Mahsi, Madam Chair. I am looking at page 228, specifically the Deh Cho Bridge Opportunities Grant. It states that the grant is for the purpose of creating community benefits and economic opportunities related to the Deh Cho Bridge. I know they get I think it's $200,000 on a yearly basis. I had asked the questions, I think, through emails previously.
I believe the agreement states that, in the eighth year, it can be up for renegotiating, or maybe to negotiate the parameters or the criteria. Right now, it's strictly for somebody who gets a business licence, and they are getting free funds, free money as a business, and it's continuing every year. The business doesn't even have to be successful. It doesn't even have to go out and get a contract.
That is what I noticed as a project officer. Those construction companies weren't even bidding on contracts that were in the community. It was going to people from La Crete. I just thought the CERB funding and all this funding where they just get it for free and no incentive to really go out and actually do some work and bid on contracts. My question is that the time surrounding this funding could be negotiated so that we can use the funding to create employment within the community, you know like make-work projects or else it can be used to build something, maybe upgrade the harbour or something like that?
Because I know right now you can't do much with that funding except those little criteria, you know. It does benefit the schools and the employment office and those kinds of people, but not a huge amount, and we never, ever get any reports on a yearly basis to see what is the tax we have and who is getting all of this money on a yearly basis, you know, those type of things. Because there are people who could be in conflict who actually handle this money, who are getting those grants, too. My question around that is: can it be opened? Since you are in the eighth year, can it be looked at to get away from specific criteria and be open for the wishes of the community? Mahsi