Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm new to this process, so please bear with me as I go through it. I'm still struggling with some of these projects that have been out there. It seems to be not utilizing existing spaces that we have, and I will bring those concerns up later on when we look at each department. That is a concern. It's just a lot of money being used that could be used somewhere else, I firmly believe. The other concern I have is the Department of Infrastructure. I've heard the Members here and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it because it doesn't exist, and so I don't know how the process works, but we're talking about a phantom department. I know it is part of the business plan, but I mean it's part of long-term planning too and we don’t see 19, 20, 21, 22 business plans in here in the capital. So it is a concern that we should have it in each department, the Department of Transportation and the DPW, lined out so we can actually have discussions on their capital plan.

So I know, again like I said, I'm new to this process, but I'm hoping that we can follow the process that is supposed to be laid out and follow it properly. As I go on, I must say I'm disappointed that we haven’t seen housing for the smaller communities as in Aging in Place. I know we're doing the nine-plexes which is really amazing and I'll be doing a Members' statement on that; however, what about the smaller communities where a nine-plex doesn't really meet the needs, and that to me is a concern. Why aren't we looking at that? Why aren't we looking at four-plexes so that these elders can stay in their homes or in their communities as we have with the older people?

So I'm hoping to see that. You know, it won't be in this year's business plan because I mean I've already checked it out and I didn't see it, but I'm hoping that we each one region looked at next business plan anyway through it. So thank you, Mr. Chair. Those are my comments.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister, would you like to respond?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Infrastructure Department, as I said in my statements earlier, is one that won't come into effect until April 1st, and the capital budget and the main estimates that we'll be debating in February and March comes into effect on April 1st. So we're going through that process. The housing in the smaller communities and the Aging in Place; Housing Corporation spends a lot of money trying to keep in their units, the elders especially, as long as possible. There's a number of programs they have. I believe it was five seniors' homes that they built in the last couple of years, and I'm not sure what their plan is going forward. I would have to have a discussion with them to see what their long-term plans are, but we fully understand the importance of keeping seniors in their home communities as long as possible. I mean we understand that, and through these five projects, I will try to take steps to address that. Through some of the investment into seniors' homes, their own homes, we've tried to help them to stay in their homes as long as possible. So it's not something that's new to government and it's not something that's lost on us, and we'll continue to make investment to try to keep our seniors in their home community for as long as possible. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Next I have Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairman, I just really have one area of concern and that area of concern is very similar to everyone else, and that's really the logistics of how we would handle a Department of Infrastructure in this type of setting. I wonder how we are able to consider a department which we have continued to discuss in the business-planning process which would then come to the Assembly in February.

So whether we agree with it then or disagree with it, if we consider the capital in this format, then we are essentially agreeing with the Infrastructure Department existing, which we haven't done at this point. We have reviewed the business plans and we have made our concerns largely to do with the fact that there's substantial reductions in the amalgamation of these two departments that we need to look at a lot closer. So I'd ask the government to maybe leave the two departments for the purpose of doing our consideration of the capital on both Public Works and DOT separately in case it is not realized that a Department of Infrastructure becomes a department on April 1, 2017.

So I feel that that would be easier to deal with and maybe more in line with what this group is thinking. We're now feeling like the decision is made regardless of what we said during the business planning process for this amalgamation, and I don't think it would be difficult to reflect this capital estimate on this tabled document as two separate departments, and then eventually if the Department of Infrastructure is established through the regular approved processes of establishing a department, then we then combine the two departments at that point.

It's become a point where we are running into a department that we don't really know how to move forward with as a committee. So I wanted to say that here for the Minister and the staff to hear and let the Minister and his staff know that we do have concerns about the process more than anything, and we need to have full consideration of these departments separately in order for us to establish a capital plan for each department separately. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Members have expressed a concern with the new department which is actually a proposal and a decision has not been made. The decision, I don't think is made until it's approved by the Legislative Assembly. What I can commit to do and I think I've already started that process today is I've provided a letter to committee with the appropriations broken down from both departments, and I notice in the order of appearance they have both departments actually separately. So if committee wishes, those letters that I've provided to committee I could probably table those and they could be part of the consideration for the Capital Estimates document that we're reviewing during this session. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. That's something we'll have to give some consideration to at a later time. Seeing no more general comments we can proceed into the detail. Committee has agreed to begin with the Department of Lands.

I'd like to thank the witness. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort her from the Chamber.

Thank you. Minister Sebert, the Minister of Lands, is at the witness table since we're going to be discussing the Department of Lands. Minister Sebert, do you have any witnesses you would like to bring into the Chamber?

Yes, I do. Willard Hagen, deputy minister of Lands, and Brenda Hilderman, director of finance and administration.

Does committee agree?

Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses to the Chamber.

Thank you, Minister. I apologize to everyone at home wondering what's going on, it's a new procedure so we're just sort of getting a handle of things. Minister, would you like to introduce your witnesses?

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my right is Willard Hagen, deputy minister of Lands, and to my left Brenda Hilderman, director of Finance and Administration.

Thank you, Minister. So, committee, we will begin on page 59 of the Capital Estimates. We will defer the departmental total until after we consider the activity summaries. On page 61, Lands, operations, we have infrastructure investments, $110,000. Comments on this? Seeing none. Continue on to page 62, Lands, operations, project listing, information item. Questions? Comments? Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just curious to know who is going to be driving these two trucks? Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.

I would expect that competent employees will be driving these two trucks. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly, were you looking for something more specific?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Glad to hear that all of our employees are competent. Can he just be a little more specific? Are these being bought for a specific purpose? Are they going to be used in a specific location by certain staff? What kind of staff are going to use these vehicles? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.