Debates of November 28, 2007 (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of ITI. The ITI and ENR used to be one department. They have been separated now, ENR and ITI. In some communities, the office has remained co-located. I am certainly aware of the Shared Services Agreement between those two departments, but in Hay River we have a logistical issue I think with ENR offices and ITI offices currently located at about Mile 5, quite a ways from the downtown core and all of the other services in town. I can see renewable resource officers in ENR being out along the river there in that picturesque little location, but for the people that are involved in the oil and gas and the people involved in the economic development and those activities, they are kind of a bit off the beaten trail out there. They are five miles out of town. It is not like people are walking by or anything. I would like to ask the Minister if he has given any thought to relocating the ITI offices away from ENR and bringing them into the downtown core in Hay River where they are more accessible to the clients that would use them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Return To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have had some discussions. That situation that the honourable Member described also occurs in other communities. The reasons we haven’t dealt with it yet comes down to money, and it costs money to relocate to another office. As well, there has to be office space available. The approach that we have taken to date is we are not going to move unless the growth requirements of ENR requires us to move out. At that time, we would approach Public Works to find us appropriate office space and a suitable location so that we could service our clientele. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has any formal work been done to assess whether or not the current space does have enough capacity to accommodate ENR and ITI? It is quite apart from an inconvenience for anybody who wants to see an economic development officer, for example, having to go all the way out to Mile 5. Has there been any assessment done of those needs? There are also seasonal people who come in with ENR who also use that same location office. So I would like to know what formal work has been done to identify whether those offices at Mile 5 are adequate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I haven’t seen anything formal other than I know that within the Department of ENR, there have been indications that they do require additional space for their own departmental requirements. Until such time as we are officially advised that they want us out of there, we will continue to stay in those locations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What kind of a priority, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister put on accessibility for clients and the public accessing offices related to Industry, Tourism and Investment? As to the issue of office space, I think the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office is located in a downtown location on a floor basically all by themselves. Also the representative from whoever sends agriculture interests in Hay River for ITI is located in the same spot, so you already have a fair presence with the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office and the agriculture officer in the downtown core. I think there is a whole rest of a floor right there. So I don’t think that availability of space is an issue. What kind of a timeline are you looking at for having ENR notify you of their requirements? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a department, we would like to be where the action is. We will be prepared to look at moving downtown as the Member indicates there is office space available. The main consideration would be one of cost. If it is one way to service our clientele better, we will be definitely prepared to do so. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At times, we do talk about a one-window approach, Mr. Speaker, to those types of services and also Community Futures also has an office located downtown. It would be an interesting concept when we look at the other ITI presence in the downtown core to put things at one location and the coordination that might result from that. So again, I would ask the Minister, what kind of a timeline will he be looking at and hearing back from ENR what their current and projected needs are? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 56-16(1): Office Space For ENR And ITI In Constituency

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Definitely, we would like to find a way to have a single-window approach, especially with the Community Futures program. I expect that the timeline would have to be tied in with the business planning process. I would think that it would probably be a period of four to five months, I think. Thank you.