Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m coming at the perspective from the human angle and I’ve often said that any time we look at something we should always look to the communities first to see where we can bolster two or three. Ten or 20 new jobs in Yellowknife has not quite the same effect as it would in a regional community that needs those employment numbers, needs those investment dollars and needs that type of activity.

But what my question is really narrowed down to is what type of evaluation and incentives were offered to these employees to look at this transfer? I know this will be impacting four families and I’m very curious. As well, on the same token, were they offered packages, priority hiring status, et cetera, if they didn’t want to take those positions? I assume they were given first right of refusal to consider to move to the great state of Hay River. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. For that we’ll go to Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to what happens with affected employees in this case, and as a matter of course I’d ask the Minister of HR to just touch on some of the considerations that are given and efforts that are made to accommodate the affected employees in any particular circumstance, in this case the BIP.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have policies and procedures to support individuals who are affected in this capacity. They are put on a priority list and things like that. I can’t say specifically what happened to these individuals because I’m not 100 percent familiar. But what I can do is commit to get for committee the details on what was done for these individuals and I will make sure Member Hawkins gets that detail as well.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Committee, I just want to remind Members here, we are dealing with infrastructure, we are dealing with the relocation of the office. Questions here today should be operational in need. Mr. Hawkins.

No thanks, Mr. Chairman. I was more curious as to the human impact of this particular one. Minister Abernethy is more than happy to provide me with that type of response. That’s all. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Economic diversification, not previously authorized, $158,000. Does committee agree?

Total department, not previously authorized, $869,000.

Moving on to page 16, Environment and Natural Resources, capital investment expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized $123,000.

Thank you. Environmental protection, not previously authorized, $125,000. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question with regard to this expenditure. It’s $125,000 for the purchase of equipment for one community with regard to automated beverage containers. Could I get an explanation as to what this project is and why it’s designated for one community only? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for my distraction here. Are we talking automated beverage containers? Okay, it’s for Hay River because Hay River is a major regional centre where a lot of the recycling flows through, and it’s to assist and provide efficiencies both in dealing with the volume and being more accurate in terms of counting the recycled product. Thank you.

I guess I’m wondering why this is for one community only. Is this equipment going to be available in other communities as well? Thank you.

The Member is correct, and I apologize for not speaking to that point. It is a pilot to see if, in fact, the equipment performs to expectations. There are other places like Yellowknife and potentially Inuvik, but for sure Yellowknife that has a large volume as well. It is a pilot in Hay River. Thank you.

Thank you. Moving on with questions I have Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a $125,000 counter of cans and jars, I suppose. It seems like an awfully expensive piece of equipment here to be proliferating, especially to simply count the number of cans being recycled. I know we hired some consultant I have never heard of here to come up with that idea. I don’t know what that cost us, but I’m pretty suspect about this.

I have had occasion to take recyclables out to the recycling location here for return on deposits. I

believe most of us do that in our own communities. The folks that are counting those do it lickety-split. With the glance of an eye, they can pick out an errant container that should not be in that category of container.

I’ve also had occasion, as probably several have, to work on fundraising efforts. I believe it’s BHP or one of the mines that provides the opportunity to fundraising groups to receive all their recyclables for several months when they haul them out and do the sorting and whatnot. We found it was very efficient and accurate to simply weigh the bags of containers, once sorted, and very accurate, again, on the number of containers that were in those bags. I would suggest that simply coming up with appropriately sensitive weigh scales would be a lot cheaper and just as accurate in meeting the 99 percent accuracy or whatever is required.

I would ask the Minister, as he goes forward with this, to also test some more practical means of doing the work and maybe ask for some local innovative minds to focus in on coming up with a cheaper method of achieving the same result and giving them a chance to do that. I suppose that’s a comment, but I’d welcome the Minister’s insights into this one.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we proceed with the pilot, we will take into consideration the Member’s comments. We have, in fact, been doing this now for quite a number of years, and I’m assuming… I know that the people that are in this business are looking for ways as we try to do more and more recycling and the volume goes in, and we’re talking millions and millions and millions of containers, of efficient ways to do this. Part of the pilot will be looking at what we’re now doing, which is basically the manual weighing things and that type of stuff, and the efficiency of this particular initiative, keeping in mind, as well, that this money is already there. It’s been raised through the recycling program, but that fund is set up where we just have to get permission to spend that money that’s been raised through this recycling program. But I take the Member’s comments and we will be looking to consider those closely.