Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be brief. The primary assessment in determining where to position the BIP office was on the basis of trying to ensure continuity of programs and services to our businesses in the North. Just for reference, in January of 2013, there were over 1,376 businesses registered under BIP. Of that, 79 percent of that number are located in Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik.
In order to ensure that the four positions that provide the oversight and assistance, often face-to-face assistance to NWT businesses, were as best as possible available to the businesses in the area where most of them existed. The recommendation was that Hay River was the most reasonable location at this time to locate the unit. The unit will continue to provide support to other departments, both here in headquarters and across the Northwest Territories, but its position and location is most effective in that manner. We have done everything in our utmost to ensure that the costs are minimized in terms of this transition of the office from Yellowknife to Hay River. Thank you, Madam Chair.