Thank you, Mr. Chair, and again thank you for the explanation. That sounds like an efficient thing to do on a go-forward basis.

Next question is we're aware now of significant federal funding that's going to be available and there has been some line of questioning earlier about how we might be able to access some of those new funds. We're aware that some of it will not be eligible for things like housing infrastructure, emergency services infrastructure, et cetera, but we just talked about community energy plans. There is going to be significant amount of funding available for green investment. There's a rural and northern communities component. How much of this $570 million over 11 years is going to actually get into, well, I don't know if it would be MACA's hands, but how much of it is actually going to get down into the community level? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. At this point actually I can't give you a figure because we're still in the process of negotiations with the federal government, so until the federal government has signed off and agreed where we can use the infrastructure monies, then I can't say where that money will be going. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think, just as a general comment, what we're hearing from the government, and now we're probably going to hear this department-by-department, is that there's still a lot of uncertainty around these federal funds. I don't know what to say about that in terms of do your best I suppose, and I know we are, in terms of trying to solidify how we will get accessibility to these funds so that we can start making commitments and provide certainty to our communities. I'll just close with that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I should note that, yes, although we don't have finalized on where the Phase 2 of the Invest in Canada Plan funding will go, we do have still 29 communities that are still working on their infrastructure plans or projects from the Phase 1, so the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, which was almost $52 million, and then the Public Transit Infrastructure money, which was $320,000. Those projects are supposed to be done at the end of March 2018, so some communities are still working on those. That's just a note. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Next we have Mr. McNeely.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to add to my previous colleague's comments on access and capital from the national programs, is it the department's intention to review community-by-community on their capital improvement needs? Say, for example, taking an old boiler, a diesel-heated fire boiler, from one of the facilities and turning it into something a little bit more greener such as biomass, for example? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, every community is expected to do a capital plan on an annual basis within that. That capital planning process looks at not only what communities need, but also the infrastructure that's in place and how long they're serviceable for, when they will need to be restructured, climate change, addressing climate change, addressing energy conservation, so all that is taken into consideration during the community's capital planning process. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Noting the clock, committee members, I will now rise and report progress. Thank you, Minister Cochrane, and thank you to your witness. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witness from the Chambers. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, your Committee has been considering Tabled Document 416-18(2), Capital Estimates, 2018-2019, and would like to report progress. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Masi. Do we have a seconder? The Member for Deh Cho. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Mahsi. Item 22, third reading of bills. Item 23, Mr. Clerk, orders of the day.

Masi, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, September 26, 2017, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned 6:04 p.m.