Caroline Cochrane

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my right is Mr. Paul Guy. He's our deputy minister. On his right is Laurie Gault, and she is the director of Technological Service Centre. On my left is Vince McCormick, and he's the director of corporate services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will let Mr. Guy answer that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm pleased to present the 2016-2017 Main Estimates for the Department of Public Works and Services. The department's estimates will support the core programs and services which help achieve our government-wide goals while providing the best value to the government, communities, businesses, and residents of the Northwest Territories. These estimates propose an increase of $1.4 million, or one per cent from the 2015-2016 Main Estimates, which is budgeted at $120 million.

Highlights of the proposed estimates include:

continued investment in operations and maintenance for new...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The funds that are provided to the Arctic Energy Alliance are for all the communities throughout the Northwest Territories, not only the Yellowknife area. The bigger thing that should be noted is that we will be doing a new energy plan, and within that plan we'll be identifying for future years the direction of the department and where we should be going in the expenditures and revenues, that we'd be looking within that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Actually, the other seniors' facilities may look similar, but they're actually a different design, so we're not projecting that there will be any other instance with those different design buildings.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was a transfer from the low-water monies that was incurred in the two years prior to this Assembly, thank you, and it was transferred to Arctic Energy Alliance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The breakdown for that $440,000 is for: the energy research and analysis, it's for the Aklavik variable speed generator $300,000; it's for wind monitoring $40,000; and hydrology monitoring and forecasting in the North Slave Region at $100,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the priority for Public Works and Services has really been in the thermal communities because of the huge costs of transportation costs to get diesel into the communities so that they can function. But with the new energy plan that we'll be looking at we are considering assets for the southern communities as well. So I'm not committing to anything, but the new energy plan we'll be looking at things, for example, soliciting; is it viable to solicit the federal government to get an extra run from the Taltson. You know, those kinds of things will be reviewed within the...

Mr. Guy will speak to that.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, the Side Door actually is a non-profit. This is for the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, and so the Healthy Family Program is right across the street from there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.