Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Guy.
Madam Chair, yes, Fort Providence health centre project was just recently tendered and contracted and awarded in late May to design/build construction project and just working through the initial steps. A commitment has been made, working with the Department of Health and ourselves, the contractor and their consultant, to come forward in late June or early July to meet with the community to discuss the design concept and provide an overview of the project and the schedule moving forward.
Construction is slated to start later this summer and we are anticipating that the project will be complete by early in January of 2015. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, at this point has the department had any preliminary ideas as to the fate of the old health centre, realizing that, when the community health centre is completed, there will be a decision that will have to be made regarding the old health centre?
At this point the existing health centre will be used to continue to deliver programs and services until the new facility is complete. At that point the Department of Health and Social Services will have to make a decision on whether that facility is surplused to their needs. At that point we would go through the Disposal Policy to see if there is another use or whether it would be surplus, sold or demolished. We have not done that work yet. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, my next question is in regard to the health station replacement on the Hay River Reserve. I understand that there is a building that is sitting there empty, unoccupied. I just want to clarify if the building is complete. What is the $180,000 for?
Madam Chair, the project is substantially complete. There are some minor seasonal deficiencies and project manual documentation, owner’s manuals and things like that remain to be completed by the contractor. Whatever there is, nothing that I am aware of that would prevent the facility from being used at this point. Thank you.
Has the department had any discussions with Health and Social Services as to a timeline of what we could perhaps expect as an opening and the operation of the health centre on the reserve?
Thank you. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The department has had discussions with the Deh Cho Health and Social Services and also the Hay River Health and Social Services on a way to open up the health centre. We are looking at providing the health services from the Hay River Health and Social Services in that office and trying to determine what the level of needs would be for clinical needs on the reserve. So whether or not there would be, as you know, we only have one doctor in the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. So we would be using locums and nurse practitioners to assist in the operation of the clinics in Hay River as well as the new clinic on the Hay River Reserve. So we’ve had initial discussions. We fully intend to make that building operational as soon as we can.
While we’re on the topic, is there a commitment of perhaps a date that we could see it eventually open? I think the residents and potential staff look forward to a new building that perhaps could be enjoyed by the residents of the reserve instead of currently travelling the road and going into town on the other side of the river. So is there a specific date that we should expect it to be open?
I don’t have that information with me. The last information I have is there was some issue about the land tenure. The Hay River Reserve, the majority of the land is federal land, if not all. So we’re just sorting out the land tenure and I believe that that has been sorted out. So I could maybe commit to trying to get the centre opened this summer.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. We’re on page 10, Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, health and social services programs, not previously authorized, $26.077 million. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to ask a quick question on the health centre and long-term care facility replacement in Norman Wells. I want to ask the Minister when this facility will be completed. I understand it’s stretched out over a number of years to a regional plan and I wonder if that’s to help the financial situation that the government is in. It doesn’t do much for us and I’ve been hearing some of the people in the leadership saying why are we stretching it out so long. This facility is greatly needed and appreciated, and I’m just asking about the rationale as to why it’s done over a longer period than original and approved when we had this type of a discussion in the Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Guy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The schedule that we have, based on the cash flow that we have today, we’re working towards having the foundation materials. They’re scheduled to arrive on the winter road this year. The pilings and foundation are scheduled to be installed in February 2014. Then the project is still scheduled for completion in October of 2015. So at this point we would be working on the design and getting the materials marshalled in. Between now and February the foundation will be put in and then it will be into full construction throughout next fiscal year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Guy. Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, health and social services programs, not previously authorized, $26.077 million.
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. Community health programs, not previously authorized, $4.273 million.
Agreed.
Agreed. Total department, not previously authorized, $30.350 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 11, Justice, capital investment expenditures, court services, not previously authorized, $421,000.
Agreed.
Corrections, not previously authorized, $187,000.
Agreed.
Services to public, not previously authorized, $239,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $847,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. On to page 12, Education, Culture and Employment, capital investment expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, $5.940 million. Mr. Bromley and then Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to ask about the plans for the interior works on the Kay Tay Whee School in Detah. I understand that that work was originally scheduled for last year, but there were some reassessments of the specific needs. I know the needs have been accumulated; the school has been adding grades on both ends. I think preschool classes have been added as well as Grade 7 and Grade 8 this year. So there is an obvious need.
