We intend to do that. The business plan will lay out the detail and we're always interested and, once again, sensitive in trying to accommodate issues raised in committee on issues that are falling out of what's being proposed in the business plan. In this case, that situation will once again hold true. We will work to make sure that this process is governed in the best way possible with us being as sensitive to the issues that involve staff as possible, and to the children, once again, ensuring that there is going to be a high quality program set up in Hay River that will provide the service on a territorial basis for all children in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the aspects that have been brought to light about this potential move -- and this is not a slight at all against the good people of Hay River -- are certain levels of support and treatment and professional care that are not established in Hay River. Is this business plan going to address the needs that these children have for as full a spectrum as possible of care, and how is that going to be established? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the service that will be provided will be on par with what is currently here. If there are services that are required that aren't accessible as they are possibly in Yellowknife five minutes away, they'll be accessible in Hay River 35 or 40 minutes away by plane. We have folks that travel, we have other territorial facilities across the North that provide service to all the people of the Northwest Territories and this program will be no different, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it's a very important question, and I want to reiterate that this closure was done as an economizing measure. We felt that in terms of efficiency, in terms of making the best use of our funds, we could adequately handle remand prisoners in the facility and the general population if they weren't of high risk, and high risk inmates could be transferred to the North Slave facility. But there is no doubt that this was based on the assumption that we could actually save money doing it. Admittedly, it's not a program enhancement. If money were not an object, we would not have proposed this. So I'm certainly willing to look at this one year forward. I have directed my department to keep a running account of the costs at the facility. In addition, I've asked to make sure the RCMP can account for the costs that they are incurring. I am concerned about some of the points that the Member from Hay River has raised about her feeling in terms of costs to RCMP budgets. If RCMP budgets have been required to go up because of this, there's no doubt that at some point it would be passed on to this government.

So I will look at this over the course of the year, and if in fact we aren't saving the money, then we have to have some reconciliation of that. But I'm prepared to come back and talk about why we have met our targets or why we haven't and have a very frank discussion with the Members opposite. I think it's very important and we'll be as open and transparent about this as we should be. I think that that's a commitment that I can make here today and I am prepared to review it one year out. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the projected cost savings of $400,000; the audit report indicated that with no persons leaving and no positions lost through attrition, that in fact the savings were only about $267,000. With the number of $267,000 in mind and given our budget planning process one year out unfortunately would mean that there would be no reinstatement of services until the following fiscal year. Would the Minister agree to an interim evaluation? If these numbers are all being tracked now, would he agree to an interim look at this in six months so that if the savings are not being realized and it is not working out as anticipated, that in fact this could be built back into the budget planning process which would commence in about six months from now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well the business planning process is well underway now, departments are working on it and the reinstatement of the remand centre has not been contemplated, but I am prepared to track this and account for the savings and projected savings going forward with committee. I can come back to committee periodically throughout the year. There is nothing stopping us at the end of the year, should we determine that we really aren't saving any money this way and it's become an increased burden on the system and RCMP budgets. I say hypothetically at this point because I don't know, Mr. Speaker, but if that in fact is the case, I'm prepared to revisit it. I think we made the decision because we believed that we would save money, and I still believe that, but I'm prepared to come back and analyze that. If we're wrong, we're prepared to reverse that decision, but I want to go forward and give this the time.

We do acknowledge that attrition was going to be required to save some of the money. So we know that no full-time employees have lost their jobs. There has been a reduction in overtime and casual use, but I will come back periodically and work with committee and talk about the actual savings that we've seen to date and the projected savings going forward. I don't want the Member to feel that this is gone or we've missed the window because of the business planning process. That isn't the case and I can always go back to Cabinet at any time if in fact we aren't saving the money. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one thing I was never really clear about or assured of was in fact that when the change in operations was proposed that the Harrington Report, as it's called, and the coroner's report as a result of the suicide that took place in cells had been taken into account in terms of the operation changes, because I think the staffing of the remand centre, the way it was, was directly precipitated by those two reports. Can the Minister speak as to whether or not those things were taken into account when these changes were proposed? If they weren't, would he commit to again evaluating the service against those two reports? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I believe they were taken into account and I know it's of utmost importance to the department that inmates are safe in the facility, inmates in the general population are not put at risk because of some of the folks in remand and vice versa. I know that an assessment is done for people coming into remand. If they are deemed to be high risk, then they're transported to the North Slave Correctional Centre. But I'll go back to the department and ensure that in fact the coroner's inquest and that report were considered. That's another thing I can come back to committee and talk about, but at this point I do believe they were incorporated, but I'll certainly verify that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has made a commitment to work with committee. Unfortunately, I'm not on the committee that oversees his department so I would like a commitment from the Minister that he would allow me to be involved in setting those items which will be assessed and identified in terms of setting the benchmark with respect to savings. I want to make sure that every potential impact in terms of cost is included in that comparison when it's done. Would the Minister commit to that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies; that had slipped my mind. I will certainly commit to sitting down with the Member to talk about methodology for this review as we go forward. I think that's very important and I'm sure the committee would not have objections to the Member sitting in on any committee discussions we have. But absent that, I'm certainly prepared to have individual discussions with the Member. Thank you.