Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally, I would follow up my stunning Member’s statement with a grilling and analytical question to the appropriate Minister. However, I have constituents and indeed a whole community, the community of Nahanni Butte, who are waiting on the Minister of MACA and this government’s decision on the creation of a gymnasium in Nahanni Butte.
---Applause
Yeah!
At what stage, Mr. Speaker, is the planning and the class D estimate for the gymnasium project in Nahanni Butte?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Return To Question 1-15(4): Gymnasium For Nahanni Butte
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not surprised that this question has come forward. Mr. Speaker, the capital planning dollars that were allocated this year for the planning, and for the next coming years, are something that we want to discuss with the appropriate committee. Also, the dollars allocated for the municipal and rural infrastructure funding is also part of that discussion we would like to have. We have drafted letters requesting some time with the committee to make that presentation. I would like to be able to do that before I announce to this House where we are at with the actual projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Supplementary To Question 1-15(4): Gymnasium For Nahanni Butte
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would this discussion with the committees include any plan about how this government plans to have adequate recreational facilities in our communities and their long-term plans for that, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.
Further Return To Question 1-15(4): Gymnasium For Nahanni Butte
Mr. Speaker, our discussion is around the actual projects required in communities, some of the decisions or some of the allocations for projects that we have identified. We would like to be able to discuss that with the committee. We would like to explain and present our decisions and how we arrived at the certain projects or different projects that are on our list and how we see the money flying for future years. So there are things we would like to be able to present to the committee. The letter was just signed off by myself yesterday. I hope to do that as soon as possible, pending the committee’s time frame. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Supplementary To Question 1-15(4): Gymnasium For Nahanni Butte
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to hear that response from the Minister of MACA. Indeed, with the federal government passing the budget, there is all this money that we have been waiting on; the gas money, the green money, the infrastructure money, the non-tax-based money. I am sure we can find some room in here for a gymnasium for Nahanni Butte. Perhaps the Minister can tell this House again at what stage the planning is at. In the springtime, he committed to a class D estimate. Is it going to be done this year?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.
Further Return To Question 1-15(4): Gymnasium For Nahanni Butte
Mr. Speaker, some of the dollars, I should clarify, have not been 100 percent approved yet. There has been some discussion with MRIF. That agreement has been signed, however, it still requires final reading by the federal government. We still require the federal government committee that has members from our MACA staff on it to review the projects that we bring forward. We would like to bring those projects to the standing committee to review, so we are still a little ways from where the Member would like us to be.
This year we have money allocated for planning and that’s what we are working around to start the design and look at the class D estimate, as the Member has referred to. As soon as we have approval from this committee and from our management committee that will be reviewing all of our submissions, those things will happen over the summer.
We have not come forward formally with any decision on how the allocation breakdown should be on the gas tax money. We have a working group that has met a number of times that includes members from the tax-based municipalities and also our non-tax-based municipalities. We have not broken down and decided on the formula. We have to do that yet. We expect to have something agreed upon by this summer, so there are still a number of decisions that have to be made. We are working on it. There are, however, some recommendations that we would like to bring forward for review by the committee on the capital funding from this government and also from MRIF. So those things we would like to bring forward for discussion to the committee before we proceed to the class D estimate, as the Member has requested.
