Thank you, Mr. Chair. In this area here where the contamination was found when the swimming pool was being taken down, there are additional remediation costs that will likely occur in the springtime, so the total costs are unknown at this point. This is the initial piece. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As to the cause or the responsibility for the contamination in the first place, I know that in many community sites around the Northwest Territories, due to activities from years ago and decades ago under different owners or different parties, there are previous liabilities. Are we looking into whether or not there is a potential liability that could be assessed to previous owners or occupancy of this site, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We suspect the department will be looking into that area. The source of contamination in this old site was due to fuel oil, I believe. I believe the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has more detail to that area. Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Chair, I guess to answer the first question about whether this money is enough to clean up the site, no. The Finance Minister has indicated there is more to do. We are not exactly sure the extent of the contamination. The swimming pool was built on a fuel storage site that was owned by the government. We are not sure if it was our government or the federal government. We are looking into that at this point. It may be significant; we don't know. The winter weather didn't allow us to explore far enough to see how badly the contamination was, but it is a huge area.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have taken up some allotment on this page here. To be fair to Members, I will turn it over. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures, community operations, not previously authorized, $4.792 million.

Regional operations, special warrants, $120,000, regional operations, not previously authorized, $180,000.

Sport, recreation and youth, not previously authorized, $400,000. Next I have Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would just like a little information on page 9 with the special warrants under regional operations. First, I believe this is the only special warrant in this complement package, and I wish to acknowledge that. As Regular Members, we don't like special warrants, so I am very pleased to see that. I should say up front, as well, is that I have no concern with us fronting the money because I see it as an issue with the short term, whereas the repairs need to be done to ensure that the community of Whati gets their community hall up and running and we can follow it up with a contractor. I am curious on why this came through the special warrant process. I ask that because I was in Whati when I was leading the northern group of the AOC consultation. That was at the beginning of September. I saw it for myself how bad and extensive the damage was. I am only curious on why this would be through...This problem has been known for a little while. I am just wondering why it has come through the special warrant process instead of the regular approval process like everything else is in the supplementary appropriation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this area here, there was a fair bit of back and forth with the Department of Public Works and Services and Municipal and Community Affairs as well as the contractor in the community, as to who would have to cover these costs and what was required. It got to the point where we just had to proceed with the repairs. As the Member stated, when he had an opportunity to visit in the

community to see the state of it, it was not a satisfactory state. At some point, injury could be the result. So it was felt, at that point, that we just had to proceed with the work. There is other work continuing now around going back to see if we can get relief of any of the funds that we have had to spend. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you. I should underscore that, although it was significantly close, the special warrant was well within the rules which is 14 days before, of course, this session. I just found it surprising that it is very close to that little period, if it was approved through their administrative Executive Council process through FMB, if it had been delayed a week, the approval, it would have gone through the Legislative Assembly through the normal process without requiring a special warrant. That is not to question the value of the project that is being considered or being taken care of here. That is not challenging that at all. I just find it strange that it has been a problem for some time and there has been a lot of going back and forth process. It was approved just in the timelines it was. It is not a criticism. The rules were followed. So I will underscore that. I just find it surprising; that is all.

The last line in the description says the department will recover the cost of the repairs from the contractor. Maybe if the Minister could provide some detail on that. Is that associated with holdback? Do they admit faults? Did we sue them? Will the cost that we will be receiving back from the contractor cover the cost to repair that floor? Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are attempting to get the recovery of those funds. The holdback that Public Works and Services had on the initial project is not sufficient to cover the amount of work that was required, so there is going to be an attempt made to recover the funds from the contractor that did the work at the time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Are we, at present, going to take them to court, or are they willing to cough up the difference between the holdback and the actual amount to repair this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.