That is continued on page 9-49, work performed on behalf of others for a total of $835,000.

Thank you, committee. I will now draw your attention back to the department summary on page 9-7. Transportation, operations expenditure summary, expenditure category, $88.302 million.

Thank you, committee. I will now draw your attention and my attention to page 8-6 in the CAP infrastructure acquisition plan. We will start on page 8-6, airports, tangible capital assets. That is continued on page 8-7, airports, infrastructure acquisition plan, total tangible capital assets, $9.063 million, total activity, $9.063 million.

Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A few weeks ago, there was a media article and since then a request for proposal has been publicized for water and sanitary sewer service for the Yellowknife Airport. Mr. Chair, this was an item that I do not recall seeing on the three-year capital plan before. Maybe I am missing something. Is it on here this year? Could the Minister advise what is the financing projection for this and how is it to be introduced into our planning process, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our department does recognize that there is a need to provide these services out to the airport. We also recognize that we need help to design a project, to bring it out there. Part of the plan is to have the users pay for that. That is how we recover the costs of the project. That is the scope of what we are asking in that newspaper. Is it our fee that you had seen there? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

User pay. Could the Minister help me understand, then? How is this financed then if it is going to be paid for by users? Is that sort of like the toll on the proposed Deh Cho Bridge? Okay. Somewhere along the line, we have to put some money up to pay for it and all that other stuff. How is that done? What I am looking for, Mr. Chair, is a sign that the fiscal commitments that this government is responsible for or wants to do, I have some way of knowing when and how they are coming up. What are the financing plans for this project, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think one of the factors that I should point out at this time is that the newspaper article kind of indicated we were further ahead in this project than we actually are. We are still in the design stage. That is why we are going out for a bid to help us design this project. Certainly, there are other partners involved. The City of Yellowknife is the big partner. Development of infrastructure, particularly of this size, we are looking at using a P3 process for delivering such a project. I did indicate user pay, but we are not too sure how it is all going to roll out. That is part of the proposal we are asking to assist us with, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What is the timeline for potentially, or ideally, completing this project?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. We would be pleased to work with the committee, the Governance and Economic Development committee, as this project develops and unfolds. It will take us until at least the summer months to have more detail that we can actually share with committee. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Mr. Chairman, again, I want to signal my support in principle for establishing water and sewer services at the Yellowknife Airport but, on the other hand, I do need to know, as a Yellowknife MLA, if there is cash available for bricks and mortar for capital investment in some areas. I have to be able to know what's on the government's list of proposals so that I can help make a good decision on behalf of my community. I want to know that there will be close and complete involvement and disclosure with Yellowknife MLAs, as the Minister has indicated, with the City of Yellowknife potentially as a partner, so that we can all see developing and approving this project in a prudent way, Mr. Chairman. By that I mean in comparison and in relation to other infrastructure needs that we need in this city, as well. One final question that I would have on this, is there any kind of ballpark estimate, Mr. Chairman, of what the total investment might be in this project?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'm absolutely keeping MLAs and our committees informed of every step of the way on a project of this significance and importance. It is very warranted. Back in, I think, 2003, preliminary estimates were about $10 million for such a project and that's why we do realize that it will have to be a P3, so that's federal, territorial and municipal government, in order to deliver a project of this magnitude. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.