Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This particular line item is one that has been funding a lot of the work that we’ve done on caribou, all the surveys, all the work that’s been done across the North for just about all the herds, trying to stay on top of things. It helped fund our involvement in all different regions with all the different co-management boards and in the unsettled claim areas.

After April 1st we’re going to be working very hard internally to see how we can cover this off from within. So it did what it was intended to do, but we haven’t had that money added to the base in ENR, so our...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We’ve been practicing fiscal discipline, the use of passive restraint. We’ve capped forced growth at very low levels, and those levels might, in fact, be required to drop further as we move forward. With the passive restraint targets, we’ve done things like Finance has done, which is gone through its own operation to make sure our house was in order and things like the Territorial Power Support Program. We’ve laid it all out in the main estimates and all the other documents that are going to be coming out of public accounts.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member will bear with me…

---Laughter

…I’ll try to answer that question. If the Member has a specific example about what particular type of education program he would suggest, I’d be happy to consider that, as long as it is not too unbearably expensive. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m just assuming Great Bear. We’re talking Port Radium? We’ll commit to get back to the Member on the issue of remediated sites, waste sites. I’m thinking, but I don’t have the list before me, that that might be one of the ones that the federal government still has responsibility for. But we’ll double check that and we’ll get that information back to the Member.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There are two things. I’m assured that the 13 percent rate increase wasn’t put onto the backs of the ratepayers and cost about $20,000. Thank you.

I want to reassure the Member that this position would be able to provide some support in that area. There also is in Sahtu a fairly sophisticated, I think, well-versed, well-experienced group of people that work in the communities and the various boards that are there. So, between us all, we will be looking to make sure that we understand clearly the technical nature of all the applications that are submitted, and this water person will be one of the folks that are key in that regard. Thank you.

Thank you. We have one of the supplementary appropriation requests before the House has the final supplementary request, which will bring to a close the fire season costs and then we’ve, as well, engaged in a comprehensive review that is still underway in terms of the fire season and its impacts that were discussed yesterday when we were looking at ENR’s budget. One of the key areas being looked at is the administration and finance side. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s been since 2007 that there’s been a fire crew there. So yes, we will have our folks and the deputy will arrange to make sure there are discussions with Tsiigehtchic about the upcoming fire season. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We accept. We’ll follow up with Mr. Bromley. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree that we’re going to be challenged more and more to try to anticipate the plan for the future. Prevention, as the Member indicates, is one thing; mitigation and adaptation are going to be the other two. So this particular division has a role to play, but if we’re going to link all the pieces not only in this department but other departments that have that prognostication function and as we move through Managing this Land and other committees that we have, that type of work and the budgeting side as well as we project our fire costs, for example, and costs that...