Michael Miltenberger

My understanding is that this is basically an accumulated amount, that over the last number of years the costs have been absorbed within the operation. It’s no longer sustainable, hence the request that’s now before this House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The final accounting is just being concluded. There is going to be some under expenditure. The money will be identified. Of course, it’s been voted by FMB that that money is coffered. That will be fully accounted for and returned to the treasury. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The year-end accounting will capture all the money across government that has lapsed. One of the specific ways, if there is direction of committee, we could look at a negative supp that would specifically target any funds should they be lapsed on this project. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a project that was done in discussion in consultation with the Tlicho Government as well as the community of Whati. It depends on how you want to consider the sequencing. The transmission line will allow the community of Whati to go onto hydro. We know that we’re currently looking at expansion in a number of areas for hydro. We’re just concluding the Bluefish, for example, and we’re, through the energy plan as we’ve laid out to committee, going to be talking about the broadening of the grid and the connection of the grids going forward to allow us to move...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The combined projects come to $8.855 million.

Yes, the Member is correct; the contract was for $1.459 million. The amount of money in that program area that the Inuvik Health and Social Services had in their budget was $842,000, so a $547,000 shortfall that they have been covering off as an authority and running a deficit to do that. They’ve reached a point where it’s no longer fiscally sustainable, and as we try to adjust and have realistic budgets, this funding area, clearly, was underfunded. Hence this request and an ongoing target adjustment of this same amount for both facilities of $850,000.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The payback is estimated to be five years, and yes, with the solar technology available, when they’ve measured the technology available to measure the benefits, we’ll be looking to do that so we can learn from this investment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is not a base adjustment to the contract per se. The contract, as the Minister pointed out, has been fairly consistent in its cost. What this is, is an adjustment to the program area in the budget of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services where they had a certain amount of money for a contract that was inadequate to the tune of $547,000, roughly, and has helped contribute to the accumulated debt of the authority. I’ll ask Minister Beaulieu to speak to the… He already mentioned it, but I’ll ask if maybe he’ll go over the cost over the last number of years...

Yes, Madam Chair.

Yes, they absorb the costs that contributed to their deficit reaching the point where we need to recognize it and do this base adjustment. But it’s because they didn’t have the appropriate amount of funding in their budget to cover that cost.