Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Projects planned for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 are going to be on the reserve. We’re looking at Fort Simpson, Aklavik, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Buffalo River, Enterprise, Deline, Fort Providence, Lutselk’e, Tuk, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Whati, and Jean Marie River. There will be more communities added as the detailed energy audits and plans are completed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present Bill 9, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan Protection Act.

The purpose of Northern Employee Benefits Services, or NEBS, is to administer the pension and group benefits of participating employers residing in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

This bill provides protection from creditors for the pension entitlements of Northwest Territories members of the NEBS Pension Plan and restricts the ability of members to pledge as security their pension entitlements under the plan.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening remarks. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct; for volumes of this nature we’d be looking at moving to a truck. There are suppliers in both communities, and once, if this money is approved, part of the planning is going to be for the suppliers to be prepared to upgrade their delivery capacity. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, the Member is asking me as a Finance Minister if I were to agree the rough estimate would be the figures he has quoted. I have no reason to disagree with that rough estimate, but there is still the planning and technical work to be concluded, but yes. We know how much the Tuk road is costing. We know what the construction costs are and that in the region that we have a ballpark idea of the amount of money we are talking about. Yes, it will be an expensive road. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the budget in 2007-08 was too low, resulting in a requirement for a supp which brought them up to the level that they are at. Then they used the money that they were given from their share of the supplementary appropriation to maintain that figure. The numbers we are seeing that would assume are costs over and above keeping their utility costs at that level that they got the supp for back in 2007-08.

The Member is getting far, far ahead of anything that may even be considered to happen here. There was a general request about why doesn’t the government take an equity position and will you come forward with a paper that outlines what’s possible in terms of even considering it or being capable to afford it. We’re going to look at that. We’re nowhere near any time of consideration at the level of detail that the Member is suggesting. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There are a number of points for discussion here. I believe one of the issues with collective bargaining is -- and we have had this discussion before -- if we put the money in the budget when we are going to negotiations, it tends to be a giveaway as was the concern with capital projects, which is why, when we put out the information, we don’t have the dollar figure in, so that it is not…People don’t know exactly the amount in the budget and they tailor their bids to the amount.

The other issue is, yes, the departments have estimates, but the practice has been in these...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re not committing to look at taking an equity position in anything. I’ve committed to bring forward a paper that would lay out some of the considerations if we were going to look at that, some of the challenges, the lack of funds, what kind of…(inaudible)…building you would have and those type of very basic, fundamental issues before we would even think of being able to try to move forward on any project. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, if we are looking at the total $10 million, I looked on the list. There is nothing specifically earmarked for funding to health boards except the mammography in Hay River. The rest of the costs are for physician services in the Northwest Territories or outside of the Northwest Territories. There is supp health or children in care. Thank you.