Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the work that is currently underway and I guess the tests that are out there on the design of the bridge, can the Minister again today commit to the fact that this bridge is going to be constructed at a maximum price of $165 million? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that was the agreement that was signed. We still are expecting to meet those overall budget targets, overall budget numbers. We are expecting to see all the final results of the design review. We will have a better, firmer schedule or work plan if there are any changes to it. But we are targeting and our goal is to meet that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are working with the community. We had six clients last year with a contract for repairs. There were some difficulties and challenges that we weren’t able to fill. There were certain obligations. We have gone back and our district office is in the process of completing the inspections. We will be meeting next week with the contractors. We will be moving forward with the intention of completing all of these units for the end of this summer. Thank you.

I’m pleased to see that the corporation continues to move forward with the repairs. Just as an illustration, I have one resident willing to move into his incomplete home. He’s saying I know the funding is not done, but I cannot wait any longer, I’m going to move into this unit. To his eyes, Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation is moving so slow that he just cannot wait anymore, but if there’s a solution and if the Minister can commit to the residents that certainly this summer those six repairs will be indeed completed. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we certainly don’t want to have, or encourage anybody to, move into a unit that’s not complete. It would put us, or at least the contractor, into a liability situation and it’s not something we want to see. We completely intend to have all the units completed this summer. We are actually moving forward on some of the new infrastructure that will be going into the community. Over the last winter, we did a gravel haul and have the gravel pads ready for some of the units that will be there. So we expect to do a lot better this coming summer as we ran into some challenges last year. But certainly we’ll commit to the Member that we’ll do everything within our authority and ability to complete all these units. Thank you.

Is it the case where some of the material is not yet in the community and do they have to look at expecting a barge delivery of materials? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking me some very detailed questions about delivery of these housing units and I’m not up to the details of what’s happening in every community. I can say to the Member, though, that the house will be started this year. I’m not sure how the materials are getting there. We expect the house to be finished by December of this year and that’s for both units that fall under the new construction. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just one final note on the delivery of programming in Nahanni Butte, if the Minister’s office can provide an analysis of exactly what happened and advise me and the community of it, just to ensure that this type of thing doesn’t happen again and how they’re willing to mitigate it or take care of an issue like that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we know exactly what happened last year. It’s not something I want to share here on the floor of this House, Mr. Speaker, but we can provide that once we have an ability to sit down with the Member and the leadership of his community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I talked about turning ideas into action and I was referring to energy efficiency programs out there and the great advice we get over at the Arctic Energy Alliance. We have a great bank of knowledge and the very helpful staff there, but the problem in some cases in even talking to them and even talking to people on the street and what they hear is they get these bright ideas, but they can’t transfer them from ideas into practical use. So, Mr. Speaker, it’s a resource issue about turning these ideas into action.

So, Mr. Speaker, my question will be directed to the Minister of Environment because I think he could really focus in on the multi departments that come in together in partnership and I certainly hope he’d lead by example, but certainly lead the other departments in the direction that we need to go. So, Mr. Speaker, my question, therefore, is: Would the Minister be willing to look into resourcing the Arctic Energy Alliance properly so they can help turn these great energy efficiency ideas into actual real actions that show and deliver results? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we currently provide funding to the Arctic Energy Alliance. We also fund a whole host of conservation and rebate programs. In addition, we just passed a budget in this House where we’re going to be spending about $16 million this coming year in 2009-10 to better resource alternative energy initiatives across the board, including the conservation programs. For this year, in addition to the funding we already give them, there’s an additional $500,000 to go into the Arctic Energy Alliance to increase their presence across the North. So almost $17 million in addition to the funding that’s already in the budget and we’re going to cover the whole range from mini-hydro, rebate programs, biomass, wind energy, geothermal, extending power lines. I don’t think anybody could say that we’re not putting money into this particular very important area. Thank you.

The Minister continues to demonstrate his talent to circumvent a question in such a fine way. Mr. Speaker, the question goes back to…And it’s as simple as this: Would the Minister look at resourcing the Arctic Energy Alliance properly so they can help translate all

those great ideas he just talked about into results, practical results? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the money that they’re already getting in their budget, we’re adding another $500,000 to their budget. We’re putting $150,000 in to support geothermal; we’re putting $300,000 in to support a community energy plan; $1.3 million in to do residual heat; energy efficiency incentives, $350,000, in addition to the $500,000 we’re going to contribute to the Arctic Energy Alliance. So, Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure how much more the Member would like us to put into this without beggaring ourselves in other areas. This is a huge commitment and I think that the Member should be standing up congratulating the Assembly for the good decision-making and their wise expenditure of public funds. Thank you.

Well, I certainly hope the Minister is going to beg for forgiveness in a minute because I can’t make the question any simpler than this. I’m not talking about what the programs are offered out there, but maybe that’s confusing the Minister in his elderly age, I don’t know.

So, Mr. Speaker, I’ll say the question a little slower for him just in case he missed it. Mr. Speaker, recognizing all those great programs, simply this: Would the Minister look at leading an initiative to make sure that the Arctic Energy Alliance is properly resourced so we can take those fantastic ideas and initiatives created by this Assembly that they’re putting money into and turning them into practical real results for everyday people? Thank you.

Mr. Hawkins, in his youthful impetuousness…

---Laughter

…is not listening to the answers. Either that or he does not like the answers. We are putting $17 million into alternative energy. We are putting $500,000 more into the Arctic Energy Alliance. We have a whole host of rebate and incentive programs for people to spend and assist people on energy conservation methods; $17 million, Mr. Speaker, this year, $60 million over three. I think that’s a very, very significant putting the money where the government mouth is. Thank you.