Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a bit of an issue. Communities like Trout Lake have a ramp for the disabled, but it’s like gravel so it’s quite a lot of work to get somebody up a gravel ramp. Those are issues to look at. As well, there is a building that we actually lease in Fort Simpson where stairs are the only way to get up to the second floor and that’s just not acceptable in this day and age. So those are the types of issues that I bring to the Minister’s attention. Will he conduct an assessment of all the buildings we do have there? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this project was undertaken quite some time ago initially. It was constructed over a number of years. It was a negotiated contract with oversight from Public Works and Services. They received substantial completion in May of 2004 where it was turned over to the community of Whati. It was in January of 2005 that the flooring became a problem and progressively worsened to the point of safety concerns were raised.

In our discussions with the contractor about the work and the need to do the right work, there was some initial activity done to try and remedy it....

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, what we’ve done in this area under client services now, we’ve pulled all the resources or people, as well as the program, into one area. We’ve come up with a shortfall in the area of medical travel assistance of just over a million dollars, $1.096 million, as well as dental premiums of $143,000. Other departments had within their ability to fund some of the over-expenditures. If you broke this out between all departments, they had some flexibility there, but within Financial Management Board, after pulling these in we have little room for this type of...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We don’t have that level of detail with me. I’m not sure if the Minister of Health and Social Services has that at his station. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are attempting to get the recovery of those funds. The holdback that Public Works and Services had on the initial project is not sufficient to cover the amount of work that was required, so there is going to be an attempt made to recover the funds from the contractor that did the work at the time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as our process works, under forced growth those that do end up into category one would have the ability through their processes and negotiations and substantiation put in through their appropriate department's requests for forced growth and that would be considered through the normal budgetary process. One of the other organizations, for example, is the housing authorities. Those have been put into the category one area. We do have some information here, and it would take a bit of work to go through it to pull out all the specific ones, but it would be...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the area we’re looking at here and the work that’s required, as Minister Miltenberger stated, comes into the area where 11 projects were looked at for a one-time fund. This was one of them. I understand where the Member comes from about the concern about delivery of health care services and competing projects and getting, I guess making the cut as to whether it proceeds or not. This area here, just to be clear so individuals out there don’t feel like we’re creating a two-tier system, this does not create a different level of service. Anybody needing...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We suspect the department will be looking into that area. The source of contamination in this old site was due to fuel oil, I believe. I believe the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has more detail to that area. Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Joining me today is the secretary to the Financial Management Board, Mr. Lew Voytilla.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, it is another property. What we have done in the past as a government when we’ve entered into facilities and leased them, if we need to make changes in the structure or office space, or requirement for space, we would take that on and pay for those changes. Thank you.