Debates of May 22nd, 1996

This is page numbers 537 - 581 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.

Topics

Members Present
Item 1: Prayer
Transportation Agenda Update (1996): Creating Opportunities Through Partnerships
Appointment Of Supreme Court Judge For Nunavut
Construction Of Hospitals For Inuvik And Baffin
Need For Baffin Regional Director
Tough Decisions In Times Of Fiscal Restraint
Congratulating Baker Lake And Arviat Graduates
Reinstatement Of Public Speaking In The Classroom
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Rationale For Sale And Lease Of Staff Housing
Criteria For Sale/purchase Of Staff Housing
Interaction Between Premier's Panel And Resource Management Committee
Cbc Report On Possibility Of Civil Service Strike
Financial Assistance For Medical Students
Replacement Generator For Iqaluit
Responsibility For Maintenance Of NWT Highways
Item 12: Reports Of Committees On The Review Of Bills
Item 13: Tabling Of Documents
Bill 14: Legislative Assembly And Executive Council Act, No. 3
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 20: Report Of Committee Of The Whole
Item 22: Orders Of The Day

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. I have the honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Roland.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the area of community development, more for information, what is the size of a community or the population of a community that is required when it comes to the upgrade of facilities; for example, right from your basic level community, up? At a certain number of population, does the facility increase and the level of facilities within a community increase; for example, the community of Sachs Harbour and Inuvik, in comparison then to, say, Yellowknife?

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mrs. Thompson.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to refer the question to Vern Christensen.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Mr. Christensen.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Christensen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is no population figure per se that determines the communities eligible for funding under our capital programs. What determines whether a community is eligible or not is whether it's listed as one of the eligible communities in the policies that we have; our settlement capital assistance policy or our municipal capital assistance policy. They range from small communities to large communities. Within each of our capital programs themselves, there are, depending on the size of the population, communities eligible for certain sizes of facilities. For instance, if a community has a population greater than 400 people, it becomes eligible for a community arena. If it's less than 400 people, it's only eligible for an outdoor skating rink, for example, according to our standards and criteria.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Christensen. Mr. Roland.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Does this funding also apply to O and M, this sort of a breakdown?

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mrs. Thompson.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will ask Mr. Christensen to reply to that.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Mr. Christensen.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Christensen

Mr. Chairman, we have two complementary funding programs to the capital funding programs: again, a settlement operating assistance policy and our municipal operating assistance program. For the non-tax-based communities, the funding, again, in those instances is related to population and related to the facilities that they have in the communities. So it's dependent on population and the types of facilities they have in the communities, primarily. The larger municipalities -- the villages, towns and cities -- receive funding by way of a grant in lieu of property taxes and equalization payments funding which is structured differently on a formula basis.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Christensen. Mr. Roland.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, I take it that in all of these formulas, whether a settlement or a community or a tax-based municipality, the population doesn't play a role in any of this?

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mrs. Thompson.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Mr. Chairman, I believe that the population plays a role. I will ask Mr. Christensen to reply to that also.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Mr. Christensen.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 574

Christensen

Yes, on the O and M funding, population is a factor as it's one of the factors that needs to

be put into the formula, and the more people there are in the community, the greater the funding is that's provided.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Christensen. Mr. Roland.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Now, when you start working the population into these figures, is there a certain number that changes? For every 200 extra people who are within a community, a town or a city, does the rate increase?

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mrs. Thompson.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will ask Mr. Christensen to reply to that.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Mr. Christensen.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

Christensen

Mr. Chairman, the formula has a number of factors in it. Perhaps I could cite one example being a calculation relating to protective services. If the population is less than 350 people, there is a certain amount of money that's added in the formula. If the population is between 350 and 700 people, there is another amount; or, if it's greater than 700 people, it's a different amount again. Those populations will be different for different parts of the funding formula. Other parts of the formula are just directly related to population on a per capita basis, and the amount of funding per capita doesn't change. It's just the number of people times a factor to equal the amount of money that would be distributed to that particular community.

Committee Report 2-13(3): Standing Committee On Infrastructure Report On The Review Of The 1996-97 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 575

The Chair

The Chair Vince Steen

Thank you, Mr. Christensen. Mr. Roland.