Well, I don’t know if I have another question to match that one. I’ll have to wait for the Minister of Finance.

Any questions in regard to asset management, page 7-17, operations expenditure summary, $46.727 million.

Information item, active positions, asset management.

Move on to page 7-20 and 7-21. Technology Service Centre, operations expenditure summary, summary, $1.267 million.

Moving on to page 7-22 and 7-23, petroleum products, activity summary. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Chairman, the one question I do have for the Minister is in terms of facilities and local delivery agents in our communities. I spoke earlier about some of the facilities in the communities and specifically in the Sahtu communities. The one that I know needs some tender loving care or downright tear down and replacement is the Tulita facility. I know that somewhere in the books I’ve seen that there are some dollars for future years. I’ve seen the amount of work that these people in our communities have to operate outside at minus 35, minus 40, minus 45, delivering fuel to customers at this shack here. This shack is not very well insulated. It’s pretty dangerous, actually, because you have some heating devices in that shack that could be pretty dangerous if there’s any type of shortage on the electrical circuit or things like that. These are pretty potential for the fuel that we have in our community. I’m making a plea to the Minister, looking at this shack, to see if we can get some proper facilities for these people who are on contract to deliver fuel for the Government of the Northwest Territories. I know the Minister is aware of it. The Minister knows this

is probably something that could be looked at, but in some of the information I have it is somewhere in the future years. I’m asking the Minister to have some serious thought and consideration in terms of this facility.

Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The building the Member’s referring to is the operator’s shelter. It’s something that we have been informed needs to be evaluated. It will be considered as we do our deferred maintenance review. That’s another facility that is on the list.

The Minister has indicated to look at the deferred maintenance review. What exactly -- I’m not sure if I’m putting the Minister on the spot in regard to this shack in Tulita -- is expected to happen with this facility in Tulita?

I raised the issue of our point to the deferred maintenance budget as that’s the area that we would draw some dollars down, provided this facility fits the criteria as we do an assessment. It wouldn’t come out of the petroleum product’s budget to replace that facility.

Thanks for the clarification, Minister. I certainly hope that these types of facilities, the people who are operating here in the North and the one I speak for in Tulita does fit the criteria under the deferred maintenance facility so that it could be seriously considered for some improvements. I’ll leave it at that. I’ll leave it in the Minister’s hands and thank him for this consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Next on the list I have Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Three out of the four communities I represent get the subsidy for the 16 cents per litre. Can the Minister tell me if the fourth community of Tuktoyaktuk…How could we help people either at the pump or local businesses to try to get any fuel rebates put in for the community? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister of Public Works.

Mr. Chairman, that would be very difficult to do. The community of Tuk is serviced by private industry. The other communities that he’s referred to are part of the petroleum products division resupply. They pay into the program and this surplus is accumulated from these communities. Right now we don’t have the ability to include other communities such as Tuk. We have, however, had some discussion with some of the fuel suppliers in the area to see if there’s any way we can assist them, maybe by them coming

along with us or other mechanisms to allow them to save some money. However, some of those discussions have really gone by the wayside as the fuel prices have dropped recently. We stay in touch with the suppliers but outside of the program, and with the community not part of the program, we really are limited as to what we can do.

I brought this up last week in a Member’s statement. The price of gas is $1.69 a litre at the pump, heating fuel is $1.44, diesel fuel is $1.89 a litre. I think this should really be looked at either to get that incentive for local businesses for the... Something should be looked at with the Building Canada Fund if it’s possible or, like the Minister said, the opportunity to buy the product when they’re doing their summer resupply. People can’t go hunting because it costs too much to do so. I think it should be really looked at again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Several MLAs have raised the issue of high cost of fuel in the communities. Right now we’re quite limited. We can’t take it out of the Petroleum Revolving Fund as it’s only communities that are part of the program that qualify for the subsidy and it’s really actually money that they’ve paid into it. Given that these communities are serviced by a private supplier, it’s really, again, difficult to do anything. I certainly can appreciate the circumstances the community is in and I will undertake to raise that issue with the Minister of Finance as we look at any ways to lower the cost of living.

Can the Minister tell me how can we get back on the list? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, that would be very difficult as the reason we’re not in Tuk is we don’t go into any communities to compete if there is a private supplier. Right now there is a private supplier that is probably in the business to make a living and we certainly won’t compete with any individuals or companies that are doing the same thing we do. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, the petroleum products division did supply fuel in the community of Tuk until the year 2000, then there

was a request for us to allow a private supplier to move in. That was supported by the community. It has resulted in us selling our inventory, all our stock and all our facilities, so we would be in a very difficult situation to even look at going back into the community. As there are two suppliers there, we really don’t want to be in the business of competing against private industry.