Bob Bromley

Thank you for that information. Just to be accurate here, it’s been 7 percent per year for the last three years and another 5 percent on top this year. The question was what are we now doing with the dollars that we’ve been spending. Committee has made suggestions that those dollars should be going into reducing costs of living especially through energy costs in the NWT in the past. What are we doing with the difference between the $15 million and $3 million this year, and the $9 million, $9.5 million last year and the $3 million this year?

Mr. Chair, I’m just about out of time; I have to get back on the list here. I’m hearing from professionals that there are concerns that there are programs already in place for four-year-olds’ special needs type situations. Given the lack of investment in these added responsibilities in large centres like Yellowknife will, in fact, cause the resources to be attracted away from these important special needs four-year-old programs such as the Four Plus program at Weledeh school. I’m just telling the Minister. At this point, I’m hoping that he will be very alert to that. I hope he is recognizing...

Thanks for that information. I assume that means we don’t know what the cost of the project is, the total cost of the project. The Minister mentioned we’ve been working on this since the 16th. I don’t see any expenses listed in previous years, but perhaps we’ve already spent $10 million thinking about this project. So I’ll look forward to discussing the financial side of things on this project in committee I guess.

I see an interest expense listed of $4.8 million down from $5 million last year and it doesn’t say what that’s for. Probably I’m supposed to know, but I don’t. Thank you.

Thank you. How many devolution positions are we decentralizing?

Mr. Chair, I appreciate that information. That is the larger one there, $131 million. Could I just find out what amount we are putting into junior kindergarten this year? Thank you.

Thanks to Mr. Kalgutkar. I’m not even going to go there. Thank goodness my payments on the house go down when I pay them off. The Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link, I see we spent $7 million. Have we laid an inch of line yet? Thank you.

I know the $700,000 was in there last year, as well, so I assume that’s not part of the bump-up this year. So about $7 million for providing market housing in our small communities. We are transferring a large number of positions or locating a large number of positions through our decentralization work related to devolution and additional decentralization work. Is the housing that we’re providing for these people, will that be covered through the devolution implementation funding?

I’ll look forward to that. I’m not on Social Programs, although it’s a keen interest, obviously, so I would appreciate that information.

I have a few comments on the early childhood development and learning and I believe that includes junior kindergarten, some I would almost say diabolically so. What proportion of the $8.2 million is going to the Junior Kindergarten Program this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to do our annual check on the Deh Cho Bridge here. The interest is $8.166 million. I don’t see that changing over years. Is that just something we pay in perpetuity here? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m just wondering what’s happening with the Financial Administration Act, unless that’s been asked already. Thank you.