When can we expect this work? I think the kids are out of school next month. Are we on the ground next month in getting this work done for the fall? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Guy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The project was delayed last year because we were working on addressing those scope issues that had arisen. We have done some work on that over the past year and we have revised the scope and we have been working with the Department of Education. We’ve developed the work plan to move forward with that project this year. We’ve now presented that to Education and they are going to respond, and our intent is to move forward this summer with that work. We will go over when the classrooms are empty. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thanks to Mr. Guy for that information. How long has Education had it and when do you need an answer to get the work done by this fall?
We are following up with Education now and would expect to have an answer very shortly. Given the size of the project, we’re confident we can move forward and be substantially complete by fall. We would have to commit to get back with the actual details and times, but we are following up with Education now. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I appreciate that offer and I’d like to be notified whether or not Education has confirmed things within the next two weeks. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.
We will do that, Madam Chair. Thank you.
Anything further, Mr. Bromley? Thank you. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am directing my question to the line entry of over $3 million for the Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Samuel Hearne School replacement in Inuvik.
Madam Chair, for the record, the facility itself is a great facility. I had a chance to tour that with a number of our Regular Members. I think the school and people of Inuvik should be very proud of that infrastructure. However, my job as a Member here is to look at all cost expenditures. My job here is to look at protecting the public purse. So, again, no disrespect in my questions, but they need to be asked and this is why I’m here today.
I have taken great pride in doing my own forensic audit on this project from the ground up going back as many years as almost two Assemblies. My concern with this is that we continuously see this line entry of remediation work, teardown work, demolition work. This has popped up a number of times now in different budgets. We’ve seen it sometimes in negative supps, which means taking it from one pot of money and putting it into another pot of money. We are seeing it now in an infrastructure budget. I’ve seen it now located in the operations budget. So this project, in terms of how we do a public works and services is, in my mind, a little bit cumbersome. I’ve followed this project and I’m confused. God forbid if someone was not following this project, would, in my humble opinion, never know exactly where these monies are coming from and what exactly is the scope of this project.
My first question is: This $3.64 million that we’re seeing here for remediation work is adding to the cost of what? Where are we at right now with the terms of demolition and what is the total scope of the demolition project, if I can add that as a whole, to remove the two schools which are now vacant and probably causing some concern for vandalism or safety? That’s my first question.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This money is carried over. It’s been identified to do the work that’s laid out here in terms of dismantling the old structures. There is a bunch of work to be done tied to that, so I will ask Mr. Guy to lay out the detail.
I appreciate the Member’s comment about the O and M money and capital money and over the number of years, so we can have some discussion on that. But I will ask Mr. Guy to speak to this, but this is not adding to it. The project is complete. The big total is there. This is money that’s already just being now spent to do the final cleaning up.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Guy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This funding, as the Minister indicated, is to fund the remaining capital work associated with the completion of that project. This funding was in the original appropriated budget. It’s just funding that was not spent or contracted until now.
Essentially, these funds are for the remaining landscaping work, site grading, soils, finish grade, hydroseeding, plants, planting, sports fields that are to be located in the area of the existing Samuel Hearne Secondary School. When that is removed later this month, then we have to go in and complete the capital works that are going to occupy the space where that building once was. Our intent, once this funding is approved, is to go ahead and tender that work later this summer, hopefully within the next month or so.
Thank you, Mr. Guy. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I appreciate it. I didn’t quite hear what the final total is in the response. I did hear we were adding some sports facility equipment, which begs to ask my next question in terms of the whole project cost. Now, we’ve got policies that say, well, you can’t add the remediation work to the total asset, and you can’t depreciate as a whole asset, but it clearly begs the question, we’re removing buildings, we’re adding infrastructure, we’re adding infrastructure that is being used by the school, but yet it’s not adding to the whole capital cost of that project or allowed for depreciation.
Can the Minister indicate, or the deputy minister indicate, how do you capitalize this stuff after it’s put in place? Is it a separate item or entity or is it part of the school that we’re going to be capitalizing and depreciating as assets as we move forward for the years to come?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the $3.64 million, which was a part of the original appropriation for the construction of the school budget, that portion is going to be capitalized. The remediation that the Member is referring to, which is funded through O and M dollars, not only through our own accounting policies but it’s also the policy that the federal government uses and every other government in the jurisdiction in Canada uses. That will be funded through O and M. As we demolish those buildings, we’re not adding to the assets. We’re actually taking care of a liability, for the most part, and we’ll use our vote O and M money for that purpose. But the $3.6 million that is being asked for a carry-over here, that money will be capitalized.
I guess, just so I can put it again, connect all these dots for a project of this magnitude, this $3.64 million is being capitalized and it will be added to the whole asset cost of the new E3 School. Is that a yes or a no?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Miltenberger.
