Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the finance minister tell us when the revamped RFP will be going out for the territorial fire centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to have the chance to talk about this project a little more. It is a priority for this government. And while we were under a process that would have put the RFP out, expecting that it would go under lease programs and therefore the operations budget, Mr. Speaker, we are looking now at instead making that part of the capital plan. So that's why there is a bit of a delay here, is that obviously our I shouldn't say obviously, the next capital plan won't be out until August. Typically you wouldn't issue the RFP until the capital plan has been approved in this House. And so that's the sort of timeline that we are operating under right now. I certainly can work with the Department of Environment and Climate Change to see where they are at in terms of advancing this project. As I've said, it was under one set of budgetary under one budget and now it's under the other so that's what is changing the timing of this, Mr. Speaker. But, and that's what delaying my ability to answer the question a little bit but I am certain that over the course of time there will be an answer to this question or this project certainly continues to be a priority. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm that the supplementary appropriation bill will be brought into the House before the end of the August session that will ensure the continuation of the procurement process for the fire centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has been a forceful advocate for this project and certainly I think has convinced many of my colleagues as to its essential nature which is why it was at the place it was at already with the procurement. And although the first way that we were going to go about it as an operations budget item has changed and looking at it as a capital budget, the priority place of it hasn't changed. Again, as I've said, at this point the RFP normally wouldn't issue until the approval of the budget formally in the House even though the project might remain on the plan. And so that's the state that we are in right now. And again, I can appreciate why there is some uncertainty in that regard because the public doesn't see the longterm plans, but I am certainly comfortable to say that it does remain part of that plan.
As I have said, and as I have committed to the Member, I will continue to keep her updated in a way that we are able to do here a little bit differently than what we might do in terms of publishing all of those plans for the public. So we are looking forward to seeing this on the next round for the Environment and Climate Change I am not used to saying that one yet, ECC's upcoming capital plans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister clarify if the new fire centre, once complete, will be a leased building to a third party or will it be a governmentowned building? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so again on this front, the Member for Thebacha, as I have said, has been a helpful, very helpful actually, in moving this project along, giving us some opportunities to discuss and engage best paths forward. There was a time where the thought was to put in as a leased building and that was the initial RFP. When that process didn't bear fruit, the thought now is to move it into a governmentowned building which would mean that the RFP would simply be for construction. And that, again until we will wait I think, at this point, to see how the capital estimates come out, the next round coming out, which do come out in August and with a look to be approved in August and that should provide some greater certainty to the community around the process moving forward hopefully. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have an estimated timeline for when construction of the new territorial fire centre will begin? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So actual shovels in the ground will depend on when the capital estimates are approved and then how those estimates and how the money that's appropriated goes through. But again, with the fact that we do approve our capital estimates early on an election year, we approve them in August, and depending on the way that comes out, I certainly don't want to presume any votes or any conclusions of that process, but as that process moves forward, Mr. Speaker, we will see what the next round of capital projects are, where they are at, and have a good opportunity at that point to flesh out the timelines associated with those approved projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
