Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the philosophy of the 15th Assembly is different from previous assemblies, and that's something I think we need to recognize. As a new government we sat down as new Members, some returning, some more experienced, some with new ideas, and decided that we would set a fiscal course early on. Now we've taken that direction, myself as Finance Minister and my Cabinet colleagues, and looked at the alternatives we have before us in trying to meet that target. It's not an easy process. We know that taxes are something that is not an option that's looked upon...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I get detail as to what page we are working from? Is it from the actual full department, or is it from the directorate that you are looking for that detail? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The government, through its other work as Cabinet as a whole, can direct and gather that information. Each department would have information on its costs. There have been exercises done as well in the past on areas of potential savings and costs. So there has been work done in that area, and that information could be pulled together again to give the most current state in expenditures. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. At one time we were much more involved in a lot of the areas with other departments. Again, as stated, user pay/user saves. There were a lot of areas that were returned to departments and they could choose how to do it. This is one area where there is a fair bit of technical expertise developed, and it was felt that it would remain in house in one department instead of splitting it up, and departments not having the ability and the resources to go to sort of a multi-faceted team that has experience in a number of different kinds of facilities. So the technical...

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right is the deputy minister, Bruce Rattray, and to my left is the director of petroleum product services, Mr. Mike Aumond.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The role Public Works and Services gets involved in is at the department level. When a client department, if it is Health and Social Services or Education, Culture and Employment become involved, we would work with them and provide the technical expertise in project management and design, and work with them to see what the requirements are in helping to establish the estimates that would be used and placed in the main estimates document as well. So there are a number of areas that we are involved with them, but it is mainly with departments and then as a contract is...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to present the Department of Public Works and Services main estimates for the fiscal year 2004-05.

The estimates propose a department operations and maintenance budget for 2004-2005 of $44.6 million and a capital acquisition plan of $2.9 million. This is a one percent increase over the 2003-2004 main estimates.

These resources will be used to provide critical support services to departments and communities including:

Operations and maintenance of infrastructure;

Technical support in the provision of community drinking water;

Management of capital...

Thank you, Madam Chair. There are four communities that we are directly involved with in the facilities maintenance end. We also do have some involvement in the other communities depending on the level of assistance required from communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again with that, the idea of the training to occur was we've taken an individual who was working within the system and through other efforts of trying to staff up the higher level position, we weren't successful, and we felt that with this individual we could take that person and have them come in for training, and have the position that they are being trained for work out of here in Yellowknife. But again working with the individual who has not relocated to Yellowknife, but is coming on a regular basis for that training, being trained by an individual here in...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We don’t have a flat rate, it is per minute, but we do have a discounted rate, which gives us a deal on the tariff.