Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had a conversation earlier with the Member, and I did receive this letter. So I have details of the specific incident that's given rise to these questions but the questions are ones that should be posed in the context of the work we're doing on the procurement review. Certainly no Minister who is responsible for any project wants to have to hear that, in fact, bids are not being received as we expect them, that the processes and policies we have in place are not being followed. Even vendor performance management, we don't want to have to use vendor...

I'll turn that over to the chief information officer, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, a company that is not BIPed can still receive a BIP adjustment. That is pursuant to one of the interpretive bulletins that's associated. If you go to the BIP web page, there's a whole list of interpretive bulletins. What it matters is whether or not there's Northwest Territories content or local content and if, in fact, there's so in other words, the company that's bidding on a contract, if they themselves aren't BIPed but their direct subcontractors are, including or if they have local content, they are still eligible to use the BIP adjustment or the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not privy to Infrastructure's plans for their dashboards for their projects but I can certainly take away the prospect of a dashboard for all of the IT projects that sit under Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't have that level of detail. But let me start with the deputy minister and someone at this table might.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, with me today are Bill MacKay, the deputy minister of finance, and Rick Wind, chief information officer.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, October 31st, 2022, I will present Bill 60: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not to my knowledge and, you know, and I expect that there wouldn't have been. I'm going back now somewhat in my memory now but there was early in early on I had spoken actually with proponents from Northwestel very early on in this stage, and it was quite clear to me that there's not a market case for this request. There's not a market for cell towers in this stretch of highway, even being the busiest. There's certainly not a market to cover the rest of the highways around the Northwest Territories or other rural remote regions all around Canada. And I...

My apologies, Mr. Speaker. No, that's not it either, Mr. Speaker. I am well equipped; it's here.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly can say that there are costs, if I understood correctly, that we do cover the cost of having we do cover the costs of internet service for obviously all government services in the Tlicho. The operating costs for cellular on the highway, Mr. Speaker, as of, I think earlier this year, they were estimated at being at least $500,000 per year. That does not include costs for inflation; it does not include necessarily any costs if fuel continues to go up. And, again, that right now would be a minimum if that is what was sought. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.