Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This will be an ongoing cost until the determination is made to put the funds necessary to bring this contingent of staff into the public service in the territorial government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2015-2016. This document provides for an increase of $31.614 million to the 2015-16 capital budget.

The most significant item in these supplementary estimates is funding for the Department of Transportation, in the amount of $28.5 million, for the first bundle of projects proposed under the provincial-territorial component of the plan. This funding will be offset by the funding available through the new Building Canada Plan.

I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary estimates...

It came through to FMB. This demolition has been a priority for quite a number of years. It’s just that we haven’t had the funds to take care of the project and, in fact, demolish the property and put it back into use. With the funds identified by the deputy minister, we were able to do that. Anybody that has been to Inuvik would see what an eyesore it was right in the heart of the community, and it’s a very significant issue to get out of the way after all these years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are going to build off of the work that was done last summer as we started to mobilize to be more efficient, organized and coordinated with morel mushrooms. Just today we have a legislative proposal to make a modest amendment to the Forestry Act that would give authority to do the work and address some of the issues that the Member raised. That will be making its way to committee. If there is willingness, we can get that operational by May. The Member raises good points about timeliness. We are also at work in terms of policies and regulations, one way or the other...

If the Member can rattle off that name without looking at his paper again, I will commit to looking at that. All joking aside, I will add that to the list that I have to follow up on with the department. Though, I would be interested to see if the Member could actually rattle that name off without looking at that paper.

Mr. Speaker, we believe it’s doable. Whether it will be fully operational with everything that needs to be done is an issue of some debate, but we do commit to getting the work done. We will be better than last year. If we get that legislative change through, it will allow us to really structure ourselves over the next few years as we rewrite the Forestry Act in its entirety. Thank you.

I wish to table the following two documents, entitled “Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund Annual Report 2013-2014” and “Waste Reduction and Recovery Program 2013-2014 Annual Report.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My understanding is that, in fact, not a lot of jurisdictions set themselves up to regulate the mushroom market after fires. So we are looking at some places like, I believe, Alaska, but there aren’t a lot of best practices out there.

The issue of contaminated soils, I have to commit to the Member that I will follow up with the department to see what the intention is in the areas around Yellowknife that the Members have highlighted so that we, in fact, avoid issues if we’re going to get into this in a big way of having one batch of contaminated mushrooms possibly ruin the market for the whole...

We have funds tied up in the Community Harvesters Assistance Program. We have some money still available in the Western Harvesters Assistance Program as well. As well, we have the fur pricing advances that we do have and prime pelt fund as well. So we do have some funds available. Thank you.

Thank you. Yes. One of the things we’ll be doing is doing a review, and as the Member has requested and suggested, we’ll be looking at that particular issue as well. Thank you.