Bill 7 is now ready for third reading. I thank the witnesses. We are dealing with Bill 8; An Act to Amend the Property Assessment and Taxation Act. I believe Madame Thompson will have opening remarks. Ms Thompson.

Thank you, Madam Minister. On behalf of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, I believe Mr. Picco, the honourable Member for Iqaluit, has an opening remark. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Infrastructure reviewed Bill 8; An Act to Amend the Property Taxation and Assessment Act, on September 23, 1998. The committee would like to thank the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and her deputy minister for presenting the bill. The bill extends the time period from nine to ten years within which a reassessment or a revision of the assessed value of assessable property must be carried out before the assessed value lapses. For properties within the General Taxation Area, the nine-year period ends October 31, 1998. Although the department has stated that assessments will be completed on time, there would be serious consequences if unforeseen events were to delay the completion. Bill 8 provides an extra level of comfort by extending the nine-year period to ten years.

The committee agrees that an extension will provide an extra degree of security, but stresses that regular and timely assessments are needed. The committee was also concerned that there were some communities within the General Taxation Area that may have not been assessed or have not paid any portion of property taxes due. Mr. Chairman, the department explained that all properties have been assessed and, although the collection rate is low in comparison to the total amount payable, the Department does adhere to accepted overdue collection procedures.

Mr. Chairman, following the committee's review, a motion was carried to report Bill 8; An Act to Amend the Property Assessment and Taxation Act, to the Assembly as ready for the committee of the Whole. Additional comments or questions of Members may be posed as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. We shall proceed. Madam Minister, do you wish to bring in the witnesses before we get into questions, general comments?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I would like to bring in my deputy minister.

Thank you. Do we agree?

Agreed.

Thank you. Proceed.

Thank you. For the record, Madam Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses to the committee?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left is my deputy minister, Bob McLeod.

Thank you. Welcome, Mr. McLeod, to the committee. General comments. Detail. Clause-

by-clause. We are dealing with Bill 8; An Act to Amend the Property Assessment and Taxation Act. Page 1, clause 1. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Bill as a whole. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Does the committee agree that Bill 8 is ready for third reading. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Bill 8 is ready for third reading, and I would like to thank the honourable Minister and her witness for appearing before the committee. Thank you. Does the committee agree that we proceed with Bill 9; Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1998-99?

Agreed.

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 requests authority for additional appropriations of $22,726,040 made up of $14,943,410 for operations and maintenance expenditures and $7,783,050 for capital expenditures. These supplementary funding requirements include approximately $4.4 million that will be offset by new revenues or other means. As a result, the net funding requirement is $18.3 million. A number of inter-department transfers and transfers between operations and maintenance, and capital appropriations are also included in the supplementary appropriations which do not require additional funding.

The additional appropriations have been partially provided for in the estimated supplementary appropriation requirements included in the 1998-99 main estimates. The total supplementary appropriations, year to date, to exceed the original reserve; however, as a result of the revised revenue forecast and revenue offsets included in the supplementary appropriations, we do forecast yes, a balanced budget for 1998-99. The operations and maintenance appropriation requirements include: $9 million to address the shortfall in the fire suppression budget. This is the result of the extreme forest fire season with significantly more fires than in the previous three years. The capital appropriation requirements include $2.9 million to lease and renovate temporary facilities and establish a new capital project to replace the Cambridge Bay high school recently destroyed by fire. This funding will be offset by a recovery from the government's insurer that requires $2.1 million to address a shortfall in capital projects undertaken by Education, Culture and Employment. The department has been directed to negotiate with the Government of Canada for the recovery of $900,000 in additional costs associated with the construction of a French school in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. I am informed there was no committee report. This bill is referred right to the committee of the whole. Before we get into general comments, I would like to ask the Minister to bring in the witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I hope they are here, but if not I will be able to handle the bill until such time as they arrive. Thank you.

Thank you. General comments from the membership. Do you want to go into the detail book, Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 2? Mr. Krutko.