Michael Miltenberger

Yes, as we pointed out, there has been a base adjustment, a target adjustment of $850,000 to the ’13-14 budget.

Yes, Madam Chair. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2012-2013.

This document outlines an increase of $20.928 million in operations expenditures for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The major items included in the supplementary estimates are:

$13.8 million to report two special warrants approved on July 31, 2012, and August 17, 2012, for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the increased costs being incurred due to the severe forest fire season in 2012;

$4.4 million to report a special warrant approved on August 17, 2012, for the Department...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The money is a target adjustment to the budget that reflects an underfunding situation for this contract that has been there for some time that has helped contribute, as the Minister of Health and Social Services pointed out, to the significant current deficit of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority. This is recognition of that gap, that deficit in their base funding.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 14, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2013-2014, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With your indulgence, I’ll ask Minister Beaulieu to speak to the background issues related to this contract. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, would like to recognize a former roommate from the really good old days in the last century when we were in Grandin College together, a lifelong friend, Mr. Ernie Bernhardt.

There hasn’t been any target investment in the amount of $632,000 that’s already been approved for 2013-14 in ongoing. As we look at improving and having a process that better reflects the concerns of the Legislature, I give the Member acknowledgement of her interest in this issue both in health, but across government, forest firefighting, for example, of making the base more reflect the reality of the operation as opposed to having to come back. As we identify these areas, that’s what we’re attempting to do going forward here. Thank you.

I understand, having talked to some of the biologists and such, that anthrax is a treatable condition if you capture it in time, but there’s no inoculation that I’m aware of. In cases with wild roaming herds, we are responding late in the day after we, through our aerial surveys in this case, happened to find some dead bison that turned out to have anthrax, so we were playing catch-up the whole summer trying to identify the outbreak in the animals after the outbreak had already occurred. The short answer would be, no, I don’t believe there’s an inoculation for anthrax.

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.