Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member raises some good points. We are in a time of transition with the planning process. This is our first cycle through, for example, having changed the capital planning process to the fall. We’ve struck an infrastructure subcommittee to look at a lot of the issues in regard to this process. We all know very well, those of us that have been here any length of time…. The North Slave Correctional Centre, the first P3 they built in Fort Smith back in the 13th Assembly, was the last one they built at the time, as well, because of all the issues that came out of it.

We...

The Member’s made the case repeatedly. We’ve responded repeatedly as to why we’re proposing what we are proposing. Ninety-three per cent of the space we now have is either leased or rented. The balance of most portfolios would be 60 per cent leased or rented and 40 per cent owned. A lot of the buildings we’re replacing are our own. They are old and aged, showing the wear and tear — advanced stages of decrepitude in some cases. We’re of the opinion that this is the best way to proceed.

I anticipate, as we come forward to do the O&M and business plans, that we’ll be able to have a more fulsome discussion. We’ll have the deputy here and all the appropriate staff to deal with that particular issue.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to summarize once again, there is movement on this project. The functional review that Education is doing for their program requirements is going to be concluded, hopefully, by the end of October. We’ve committed for Public Works and Services to take a look at that and do their design work once they know what the educational footprint is going to look like. If all those pieces go in sequence and there are no extensive delays for whatever reason, then we’ve committed to the Minister of Public Works, who has indicated he’d be prepared to come to FMB, if there’s a...

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Financial Management Board, Mr. Russ Neudorf, deputy minister of Transportation, and Mr. Mike Aumond, deputy minister of Public Works and Services.

Mr. Chairman, MLA Roland provided a letter of support for the issue supporting the negotiated contract. That was the only letter of support that was given by the MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake. Any further business following that was just a matter of taking care of business in his capacity as the Chair of the FMB. There were no further letters of support of any kind for anything further, so the issue of potential conflict occurred when the negotiated contract was brought forward and there were letters of support from all the MLAs from the region as well as all the aboriginal governments as well as...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll ask Mr. Aumond to give us the history of how we got the bids and the decision that resulted from that and the decision he made to move to our proposal to build our own building.

Mr. Chairman, Environment and Natural Resources equips all of their offices and all of their staff in the field. The issue of vehicle use has been raised. I understand from talking to the deputy that they’re on the way to resolving that issue so that there is adequate service in all the communities.

If the educational program or functional review is completed on time and if Public Works gets the document and can do their design work around what is going to be required for an educational footprint and if that is done in a timely way, as the Minister of Public Works and Services has indicated, he will bring that forward to FMB for their consideration. The Member is correct that if there is, through this process, an opportunity to start doing things in a phased in way, which is why this project is laid out with the money that is there, and if there is a possibility to phase it in at a more...