Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Education has elected boards for the most part. The one exception I believe exists was the arrangements made in Fort Smith where the DEA patterned itself under the health board arrangement where there were two seats for the band, two for the Metis, and two for the general public. But for the most part education boards are elected and health boards are appointed. And the LHO boards, as well, I believe are appointed.

Mr. Speaker, this process was stretched out with a long timeline to 2010-11, recognizing that there was going to be a lot of work to get us from where we start to where we may end up with the issue of board reform. We are not precluding those types of discussions at this point. We took the first step to say, here’s a model we think has applicability and we have been doing the work to get us to April that will give all the information for us collectively to talk about and look at to decide on next steps. If it is not that model, not that approach, then what approach and if the broader...

We appreciate the work that every board member has contributed over the years, but we also recognize that we have a system that has evolved without a lot of planning over the years, often by program area, by ministry, and we have evolved now where we have 150 boards for 42,000 people for a whole host of different program areas. We have 70 in health and social services, housing, and education alone. We are of the opinion that there are ways to provide enhanced decision-making at the regional community level at the same time as rationalizing some of the board structures.

I’d venture to say that everybody with a computer terminal or a radio or a TV or whatever other means have it tuned into the House. They are watching with great anticipation and bated breath.

We are existing in the worst economic downturn since, they say, the Great Depression. Job numbers today and on the news were 129,000 Canadians lost their jobs in January; 600,000 in the States. Conditions continue to worsen.

Yesterday we tabled a $1.3 billion budget that was a result of months of collective work together; surely a testament to one of the big things that we can do together. But we stand...

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member’s interest and concern. As I’ve indicated, this fund is a brand new fund. Should the budget pass, then we would be in the position to lay out the work plan. The hope is that it’s going to extend past four years. We want to get things on the ground that are far enough along in the planning as we move forward in consultation with communities and with committees and if you look at the next phase of the business planning process, there will be an opportunity to address this plan to reflect all the priorities of this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the fund, $60 million over four years, we mentioned some of the highlights. I’ve had discussions with the Member about the interest of Deline in terms of mini-hydro and the work that’s been done to look at the Bear and the list, as we move forward on mini-hydro over the coming months and years, we want to look at mini-hydro wherever there are possibilities. We also have some good indication, for example, from Good Hope and the Ramparts. That budget address was not exhaustive in its reflection of all the projects and areas where funding is going to be spent. There is going to be, I...

Mr. Speaker, once this budget is passed, we will be in a position to look at how we’re going to move forward. We’ve identified in the budget address some examples. It wasn’t a comprehensive detailing of every expenditure in the main estimates. We also recognize that what Deline is proposing is by many standards new technology that’s being developed and in some cases not necessarily proven out for the rigors of use in the North in the river of the size being proposed.

There is a clear interest on the part of the government to look at all the small communities. I said that in the budget address...

Mr. Speaker, the intent was to reference our commitment as a government as a Legislature to alternate energy in the mini-hydro and other alternate uses of energy. We’ve identified Whati and Lutselk’e as communities that there is work that is quite a ways along. We recognize that there are others on the list to come, including Deline and the arrangements that could be made. I talked to the Member about Tulita. So the first focus in the budget reference was some of the ones that were further along in terms of the planning. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Discovery came to us with a request for $34 million. I understand, from what the Member is telling us, the Gwich’in offered 10. Discovery Air made a choice and they came to us with their proposal which we then considered. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Discovery Air came to us with an unsolicited proposal. We dealt with the company that came to us. We did not, nor do I think it was appropriate for us to try to sort out whatever things may have been going on outside of our purview in terms of other interests, other financing. We were aware the general credit market was very, very tight, that there was time constraints. The level of detail that the Member is asking about the Gwich’in and their plans and all the other possible players were not something that came to our table. Thank you.