Bill Braden

I guess I would like to explore a little bit more along the line that Mr. Ramsay had started with. This is $11.2 million just to install an explosive detection system. That's the only information we're given in the bill here. I don't know very much about explosive detection systems, Mr. Chairman, but is it costing this entire amount to put in this thing or is there other stuff that's being done out at the airport in addition to the detection system? Thank you.

Thank you. That's why I asked for clarification, because the second paragraph in the bill -- and this is totally before the public, by the way, we're not popping anybody's secrets here -- the second paragraph says the total additional investment of $11.2 million comes from CATSA and, therefore, user fees, which left the $3.4 million special warrant. So I'm going to ask again, is it a $14.6 million or an $11.2 million total project? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister’s explanation is, I think, off track here. The costs, regardless of how they compare with social housing or public housing, are still deemed to be unaffordable by some of these tenants. So I would again appeal to the Minister to give us a good explanation as to why we aren’t checking or rearranging or realigning this program now, so that it does indeed help those communities that really need it. Thank you.

Thank you. That will do.

Mr. Speaker, I find it a little unusual that the Minister can’t say at this point -- it is winter, it’s freeze-up, those units should be in place and occupied by now -- how many of them are indeed occupied by the people that they were supposed to serve. In light of that, how can the Housing Corporation continue with installing yet more units if we don’t even know if the first have reached the intended audience? Why are we proceeding? Thank you.

I don’t know how much more we can get out of this, or at least I can get out of the discussion this afternoon in the absence of some of this analysis and the options that the department might put forward on where this extra money is going to come from, but, you know, Madam Chair, it puts committee in a bit of a spot here to approve, to be asked to approve only 30 percent, 35 percent of a multimillion dollar deal leaving a whole bunch of it floating. The North depends to an extraordinary degree on air transport, and what Mr. Ramsay, Ms. Lee and I have been working this debate this afternoon...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct a question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation and it’s in follow up to my colleague, Ms. Lee’s question about the market housing initiative. My understanding, Mr. Speaker, is that one of the reasons this program was undertaken was to, almost on an emergency basis, provide communities that had housing shortages with units for essential public services workers; teachers and nurses were especially highlighted. I would like to ask the Minister of the units that are now on site in various communities, how many of these are...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Then the suggestion or the information that is provided in the supplementary bill that $6.6 million will come from airport user fees, is just a suggestion or an option, or are we locked into that?

Mr. Speaker, the process going on on the other side of town at the Miramar property is quite different. I think there is more substance to it, in that under, I believe, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, there is a process by which the cleanup of that property has been broken down into, I understand, eight different components. There is a process underway to evaluate and approve. However, the public access to this process is quite limited. Can the Minister provide some information on the progress of that cleanup approval process? Thank you.

What kind of communications or information flow has there been with stakeholders, the tenants at the airport, passengers or anybody else who is involved with this? What kind of a program of information has been put out on that to date? Thank you.