David Krutko

Mr. Speaker, just to clear up the Member's issue regarding the $20 million, we have made no investment in this project. The only time there will be a financial investment will be at the end of the pipeline project, when we will consider looking at acquiring these facilities. So there is no investment by way of dollars switching hands here. It is not going to happen for the next five years.

Right now, it's basically a concept that's being put forward, which is unique in regard to the possibility of having a way of solving our housing crises up and down the valley. I think, in order to do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I will commit to that. I think it’s important that we do move on this very quickly. With the announcement of the pipeline, there will be a decision made on who will get the contract to build workforce camps for this project that will be purchased through the Mackenzie pipeline project itself. So they will have to make that decision. I am committed to that, but we do have to move on this.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this process, as I mentioned, has been going on for the last year. It’s not something that’s come up overnight. We have been working with the different boards and agencies, and also we are working with Education on how this is going to be laid out; how we are going to work with the different housing authorities; how we are going to deal with the management of the lands, the property that we have. We have not just brought this up overnight. It’s been in the works over the last year. I feel that Cabinet will have an in-depth review, and then we are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had the chance to meet with the Tlicho leadership, and I have committed to them to do a tour of the Tlicho region with the Tlicho Government and local representatives of their government to ensure that we find a way to deal with housing in conjunction with each other. Also, going into each of the Tlicho communities, we are looking at possibly November or early December, whenever the time permits; but I have committed to the leadership, and to the Member I commit here today, that we are willing to go into the Tlicho communities in November.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have made a presentation to the committee, but it was looking more at some of the guiding principles we are following. I made a commitment to committee that we will go directly to committee once the mandate has been approved through Cabinet. We are hoping to take this to committee within the next few weeks. It is going to Cabinet this week, and hopefully we can take it to committee next week, if that’s possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the programs that are provided through the Housing Corporation are application-based programs. We have worked out different pilot projects in different communities with the First Nations' governments so that they can work with their membership to make these improvements; but a lot of these programs are based on need; and we definitely try to focus on those people in those conditions that the Member mentions. Again, it’s important for the public to realize that you have to fill out an application for these programs, and I think it’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been no contracting out. All the work has been done in house with the resources we do have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we do have a budgetary process that has to pass through this House, and it has to be approved in that process. How it gets there is determined by the department and the demands of communities.

In regards to elders’ facilities, the population does fluctuate where we do have other alternative uses for facilities. I think because of the capital process, we go through departments, come forward with the capital requirements to this House, and get the capital dollars to construct them. In regard to those facilities, I believe that there was a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I don’t have that detail here, but I’d like to offer that to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have made it clear to ATCO and the other parties that we would like to have some sort of benefit that will flow through the North. I know that there have been councillors from Hay River meeting with ATCO and looking at the possibility of establishing some sort of a plant structure in Hay River. I think that it is important that we are able to work with the parties and allow the respective community leaders to meet with the different companies and see exactly what they are willing to put out. We have made it clear that we would like to ensure that...