Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is responsible for the development and maintenance of community governments that is responsive to the needs of residents, with sufficient legal authority and resources to carry out community responsibilities, to provide their public programs and services essential to good community life and to deal effectively with other governments and organizations. The department is also responsible for protecting the interests of consumers.
The Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development met with the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and his staff on Monday, January 22, 2001, to review the department's 2001-2002 main estimates.
The committee noted a $58,000 projected decrease in operations expense from the department's 2001-2004 business plans. Changes from the business plan include:
- • a $562,000 increase in compensation and benefits arising from the recent UNW collective agreement;
- • a reduction of $14,000 in amortization estimates;
- • a decrease of $1,665,000 in Financial Management Board (FMB) approvals representing a transfer to the department's capital expenditure program to pay for solid waste and water system upgrades in various communities;
- • a $437,000 increase to help community governments to offset increased operating expenses caused by the increase in world fuel prices; and
- • an increase of $622,000 transferred from other departments to help pay for increases in compensation and benefits, and other operations.
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Chair, committee members noted a $1,665,000 increase in the department's capital acquisition plan from the department's 2001-2004 business plan compared to the department's 2001-2002 main estimates to pay for water and sewer upgrades in various communities.
There were no adjustments in the department's revenue projections from their business plan. However, the department's 2001-2004 business plan had already incorporated increases in fees proposed in the government's program and functional review. There was an increase to the land document fees, and a plan review fee was adopted and will be applied to projects in communities where this service is not provided at the community level.