Glen Abernethy

Thank you. Just going back to the previous question, just for the record, Public Works and Services actually chairs that interdepartmental committee with respect to granular supply, but it is absolutely a partnership.

With respect to the Fort Good Hope water supply, I’ve had the opportunity to travel into Fort Good Hope with the Member and meet with the leadership there, and that was certainly a question that was brought up. I believe that work is being done on that with the community on behalf of MACA and, as with anybody in the Northwest Territories, we’re absolutely happy and willing to give...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’re always looking for ways to reduce the cost of fuel in the communities. We’re always looking for the lowest priced vendor. We’re open to exploring options for delivery. For some of our communities, we do a fuel barge. We’re always looking for creative solutions to reduce our costs, be it where the fuel comes from might help us reduce the costs.

As far as subsidies, some concerns about that because if we put in a subsidy within PPD itself, the difference would have to come out of the revolving fund. If we start taking money out of the revolving fund in one area, it...

Details of payments and holdbacks would be proscribed in the contract itself and there would be no difference necessarily between southern and northern contractors. It’s a negotiation of contract that is done between the primary and the Department of Public Works and Services. For some additional information I will go to the deputy minister.

This information is going to be available in the public report. It will be by consumption, but also by price, so that both of those pieces of information are there. The Member is right. I mean, consumption is one thing but prices vary, as we’ve seen with electricity here in the Northwest Territories as of late. That information will be in the public report for committee and for the public to review at large.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We’ll commit to getting a plain-language explanation of this one for the Member and committee as well.

Thanks. If the Member goes to page 7-18, which is asset management, he’ll see that six positions have been taken out of asset management, and if he then turns to page 7-14 he will see that six positions have been added into the directorate. These positions haven’t changed their location, they haven’t changed their job. We’ve changed the reporting relationship. There was a restructuring in the department. It isn’t an addition of positions to Yellowknife in any way, shape or form. The positions existed, the incumbents are still sitting in their seats, they’re still sitting on the same floor and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Those are Public Works and Services’ assets. So we put more assets into service that year than I think we had initially planned, but I think for some specific details I’ll go to the deputy minister on that.

Madam Chair, we are a public government so we can’t actually black list contractors. In many cases, in problems that exist, the GNWT is not always a party to contractual agreements between general contractors and their subs. A lot of the times, issues are coming to me about subs and the issues that a primary contractor may be having with some of their subs. These subs are contracted to the person we’re contracted with. Our relationship is with the contractor, not with the subs.

The GNWT procurement policies and contract regulations do not permit the government to actually black list...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me on my left is Paul Guy, deputy minister of Public Works and Services; and on my right, the director of Technology Service Centre, Laurie Gault.

Madam Chair, we do general contract reports. It is not always a public document, but I’m happy to share the information on individual projects with committee, at the appropriate time, on a requested basis.