Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my understanding is there are repairs to the highway. There are some compaction and surfacing, gravel in required areas from kilometre 21 to 46. I think, at the end of the last construction season, there was a small stretch that did not have the surfacing gravel, which is crushed rock, so that is the reason for the $191,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am here to present Tabled Document 194-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2018-2019. This document provides for an increase of $12.6 million to the operations budget.

The major items included in these supplementary estimates include:

$6.5 million to fund activities associated with the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund Funding Agreement with the Government of Canada. These expenditures will be partially offset by funding from the federal government.

$3.1 million to continue delivering existing programs under the Canada-NWT Workforce...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The new complex? Is that what the Member is referring to? I believe there is going to be their lab. I believe there is going to be some office space in there. Some will move in there. My understanding is some will then move over to the other office that is in better shape. Then the third one, I believe, will be coming down. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I shouldn't say "coming down." It will be surplused. I don't know what the exact plans are for it at this moment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my understanding, there are no buyers at this moment, but give us the opportunity to go and do the work, do the initial studies, go present the business case to Canada. If we present the business case to Canada and they look favourably on it, then that might, in turn, give us some buyers. I am just assuming that is going to happen.

If you want to sell a product, you have to have a good business case to sell that product, and we can put one together. It is $200,000 in the overall big picture. We do make a lot of other investments, as this floor obviously knows...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the indication I got is, our infrastructure, they do track traffic that uses the ferry. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we don't believe that it is affecting the work at all or that there is a problem with the cash flow. The biggest project we have in the works, Stanton, is still going on. Like I said, the money has been appropriated and approved by this Assembly in last fall's capital budget. That project is still on time.

We have some challenges in trying to roll as many of these projects out the door as we can, but the departments have been working hard and trying to ensure that we get these contracts let. We have different reasons for why some of these contracts are, and I...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my understanding is that they have identified a lot of issues with the existing structure, and it represents a risk to health and safety, but I think the Member's question is why the replacement is costing $304,000. I am not quite sure. My understanding is that they are going to do a design contract to be awarded in the spring of 2018 with construction in the fall of 2018. I am not sure exactly what the specs are for the new shelter. I would have to follow up with the Department of Infrastructure and see. I take the Member's point, though. You are looking at...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member is correct. These are carry-overs. Again, as far as the detail goes, something that I think we have learned today is that some of the information that the Members are looking for, I don't have the level of detail provided to me. What I will do is I will have a conversation with all of the departments and ask them to provide me with a little bit more detail to some of the questions that Members are asking so that I am in a better position to defend their asks for the appropriations. I apologize for that, and I think we have also ironed out the process...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I take the Member's point about working with the communities. I think this project may have run into a couple of little bumps on the road. I take the Member's point about working with not only his community, but all the other communities that are getting some of these projects and tap into the knowledge that they have in the area. I will make that commitment, something we will do going forward.

My understanding is the project is in the final stage, because you can see the carry-over is $22,000. The project is in the final stage and will be completed by June 30...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think I am going to take the Members point, and I think you can look at the Tuktoyaktuk highway as a prime example of the money that stays in the territories, and I think we've all seen the number of folks who work there, so that is one of the benefits of that project. Income support numbers, I know, went down. Housing rent collections actually went up, so there is benefit. I take the Member's point; we take that very seriously. Thank you, Mr. Chair.