Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Chairman, $21.407 million is what it all adds up to with the projected surplus that they are just finalizing now, possibly $1.1 million. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, the Building Society decided to cut the cheque because they wanted to wind up the affairs. They have been in business for 20 years. If they would have had to set up a trust, they would have to continue on as a legal body until the trust monies were all spent, which would have meant more meetings next year and they wanted to be finished now.

I think we should recognize the fact that they did a yeoman’s job, a fine job minding the public purse for us, helped us get this building. Now their role is finished and they made that determination and handed over the funds to us. Now they...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, entitled Government of the Northwest Territories Mission to Kiruna, Sweden, and Munich, Germany: Mission Report; NWT Water Stewardship Strategy, Implementation and Progress Report, April 2011 to March 2013; and NWT Water Stewardship Report Card, April 2011 to March 2013. Thank you.

I can tell you where all the fires are but I don’t have that level of accounting detail in terms of the aircraft costs versus the breakdown of detail to the degree that the Member is asking, so we will commit to get that for committee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Approximately $50,000 is for the public event in the Great Hall. This includes entertainment, photograph displays of the history of the Legislature, a time capsule and production of video of the event, which will be available to the people across the NWT. Approximately $40,000 is for travel and accommodations to bring in former Speakers, Premiers, Commissioners and Clerks. One of the events associated with the celebration is the unveiling of portraits of former Speakers and Premiers, which will feature prominently in the building. It is customary to invite the subject...

Mr. Speaker, the project that was called into question had already gone through a thorough environmental assessment process under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, which is federal legislation. That act came after the implementation of the Environmental Rights Act. When the Environmental Rights Act was drafted in the 1980s, in my opinion and from what I understand, it did not contemplate such legislation and was the only opportunity Members had at that juncture to raise issues. Since then, we set up land and water boards. We’ve had the environmental process and it was given a...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The issue of budgeting, first, for fires, we’ve had some modest increases to the base, and it’s come up a number of times. This particular year, last summer was very intensely dry, a lot of lightning, a lot of fires by significant values at risk, especially in the Deh Cho. The fact that we were competing for scarce resources, we had to bring in other crews, other planes.

As it pertains to the 215s, the Member is correct; the 215s are nearing the end of their best-before date and some would say they’ve passed that. We’re struggling to keep them in the air. Just with the...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The letter has been responded to. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would ask if the Minister of Transportation could possibly respond to that.