Page 5-17, activity summary, asset management, operations expenditure summary, $42.535 million. Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The motion is just being passed around. I'll just give committee a moment to get the motion.

To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Chairman, I'll be speaking in favour of this. I think over the last couple of years we've certainly identified that this has turned into quite a safety risk, and I wouldn't want to think that the bureaucracy in any way would be slowing this process down. In recognizing that piles were put under buildings with maybe misunderstood technology or misunderstanding the problem at the time, they're not surviving in such a way that our schools, our buildings, et cetera, are able to last. So that being said, Mr. Chairman, realizing the risk, I think we're at greater risk by ignoring it and significant legal risk by not taking every step before us to ensure that this problem is dealt with as quickly as possible. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? Those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Thank you, committee. We are on page 5-17, activity summary, asset management, operations expenditure summary. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to, for the record, declare a conflict under asset management because of leases held with Public Works and Services from a company which I'm a shareholder. So I'd like the record to note that and I will remove myself from any discussion on this matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen, for bringing that to our attention. I'll allow you to excuse yourself from the vote on this page. We are

on page 5-17, activity summary, asset management. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a quick question for the Minister, I guess. Earlier in my general comments I indicated about the privatization of petroleum products. I'd just like to ask the Minister if he can be very careful in terms of when they do start looking at privatization in small communities that they make sure that once their contracts are out to private people, that they will make sure that they abide even further than the end of the contract. Like I said earlier, in Tuktoyaktuk we did encounter some problems. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we do work along with the communities. So if we know there's a situation where the community may run out of fuel or gas, we make attempt to also go in and have a separate supply of fuel in those communities. We had a situation in Wrigley where we went in and actually brought fuel products to the community to ensure they didn't run out. So we definitely do that. But again, the policy of the government is that if there's a private operator in the communities, we try to avoid to compete. But again in small communities, in some cases we know we can't do that. There is a problem in communities where there is a high cost of living, but also somebody has that situation where you can't get the product and it makes it hard for the individual. So we are definitely open to that. We've had that situation occur already and we have dealt with that. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Anything further, Mr. Pokiak?

No, that's it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the question I have for the Minister is on the granular material planning and coordination. Is the Minister working with the other departments that will require this type of specific supply in our communities so that they can be done all at once in terms of our limited access to the winter roads? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, yes, we are the lead agent who works along with other departments -- MACA, Transportation, local municipalities, the Housing Corporation -- so we try to do a plan so that everybody who are going to need gravel, make sure that everybody is aware that there is going to be a gravel haul in a particular community. Also, we try to get as much mileage as we can by ensuring that everybody pool their resources and be able to identify that this applies for all the communities. So we do, again, work in conjunction with those other agencies to ensure we're able to accomplish that. So we definitely work with other boards and agencies and departments.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to what the Minister has said and how we come to results in my community in terms of this coordination effort and that the proper procedures are put in place when all the gravel is brought to our communities. We had some difficulty with missing gravel, so I am not too sure how that is being dealt with in terms of future situations like this for gravel and who owns what. I wanted to ensure that I would not like to see this happen to other communities in terms of how that was rolled out by having this gravel being brought into our community. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the reason the government has decentralized this responsibility is to not only coordinate but also to ensure we do have a secure gravel source in the community that we don't have a situation where we are losing gravel. Want to make sure it's coordinated, it's in a secure location and it meets the needs of our client departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.