Thank you, Mr. Chair. So a geotechnical analysis has been completed and some -- but there -- well, there, that's the answer. Geotechnical has been completed. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Boot Lake.

Any further Members' statements? Okay. I want to continue on.

Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, long term and continuing care services not previously authorized, negative $2,600,000. Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, total department not previously authorized, negative $17,484,000. Is there any questions? Okay, does the committee agree?

Okay, thank you. Committee, we'll continue on.

Committee, we will now consider the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment on page 8.

Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, capital investment expenditures, minerals and petroleum resources not previously authorized, negative $1,197,000. Is there any questions? We'll go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm curious about the carry forward for the mineral administration and registry system. Perhaps the witnesses could clarify. It's my understanding that some part of this system will have to do with online staking, which is something folks have been asking for from this government for some time now. And I was wondering if you could clarify if that is, indeed, the case in the system and the slippage. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to Minister Wawzonek.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Indeed, the MARS system is required for online map staking, and it has been pushed back in terms of it delivery date more than once, and I have sat in this very chair on that topic more than once. Mr. Chair, I share some frustration on this one. There's a few different factors at play. One of which is that the MARS Project also depends on the LTOS Project, which is Land, Tenure, Optimization System I believe. And that project has experienced itself also some challenges. But I -- you know, again, every time I'm here, it seems like we're in a good place and I'm conscious that I -- as I said, I know I've said these things before sitting right here but it's my understanding at this point that LTOS is moving along but it's been -- that had its planning stage developed in the fall of 2023 or a little -- well, more functional planning done in November 2023. That, once LTOS is complete which will be happening other the coming fiscal year, then the MARS Project can get underway and be done in line with the LTOS system, which I believe it is essentially going to be layered upon.

So, Mr. Chair, I can simply say, not to go on at great length, I know the Member asked for time, but I have asked a number of times why this is so difficult and it's been pointed out to me that sometimes the idea on a cyber project doesn't come with enough planning and that when we actually dig in to how to do the thing it's not that dissimilar to any other capital project that it takes a significant amount of design and structure. So, again, I'd be happy to perhaps -- this is one that may well warrant a full briefing with committee, to be honest. I have several pages of material on this project in front of me. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I heard in there somewhere that the LTOS Project is slated to be completed in the next fiscal year. Does that mean that the MARS system will be for the following fiscal year of 2025-2026?

Thank you. Minister Wawzonek.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. LTOS will be finished in the coming fiscal year, not in the next six weeks. And then MARS does come to completion thereafter. So we are looking at 2025 for LTOS and 2026 for MARS. I am not sure if there's any opportunity or possibility of having one or the other layered upon them, but at this point those are the dates that I have. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, nothing further. But I'm sure other Members may have some probing questions.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too have questions about MARS. And my recollection is that in the way back machine of the 18th Assembly, we were starting to talk about online map staking. So why is it taking until 2026 if this is something that's been in the works for so long? Thank you.

Thank you. I'll go to Minister Wawzonek.

Oh, Mr. Chair, why is this taking so long? I can speak a bit to the Mineral Resource Act regulations which is bound up with MARS because MARS, of course -- I shouldn't say of course, I'm sorry. It is a complicated thing to do and perhaps more complicated than it seems on its face. Because online map staking on its face seems like a simple and good thing, but if it's going to happen to the MARS system, the MARS system is taking all of the existing mineral resource information and digitizing it and making it accessible and functional from within a digital system. It's doing that within the Land Tenure Optimization System, which itself was also not done and was delayed after COVID. So we're waiting on that to get finished as the sort of infrastructure, then the MARS system gets put on top of it, and it requires the regulations to be ready to go so that there can be decisions made about the kind of engagements that are expected to take place. So, for instance, when and how proactively a proponent will be expected to go to an Indigenous government or Indigenous community and speak to them before doing online map staking, that is part of what is changing with respect to the Mineral Resources Act regulations. That is then built into this system. That's just by way of one example.

So now that said, we have been here before. I recognize that we've been here before, and I think others do as well. Some of the process certainly did take longer. It was one of the first projects that's gone through the legislative protocol that we have under the Indigenous government -- IGS. So in the end, they'll be some good news, Mr. Chair, but at this point all of those processes were fairly new and have certainly taken longer than what was anticipated. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I have had some experience with the MRA, having dealt with it in the 18th Assembly and then in my nonpolitical life working for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation working on the Mineral Resources Act regulations. And I know that the MARS portion of those discussions at the intergovernmental level, it's an -- it's not as key of a priority as getting some of the other aspects of the regulations right such as benefit agreements and things like that. So as we've opened this can of worms, do we know if MARS is -- or those elements are expected to move forward within the planned schedule of implementing the MRA regulations? Thank you.

Thank you. I want to go to Minister Wawzonek.