Joe Handley

Mr. Speaker, again, I will say there is no activity at all, no additional cost to the Bridge Corporation. The only additional cost that we have accruing now are bank interest and other fees. There is no more activity with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and there won’t be until we have the revenues to be able to proceed with this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the regional directors who are in the gallery today. Bob Sanderson from the South Slave region…

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Dan O’Neill, North Slave…

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Andy Short, Sahtu…

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Andrew Johnston from the Deh Cho…

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and Helen Sullivan, who is acting director and has done a great job over the last couple of years of piloting the return of the regional directors.

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Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, I’d like to also recognize two Pages who are with the cadets who are from Weledeh: Kelsey Martin and Jeremy Frankie, and I believe their moms...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think all of us on this side view Health and Social Services as a very important department. There is no question about that. We also consider environment to be very important. I tell you, in the case of the Minister, the Minister is there. I can vouch for him. He is there at 7:00 in the morning. He is there at night. I will talk with the Minister about whether he has had to miss meetings of Health and Social Services or Environment because he is just too busy with other tasks, but, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think I will have a perfect balance in terms of workload...

Mr. Speaker, all of the cost, the additional costs we have now for the time that this loan is extended to, are bank related. It’s interest, bank fees, bank charges. That’s all there is. There is nothing more going on. The loan is roughly $3.5 million. The work that has been done is not wasted. It doesn’t go in a wastebasket. It’s there and it’s work that’s been done and it’s ready to go. If we were to just fold up everything and say we don’t need to look at that project anymore, the heck with it, it would cost us roughly $3.5 million to pay off the loan and clean this up. Mr. Speaker, it’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, let me say that we are not the only jurisdiction in which the Health Minister also has other portfolios. When I look at Prince Edward Island, it is Social Services and Seniors, but they are separate departments. I look at the Yukon; the Minister is also responsible for WCB. I don’t know all of the jurisdictions, but, Mr. Speaker, whenever I assign portfolios, then I have to look at the interests of the Ministers and also whether or not I feel that they can carry the workload. All of the Ministers in our government carry at least two portfolios...

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. That question, again as the Member pointed out, should be redirected to the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we still anticipate that we will be successful in getting additional money to make this bridge possible. If the bridge goes ahead, if we get the money and the bridge goes ahead, then that money that we have loaned or guaranteed to the Bridge Corporation is rolled into the cost of the bridge. So there is no cost to the government at all. If we were to assume that the bridge is not going to go ahead and pay the $3.5 million, then in that scenario it costs us, as public government, $3.5 million. It’s our view that we are better to wait and not fold up the Bridge Corporation now...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, about this time last year we sought input from the Members on our options to improve planning and coordination at headquarters and in the regions.

An important component of this initiative was the creation of a regional director position while maintaining a ministerial order of government. These offices are critical to ensuring:

government programs and services are consistently implemented within regions;

effective coordination of interdepartmental initiatives within regions;

improved communication on government strategic initiatives within regions; and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That information is still posted four times a year on the website. I don't think we distribute a paper document anymore, but it is on the website; it's done quarterly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, no further work is being done on the Deh Cho Bridge. The work has stopped. It’s on hold. Mr. Speaker, when I say there is nothing being done, we, though, still have the interest and bank fee costs of the outstanding loan that is made, loan guarantee. Mr. Speaker, that is the only cost we are bearing now. We have chosen to keep this on hold in light of Minister Cannon’s statement that he would be laying out a national infrastructure program and that we would be included in that. We have yet to find out what would be available to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.