Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister who will be providing that for us. In regards to this funding, the infrastructure deficit, does this funding allow communities to purchase or build homes for staff so they can get quality people in to the communities and give them homes so that they can do the work that's needed? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Does the department with this money have rules and guidelines for the projects that each community can and cannot do? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my big thing is that, if we're only going back to status quo, we're not going to move ahead. That's my biggest challenge. Yes, I understand the facility was built in 1953, but we need to be looking outside the box, and here's an opportunity. I would hope the Minister will work with this department to develop something for the future so, when these opportunities do come available, it's outside the major centres and it'll have an impact on the smaller communities. So thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate it. Yesterday, the Minister was talking about I think heavy equipment operators' facility thing there and saying that 60 per cent territorial government, 40 per cent federal government. My biggest struggle is why is this program being put in Fort Smith or utilizing the money in Fort Smith, where it cannot sit at the end of the road? Why couldn't it be located in maybe Fort Providence, where there is a lot of highways or Fort Simpson, as there are a lot of highways there available and a lot of industry available? So I'm asking why this was done this way...

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. With this plan, the protocol, the process, will this plan actually be sent to us or do we have to wait till we receive it in February when we're sitting again? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. What cost has the department or the government paid to date for this facility? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess my concern is we talked about lows of three and 18, and we're talking about rehabilitation as a priority and focusing on that.

I'm a bit concerned that we're going to spend a lot of money and it's going to become like the youth corrections here, in Yellowknife. So did the department look at that facility that was being built for the one that was built already and look at using that as the correction and then making a smaller young offenders home in Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for his answer, and I understand he has a busy schedule so I appreciate that. Will he be able to make a commitment to potentially do this tour, work permitted, do it in January?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I was actually really impressed with those numbers considering I heard numbers lower than that before, so I'm very happy to hear that. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide us with what other work went to local companies, small businesses, in that area for this contract? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I again thank the Minister for his answer. It was a little bit short and it could have been more elaborate, but we'll work on that. Mr. Speaker, last session I spoke about how the department was able to guarantee that companies' commitment was upheld for northern involvement. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please explain to this House what mechanisms are used to ensure Northern involvement are in these contracts?