Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Bromley on February 21, 2013, regarding the Giant Mine Remediation Project.

There are a number of tools that will be available post transfer date related to setting securities. The Northwest Territories Waters Act has provisions for securities which are set by the boards. The boards also set securities under the Mackenzie Valley Land Use Regulations. Post devolution, in addition to the boards’ processes that were mentioned, the Government of the Northwest Territories will have the authority to set securities under the Territorial Land...

As a matter of business and practice as a government, we review our processes and we have to be accountable for carry-overs and we do that. We can look at the things we control. I understand in the circumstance and in the project the Member is talking about there was also issues with the contractor that caused delays and slowed things down. So those types of things have to be managed.

Often we don’t control the outcome or how it may end up being finalized. Our job is to make sure the project gets done. In this case it contributed to the delay and I think resulted in some of the carry-over. This...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The project timelines are there even with the carry-overs. The commitment is to get it up and running. The benefits are very clear about the value of electronic medical records.

With regard to the comments about legislation, the questions and queries about legislation and the plan of the department, I would ask the Minister of Health to respond to that particular question. Thank you.

I’m not sure if the Minister actually caught that question. I’d maybe ask if the question could be repeated. The Minister may have that number with him.

The Member and I will have to, I suppose, agree to disagree in terms of our commitment, our commitment to Stanton, our commitment to managing a whole system for all Northerners wherever they live.

Recognizing that Stanton is our flagship, it is now in need of the repairs. That need has been increasing. We’re going to be putting in $20 million next year. The class C estimate will be done this fall, and as that comes due and as we look at it, then we will look at the financing and timeline. But I don’t think that the Member should doubt for a second that we don’t recognize, we this Legislature...

That is correct, Mr. Chairman.

I appreciate the Member’s exhortation to do better and noting how difficult he is to be inspired, so we will really try to make sure we can have this discussion next year and maybe it will have a different outcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The money identified here tied to winter roads is clearly going to be put to use, as the Member pointed out. They travelled the winter road last winter. There was a lot of traffic. It was heavily pounded out and, in fact, shut down at different times.

The issue of the Oscar Bridge, I would ask Minister Ramsay if he would want to speak specifically to the fate of that particular piece of infrastructure.

Thank you. The numbers, the percentage of carry-over is higher than we would like, and every year we try to move as much of the work through the system as possible. Again, it’s something that we continue to work at, but I appreciate the Member’s comments.

The good news is we have, in fact, money that we can spend in addition to we’re committed to the projects, and we’re going to be coming forward, as well, with an additional capital plan here in the fall. So we will be applying ourselves once again to see if we can make sure that we get all of these done as physically possible.

When the Giant Mine Remediation Project was initiated, the GNWT’s share that we put on for a lot of the surface work, $23 million back in 2004-05, and as the remediation project proceeded, the issue of the road became relevant and to the fore. So what was a decision that was made, that $23 million was in O and M. So it was agreed that we would reprofile and reclassify $17 million of that $23 million to cover the cost of this road that’s being put in around Giant Mine. So it’s not detracting from other capital projects, it’s not being taken from a pot that was dedicated for other areas or other...