Michael Miltenberger

Yes, at this point we’re consolidating and examining what the best tools are, and we’re also very interested in using northern tools in addition to strictly relying on the federal government who will soon be vacating the field anyways through devolution.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Ernie Campbell, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources; and Nancy Magrum, the director of shared services for ITI and ENR. Thank you.

That would be a question best posed in due course to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. We have assistance to communities for water and waste treatment. We have subsidy programs. At the same time, we also do have standards. They aren’t just all guidelines. We have Health departments involved. We have concern as a government. We want to be involved basically from the headwaters, which is why we’re negotiating transboundary water agreements to the tap so when people turn on the tap, they can do so in comfort and confidence that the water meets the best Canadian standards. So that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Formula Financing Agreement as we know it is going to be continued until 2018. Thank you.

We are making note of the Member’s request. We will have discussions in the department to talk about how we move forward on the request and the concern. We will be able to come back. By the time we’re back here next year, we will hopefully see some reflection of the results of that work and discussion. Thank you.

The Member is correct; the intent is to conclude Alberta, and then move to British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and then up with the Yukon to look at mainly the Peel watershed. So that would be our next step after this. We are doing it sequentially, mainly tied to capacity and the way the agreed-to work plan that was laid out. It will involve a very similar process. We are going to continue to have full involvement of the Aboriginal Steering Committee and we are going to do all the necessary work, but a lot of the groundwork, the template will have been worked through with Alberta. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is a modest pot of money available to work with communities for risk management plans implementation. I would point out, as well, this is another area where personal responsibility is a big one and we, as well, encourage homeowners to make sure that their underbrush is clear, the trees are limbed, their house has as few flammable exterior products as possible, in addition to reliance on governments to come in and make sure the communities are fire smart.

We’re also doing a number of creative things, working, for example, in Fort Smith. They’re working with...

I, as well, would like to recognize one of the hardworking court workers and that would be Shari Olsen from Fort Smith. I welcome her to the Assembly. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, apparently I said Ernie Daniels, I meant to say Ernie Campbell. Sorry.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.