Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I have a question that concerns the northern arts programs. There is no funding indicated there this year. That has gone into arts organizations operating funds. Is that correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. How does this category then differ from computer hardware and software immediately below? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I will be pursuing this topic again apparently. My final question has to do with who is going to obtain the employment to build the road. The economic evaluation says that the Tlicho Region will be the contractors for this road, a road that's being built with public money, and so to what extent is the government putting in place measures that will ensure that despite the fact that people in Whati have a high unemployment rate that they will be prepared to take advantage of the road building jobs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that answer, Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could tell us how the government will make a decision about whether to invest in the road to Whati? Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chair. I am a little confused because on page 57, I thought we were going to authorize the spending on this page, and then 58 and 59 explains some of the detail there. Do I have that right?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to, first of all, congratulate everyone who was part of the Dechinta University experience this time around. I would like to recognize and introduce my partner Janice McKenna. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate that the multi-year funding would be a benefit. I'm just wondering about the administrative burden, like if some of these programs listed here were amalgamated where they share a common focus, whether this would in fact reduce the departmental overhead and put more money into the frontline services. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I now have the economic evaluation of the all-weather road to Whati. I would like to share the findings of this report completed by Nichols Applied Management of Edmonton in March 2015. To begin with, the request for construction of this road came from Fortune Minerals, a company whose stock trades for pennies a share. The company is making the road a condition of developing its gold, cobalt, bismuth, and copper project 50 kilometres north of Whati. The road would connect Highway No. 3 to Whati. Estimated costs: $152 million. The road is a gamble, Mr. Speaker...