Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, the investigation is still underway. I understand Transport Canada officials, the inspector, was in Hay River early in September to interview crew members as part of the investigation. I have yet to see any reports, preliminary or otherwise.

I will commit to the Member for the Sahtu and all the affected…. In fact, I’ll update all the Members once we get the report. Given the concern and the fact that this is a major river flowing down through the Mackenzie Valley, we’ll share that information with all the MLAs.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Ms. Margaret Melhorn, Mr. John Monroe and Ms. Lana Birch from Finance, FMB.

Yes.

Mr. Chairman, we know what space is available in Inuvik. We know that it’s in small quantums scattered across the buildings that are available, that there’s no single space that’s big enough. We know that the one offer that we did have had a $38 million premium attached to it. We know that our current portfolio is 93 per cent leased, 7 per cent that we own. That is a balance not recommended by anybody in terms of having a balanced portfolio so that you can have room to move and adjust your needs and not be caught or held to the fact that you’ve got no flexibility because all your eggs are in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. After that impassioned plea I’ll ask Minister Michael McLeod if he would care to respond to that specific request.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll refer that question to Minister Michael McLeod.

Mr. Chairman, for the record let me restate that the building that ENR was in is being fitted up, as was pointed out in this House this evening and earlier today, to be the Community Learning Centre in Inuvik, which had to shut down because the building they were in was no longer habitable. The commitment that the government has to the private sector in Inuvik is substantial. Ninety-three per cent of all the space that we have in Inuvik is leased or rented from the private sector. We know that the Perry Building is month to month. The rest of the detail of all the other leases I’ve committed...

The design is a metal clad building on a foundation suitable for an unheated environment on permafrost.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There’s been no formal assessment done of the nature that the Member has characterized.

There are two factors, of course. There is the condition of the road and the condition of the vehicle. We have, clearly, responsibility for the condition of the road and the maintenance that we provide. But as I indicated, the normal course of practice is that we don’t pay out for complaints for damages for people just driving on a road that we are maintaining. The other question that we don’t have a lot of awareness of, of course, is that when we get a complaint, the condition of the vehicle may be involved, that resulted in the complaint. That’s the current status. Thank you.