Debates of Nov. 6th, 2001

This is page numbers 659 - 727 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 4th 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

Amendments To Highway Investment Strategy

The Proposed Human Rights Act

The Highway Troll Fairy Tale

Hay River Family Support Centre

Support For The Oil And Gas Industry

Support For Wildlife Harvesters

Highway Investment Issues

Plans To Return Home To The Inuvik Boot Lake Constituency

St. John Ambulance Investiture Ceremonies

Gwich'in Tribal Council Meetings In Ottawa

Human Organ And Tissue Donor Program

Highway Taxation Limitations

Clawback Of The Federal Child Benefit Supplement

Deh Cho First Nations Leadership Meeting

Acknowledgement Of Canadian Rangers And Junior Rangers

Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Costs Of Community Harvests

Redesign Of The Highway Investment Strategy

GNWT Contracting Policies

Oil And Gas Training In The South Mackenzie

Organ Donor Identification

Family Support Centre Funding

Examination Of The Highway Investment Strategy

Status Of Forest Resources Inventory

Protecting The Safety Of Highway Users

GNWT Contract Budgeting Process

Rental Accommodation For Income Support Clients

Organ Donor Identification

Community-based Resource Development Funding

Approach For Investing In Highways

Written Question 9-14(4): Workers' Compensation Board Fiscal Policies

Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Tabled Document 73-14(4): Northwest Territories Emergency Plan

Tabled Document 74-14(4): Investing In The Future Of Northerners, Northwest Territories Development Corporation 2000-2001 Annual Report

Tabled Document 75-14(4): Interim Manufacturing Directive

Tabled Document 76-14(4): Evolving Education For An Evolving North: Aurora College Annual Report, 2000-2001

Tabled Document 77-14(4): Letters Of Support For The Premier And Staff

Tabled Document 78-14(4): Comments By Sheila Macpherson, Solicitor For Premier Kakfwi, Regarding The Report Of The Special Committee On Conflict Process

Tabled Document 79-14(4): Northwest Territories Power Corporation Annual Report 2000-2001

Appointment To The Standing Committee On Accountability And Oversight And The Board Of Management

Setting Of Sitting Hours By The Speaker

Appointment To The Standing Committee On Accountability And Oversight And The Board Of Management (carried)

Setting Of Sitting Hours By The Speaker (carried)

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

To Adopt Tabled Document 42-14(4)

To Institute A Supplementary Pension Plan (carried)

To Repeal Section 32 Of The Elections Act (carried)

That Elections NWT Develop A Permanent List Of Electors (carried)

That Elections NWT Develop An Automated Enumeration Data Entry And Retrieval System (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Reduce The Nomination Period To Five Days (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act Respecting Candidates Withdrawing Their Nomination (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Repeal Revision Day And Substitute Revision Period (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Eliminate Photo Placards (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Provide Write-in Ballots For Voting By Mail (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act Respecting Advance Polls (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Eliminate Proxy Voting (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Permit Returning Officers To Vote (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Establish Special Mobile Voting Stations (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act Respecting Refund Of Candidates' Deposit (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Provide For A 28 Day Electoral Event (carried)

To Adopt The General And Technical Recommendations In Cr 7-14(4), Pp 10-11 (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act To Provide For The Appointment Of A Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (carried)

To Amend The Elections Act Respecting Returning Officer Appointment Expiration (carried)

That The Chief Electoral Officer May Re-appoint A Returning Officer (carried)

That The Preliminary List Of Electors No Longer Be Posted (carried)

That Special Ballots Be Available (carried)

That Candidate Returns Be Available For Public Inspection (carried)

That An Elector May Decline To Vote (carried)

That An Elector Must Swear Or Affirm Eligibility To Vote (carried)

That An Elector May Vote In Polling Division Where Resident (carried)

To Repeal Section 51(3)(a) Of The Elections Act (carried)

That The Poll Clerk Shall Witness Deputy Returning Officer Providing Assistance (carried)

That Mail-in Ballots Be Changed To Special Ballots (carried)

That Incarcerated Electors Vote By Special Ballot (carried)

Eligibility Of Electors In A By-election (carried)

To Amend The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly To Add Rule 27(3) (carried)

To Amend Rule 85 (2)(c) Of The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly (carried)

Item 20: Report Of The Committee Of The Whole

To Amend Rule 85(2)(c) Of The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly

To Amend The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly

To Amend Rule 85(2)(c) Of The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly (carried)

To Amend The Rules Of The Legislative Assembly (carried)

Bill 8: An Act To Amend The Motor Vehicles Act

Bill 14: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2001-2002

Assent To Bills

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 695

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would just like to know if the Minister has some different wording for the forced growth and expenditures resulting from significant increases in the cost of heating fuel and power in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Chairman, I will ask Mr. Voytilla to give us the detail on this one as he did with the other department. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Voytilla.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Voytilla

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a reconciliation that we provided to the committee as part of the additional information. Health and Social Services had been able to build in on fuel price increases into the budget, $74,000, which related to Stanton. They had that information in time to get it into the main estimates. They then accumulated the information for the balance of the Health and Social Services boards. That appeared in Supplementary Appropriation No. 1. That was another $910,000 for health and social services facilities in the Northwest Territories.

This is the balance of the requirement this year that they are requesting. In total, their request is over a million dollars, about $1,300,000, a million and some of which has already been submitted and approved.

This particular $370,000 is $131,000 for -- I believe the fuel price increase, they had not calculated before and received funding for, and $247,000 relative to power rate increases. That is the additional information that we have for the Member.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Voytilla. Primary and acute care programs, not previously authorized, $1,470,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Total department, not previously authorized, $1,420,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

We will go to Justice, operations expenditures, services to government, not previously authorized, $25,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Paul Delorey

Public legal services, not previously authorized, $223,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Paul Delorey

Community justice and corrections, not previously authorized, $62,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Total department, not previously authorized, $310,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

We will go to the NWT Housing Corporation, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, $1,300,000. Mr. Roland.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just in this area, and I will go back to the Minister's budget address where he states that in fact, in this fiscal year, we are operating, and I go back to Hansard, page 1014, February 15, 2001:

In fact, this budget includes almost one million dollars in additional funding to the Housing Corporation to pay the increased fuel costs for public housing and a million to maintain power support programs.

So we have already, in this fiscal year we are in, increased our budget limits by a million dollars and now, through this, we are again seeking another $1.3 million. I must say that the information the Minister provided us when it comes to actual prices of heating fuel and so on are somewhat dated. That just does not help the process. For example, we get information to help us look at this -- the petroleum products division retail price list, prices effective November 1, 1996. The latest one we have, sort of an up-to-date, goes to January 1, 2001.

I mean, we are getting one set of information when we raise this and we have to go through this process here to try to get more detail, so I would like to know in this one, what has -- give me some numbers that would set off the increases that are above and beyond the increase that were built into the budget that we are operating with in this fiscal year? Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Chairman, the budget for the Housing Corporation was increased by $967,000, almost a million dollars, as the Member referred to the budget address. Since then, we have had approximately a million dollar increase as a result of the electrical rate increases that we could not predict at that time. Then there is an additional $300,000 for additional fuel increases. I think the information we have here is consistent with what the Member has said. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What were the original estimates based on? What prices for fuel products was the initial budget based on? Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 696

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Chairman, the original $967,000 would have been based on the fuel increases that we were aware of at that time, so it takes us back to late summer/fall of 2000. The increases since that time are for any additional rate increases or fuel price increases that we have seen since.

Debates of Nov. 6th, 2001

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