Thank you, Madam Chair. Does the Minister have any indication of how this is going to affect the cost of flying in and out of Yellowknife? What is the impact of this on that expense? We all know that that is frequently the number one issue that's raised when it comes to the expense of living in the North, is the cost of transport, the cost of flying. Here we are imposing yet more cost on it and just what is the impact on us and, in fact, on government itself? The GNWT is a pretty big air traveller and this is going to come back and bite us in our own pocketbook. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, yes, we did take a look at how it would impact that travellers that are using our airports and we did cost it out. We are estimating it will cost them an average of $3 per ticket. It would add $3 per ticket and, no, we didn't break out the costing for what the government employees travelling on the airlines, we didn't break that number out to see what that would come out to.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Also on the same page is a line regarding lease and rental revenue also under airports, but there's a decline shown there; my number is about 10 percent or so. If we're increasing fees in other areas, how is it that we're anticipating a decrease in lease and rental revenues, Madam Chair?

Madam Chair, the number of 2005-06 were estimations. We have adjusted our numbers for 2006-07 on actuals and so we feel this number is closer to the actual revenue in that budget line.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Braden.

Well, okay. I'm looking at a revised target for 2005-06 at about $2.2 million. The estimate for the coming year is about 1.9. Well, okay, if we're still comparing targets and forecasts here, then I don't know if my question really stands, Madam Chair. I guess I can only say that looking at the information here it is on revised estimates, but it still shows a drop of 10 percent in revenue.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the 2005-06 revised estimates of $2.2 million is still a target. We've adjusted, it based on actuals, and we're using the new number of $1.978 million.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Next I have Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My questions are in the same area or the same topic and I think Mr. Braden covered most of them. I just have one question about what the time span is in which the government is supposed to recover the cost of renovating airports that are being recovered through landing and other fees. Is there a set period, or are we going to keep collecting until we pay whatever amount down? Could I just get that information? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. McLeod.

Madam Chair, the plan to recover the $6.6 million is over a 10-year period.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Ms. Lee.

Did that 10-year period start in the year 2004-05, or it is starting now? I guess I notice also that the increase between 2005-06 and 2004-05 is about $200,000, but this year we are seeing about $600,000. So is that the level of the increase that we should be expecting to see over the next 10 years, or is that a little bit of an anomaly? What is the formula for recovering that? I'm sure the calculations have gone on to spread the cost recovery a bit. So could I just get more information on the formula?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is the first year that the fees will be incorporated. The project is coming to a conclusion; the equipment is in place; the renovations are done; and the fee collection will start in the new fiscal year and we're planning to recover at the rate of $660,000 a year.

Thank you, over 10 years. Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Ms. Lee.

Wow! One of the big complaints I get in my job is people complaining about the fact that it costs too much to fly to Edmonton and it will be pretty hard to tell them that their price is going to go up and up for the next 10 years. I know that the Minister indicated that it's about $3 per ticket, but was there any possibility to spread it out even further? But I guess then you would have had to pay interest on that. What other options were there to see how best we recover this? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there's no intent to raise this fee up and up. It's a one-time fee that will be incorporated into the recovery of this cost. We tried to keep it as simple as possible. Ten years seemed like a good number and it was not going to require us to put undue burden onto the travelling public and would allow us to incorporate a small fee that would amount to roughly $3 per ticket. So that was something we felt that the public could live with.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Ms. Lee.