Thanks for that response. I’m

wondering: it sounds like those will be workers coming here from somewhere else, or will they be people who are hired locally?

I’ll get another part in

here. I assume we would need some sort of hangar facility as part of this. Maybe I could just get what the plan is for that, as well, and when we might see that, if that’s something we would be constructing in the capital budgets.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We anticipate that this would be a request for proposals, that there are, we believe, eminently qualified and capable northern businesses that would be very, very interested in a contract like this, and we would anticipate, and we would make sure it’s in the contract that, of course, northern pilots be checked out on these planes that are there. There are existing airline companies up here clearly that have the size and ability, could look and manage the hangar space or provide for that. So we anticipate that there is every reason to believe that there would be a northern proponent that would be successful in managing this fleet on a go-forward basis.

I will leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee, we are on pages 24 and 25. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I might be on the wrong page. Next page, thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Again, we are on pages 24 and 25. Forest management, infrastructure investments, $21.571 million. Committee agree?

Pages 26 and 27, water

resources,

infrastructure

investments,

$790,000. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a question here with regard to the type of lab equipment. I seem to recall that we spent some money on the Taiga Lab last year. Because of devolution, we took over the lab, took over the federal responsibility.

Could I get an explanation, if my recollection is correct? If it is, what equipment are we upgrading and replacing when we spent money just last year on the lab? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Ms. Craig.

Thank you, Ms. Craig. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick supplement, if I may. The Taiga Lab was part of the devolution package and the federal government knew, for some time, that they were going to be transferring assets, s

o they didn’t

renovate and rehabilitate every asset they had to peak condition before they turned it over

to us, that’s

one thing.

What was brought before the House last time, if my memory serves me correctly, was the bringing on, of course, the staff as employees and not contract individuals where they, under the federal system, paid their way by doing all the scientific work that they do and getting reimbursed from industry that offset their wages. We brought them on board permanently. We do recognize, as well, that the Taiga Lab is well past its best before date and is going to be on the list to be renewed or replaced. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks for those explanations. Just a follow-

up question. If it’s

likely that we are going to see expenditures for lab equipment in each year, the background information that we got did not show expenditures in following years. It simply shows the expenditure for this particular year.

Could I maybe get an explanation as to why, if we are going to spend $70,000 or $100,000 every year, we know that for the next foreseeable 10 years, why it’s not projected in the documents that we were given? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Ms. Craig.

Thank you, Ms. Craig. Committee, we are on pages 26 and 27, water resources, infrastructure investments, $790,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Pages 28 and 29, wildlife, infrastructure investments, $5.378 million. Does committee agree? Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see an upgrade to the washhouse at the Tundra Ecosystem Research Station, whic

h I’m pleased to see. There is

a lot of leading edge research based at that research station.

What is the long-term thinking of this research station? I know there was some discussion of that with change in personnel over the past few years. Could I get the latest thinking on that facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We’ll turn it over to Mr. Campbell.