It does in this particular case, not realizing they were in a mixed situation. Then it would go to the point of does the department provide an evaluation of where becomes the breakeven point where we choose to house our own inmates at a significant cost or can we consider sending them to another particular facility, if need be, outside the territory and we pay that direct cost. In some cases it may be cheaper for us to pay – by way of a simple example, if I may – $120,000 to house an inmate in Alberta where it costs us $3 million to keep the facility open for that one inmate per year. The point is, what type of cost-benefit analysis do you do and how do you identify our breakeven point?
Having a jail in a community, be it Yellowknife or any other smaller community, yes, recognizes economic development, it keeps people employed, it provides services, it draws in business, et cetera, but when our ship has to be running on tight margins, does no one ever consider value for money? As I pointed out, there will be a breakeven point where we say to ourselves it’s more efficient to run it in this particular manner.
I don’t need to remind the House at length, obviously, about Arctic Tern, about the efficiencies of how that facility was run and built under the circumstances when the federal act was changed, but yet it was rammed through many Assemblies ago that that facility was needed even though the act changed and then it was out of date by the time
it was built. I just wonder is that analysis taking place. We could be spending money more efficiently and more appropriately, although this is the Justice department not the Health department. I mean, we could be diverting money appropriately to prevention. You know, when somebody says where’s the money coming from. You know, here are examples of gaps that should be taken into consideration. To the point, and certainly the question: Does the department do a cost-benefit analysis on these types of matters, and if they do, will they be willing to provide it to Members? Thank you.