I think the deputy minister makes a good argument, then, for charging all that time back to the project. The deputy minister himself... I know the Department of Transportation is busy with many other things that they’re doing and I know the deputy minister is committed to seeing this project through to conclusion; he spends a lot of time on that project, the Deh Cho Bridge Project. The deputy minister should be charging his time back to that project, Mr. Chairman, so we can at least get that back down the road and I’d like to see us make the effort at least to do that.

One other thing, Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to ask if any other contracts are required on the Deh Cho Bridge, whether the government would commit to at least going out to tender on any other work that’s required? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Michael McLeod.

Yes, we could commit to that. That’s always our intention, is whenever the ability and the time allows for public tendering of any types of contracts, that we use that method and that’s something we’ll certainly commit to doing.

I heard that, but I didn’t hear the commitment to make the effort to charge every hour that our departmental staff has spent on the Deh Cho Bridge Project to the Deh Cho Bridge Project so that we can recoup that money. I didn’t hear a commitment to do that. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I’m not quite ready to do so. I would have to look at the impact of charging back to this project and whether that’s something we’d have to incorporate to all our projects. Right now we don’t charge back our time for any project across the Territories. That’s something I could have a discussion with my Cabinet colleagues. We certainly could calculate the amount of time that our staff has spent, any costs incurred by our department, but I’m very reluctant to say we’re going to charge it back. It may have a further bearing impact that we anticipate at this point. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Nothing further, Mr. Ramsay? Moving on. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m certainly supportive of the bridge and I see this as a 9 percent overrun and we need to address that sort of in the public context, which is going through and I can understand that. Anybody who has any experience with any works projects understand overruns, as unfortunate as it is, it is certainly not uncommon, especially in a public context.

I’m wondering if the Minister of Finance would be opposed to a suggestion of quarterly updates to the Priorities and Planning committee. Would he have any thought on that, because that’s really, from my constituent point of view, that’s one of the big fundamentals, is keeping a close eye on the project. I know the Minister can only do his sort of fullness and timed responses, you know, is the best we can do sort of context of will this project be managed well, of course it will, you know, those types of statements. But the fear from a Regular Member point of view on my particular position is what do we do to make sure the project stays on the rails. So how would the Minister feel about quarterly updates to the Priorities and Planning committee meeting to make sure that the detail of the finances are kept up regularly to Regular Members through the Priorities and Planning? Would he be opposed to that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins, and I think that was something where a

commitment was already made, but, Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, we would not be opposed to that.

In that particular case, the Minister probably wouldn’t be opposed to a motion to that effect. I mean, ultimately constituents of mine are more concerned about making sure the project gets done and that it stays on the rails, as well as the fact this timely information becomes the biggest issue. So, Mr. Chairman, with that I’d probably like to move a motion and shall I read it right into the record now?

Go ahead, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is in order and being distributed. To the motion.

Question is being called.

---Carried

Order, committee. We’re on page 6, Transportation, operations expenditures, highways, not previously authorized, $15.9 million. Agreed?

Transportation, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $15.9 million. Agreed?

Thank you, committee. Page 7, Supplementary Appropriation No. 4. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My apologies for missing the page earlier, but I’d like to ask the same question I asked earlier with regard to the planning study for owned versus leased office space in Yellowknife. I do agree that the study needs to be done. My question basically has to do with why this particular expense is so urgent that it needs to be included in a supplementary

appropriation, why it can’t wait until our next infrastructure budget. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The big issue is of timing. Otherwise, if we wait until next fall we will have lost a valuable six months and we only have, I think, 19 months left in our term. Our hope is to advance this and to get it on the work being done as quickly as possible, given the projected savings of possibly up to $100 million and our concern about being fiscally responsible. Thank you.

I’m not totally sure I follow the timing. I think I’m hearing the Minister say that the planning needs to be done now so the construction budget can be included in the next infrastructure budget. If I could have that clarified, please.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. I’d like to call on the Minister of Finance, Minister Miltenberger.