Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also wanted to speak up very clearly in favour of moving forward on this consolidated primary care clinic. I compliment the departments for moving forward and getting this lease established. I hope we can move very quickly on the capital items, assuming it is approved shortly here, and get operational.

One of the reasons I’m pleased this is moving forward and hope it moves forward quickly and efficiently is that we have a hope that this will resolve some of the situations we are facing at the Stanton hospital, where the emergency room deals with much that could be dealt...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also have raised this and I raise it again here. I recognize that we’re within the general guidelines of other jurisdictions and so on, but the large capital projects don’t seem to fall into that formula of coming up with a percentage. Those are mostly operational dollars. We know that we have, relatively, a very high cost for infrastructure compared to other jurisdictions.

Another perspective on this is that because we have a modest size of population and availability of these very specialized talents, we often have to contract outside of the Northwest Territories for...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just before we conclude this, I wonder if I could slip in a question on the major projects area and where they are for the focus on the deferred maintenance program.

I think I’m just about done for the day here. I appreciate that time very much and, of course, the brief follow-up. When would the Minister be able to arrange for these meetings?

Mr. Speaker, my question today is indeed for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I want to follow up on my statement today on the opportunity we have for replacing the water delivery system in Dettah, saving on dollars and greenhouse gas emissions. Is the Minister prepared to pursue this opportunity to realize the savings on all fronts?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the Minister for that commitment. I would suggest probably doing some due diligence and making sure that the city of Yellowknife’s water tests are true for Dettah. Dettah is situated even further out from Yellowknife Bay, so the opportunity for even cleaner water seems great. It just needs to be confirmed, and that the Minister would also meet with the parties involved here, certainly the leaders of Dettah and probably the Minister responsible for housing. Would this Minister commit to those meetings?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under today’s fiscal and environmental challenges we need to be doing things in a more financially efficient and environmentally benign way. With the intake and delivery of water to residents of Dettah, there is a clear opportunity to reduce both financial and environmental costs.

Currently Dettah has to send a truck 16 kilometres two to three times per day to get water from the City of Yellowknife’s pumphouse at the Yellowknife River. They have to pay a full time driver and maintain and operate the truck on challenging road conditions. MACA is funding this at $170,000...

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Does the committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 93-16(2), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2009–2010, and would like to report progress.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Does the Minister have any opening remarks he’d like to make?