Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, what the department does is allocate $350,000 initially to each of the regions. There are, for this purpose, five regions: the North Slave, the South Slave, Deh Cho, Inuvik and Sahtu. Each of those gets $350,000. There is $579,000 that is held in headquarters. Then it is reallocated depending on demand and interest. Thank you.
Debates of June 26th, 2000
This is page numbers 133 - 184 of the Hansard for the 14th 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
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 164
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 164
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Delorey.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 26th, 2000
Page 164
Paul Delorey Hay River North
What I am asking is, I was looking at the Business Development Fund from April, 1998, to March 31st, 1999. Out of a total appropriation of $9,390,000, Hay River received $326,000, and more than half of that was to the fishing industry. That does not seem like a very fair distribution of funds, as far as promoting business across the Northwest Territories.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 164
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Handley.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 164
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, there is a separate fund of $390,000, which is above the BDF money. That goes to support commercial fishing. That money is in addition to the $2.3 million for business development. So in the South Slave, for example, there is $390,000 for commercial fishermen and $350,000 for business development, which is separate.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 164
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Delorey.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Paul Delorey Hay River North
In a different area, I had been talking earlier this year about agriculture, and agriculture at least got a mention in the budget speech and in the Common Ground document. Is there any money at all specifically earmarked for agriculture this year?
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Handley.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, there is some money in the South Slave region that is earmarked for it, but it is the only region that has any money right now. The intention of the department during this year is to work with some of the municipal areas to help them put together their agricultural policies and their proposals.
Other than a small amount in the South Slave, there is no other agriculture money identified in the department. Thank you.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Delorey.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Paul Delorey Hay River North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Going back to that Business Development Fund for a minute, the amounts I was referring to were the amounts that we put out through the fund from April 1, 1998, to March 31, 1999. It does not seem to be any kind of split, or any fairness in where the money goes. I know from the area I come from, there have been a lot of people complaining they could not get any money. I do not think it is a matter of them not applying. I am just wondering why so little amount of funds went to that area. If that same split is used, out of the $2 million that is left, I do not see Hay River getting much of that for any business there that would be interested in getting money.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Handley.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, the total BDF is $2.3 million. That is divided up into $350,000 for each of the five regions. I am not sure the report that you were looking at before... are you mixing up the Business Credit Corporation loans? Is that the report that you are looking at?
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Please go through the Chair, Mr. Handley.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Joe Handley Weledeh
Yes. Mr. Chairman. The BDF money is divided equally between each of the regions, $350,000 to each region. Then there is $579,000 that is held in headquarters. That $579,000 is reallocated, depending on demand and interest. So each is entitled to a fair share with the balance being given to regions who are seeing more activity, as some additional support. Thank you.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Delorey.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Paul Delorey Hay River North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am referring to Tabled Document 12-14(2), tabled on February 24th, 2000. The amount I am referring to is the total approved in that report, $9,390,310, in the Business Development Fund.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Handley, do you wish to answer that?
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, I think that we are just getting a little confused. The report the Member is looking at is for 1998-1999, I believe that would have been the last year of the Northern Employment Strategy money, when there was considerably more money. There was a major reduction the following year.
So in terms of the grants that were made out, then those would be based on applications received. If it is lower in one region than another, then I would guess that it is because there were fewer applications that were received or approved. Thank you.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Mr. Delorey.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Paul Delorey Hay River North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The reason I was pointing it out is because the figures did not seem to have much fairness or jive very much. In all fairness, I did not add up the other communities in it, but that seemed to be awfully low for Hay River.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Thank you, Mr. Delorey. We are working with the 2000-2001 main estimates now, not the previous years. Do you wish to answer that last question, Mr. Handley?
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
The Chair Leon Lafferty
Thank you. Any further questions, Mr. Delorey? Mr. McLeod is next on the list.
Committee Motion 6-14(3): To Defer Activity, Corporate Management, Rwed (carried)
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 165
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
Thank you. I want to ask a question regarding Kakisa and Tatlina Lakes. There has been commercial fishing going on, I believe since the 1960s. Over the last couple of years, there has been a real decline in the fish stocks. I understand there is a study to be conducted this summer. I was wondering if your department is involved with the study?