Thank you, Mr. Nitah. I didn't hear any questions there per se or comments, but do you want to respond Mr. Steen?
Debates of Feb. 21st, 2003
This is page numbers 231 - 260 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th 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
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 247
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 247
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I think I responded to the point the Member raised again yesterday. However, since our discussions yesterday, I went over with the department why Fort Resolution wasn't earlier in the schedule.
What I have back from the department is that Transportation has already crushed material for Resolution. It is stockpiled there. They are not charging us at this time for that work but the material is stockpiled there for future use. Transportation has advised us that when they're doing the actual chip sealing part of the program, they try to arrange it so that they hit as many communities in an area as possible to bring the costs of the chipsealing machinery down. They own chipsealing equipment but it is only for repairs rather than for the actual laying of the chipsealing. The Member was right when he said that chipsealing is generally contracted to private enterprise. They do supply the chipsealing material. So what Transportation is trying to do is tie chipsealing in one community with chip sealing or crushing that they are doing in other areas.
I advised the Member yesterday, and I will confirm it again, that we are re-looking at this whole schedule, I mean, it is in the early stages of the whole program. We are looking again at how we can reschedule some of the other communities, if in fact it is possible. I don't guarantee anything here, but I do say that we can go over with Transportation what the cost would be to do a certain community in relation to where their equipment is. We have to keep in mind that although we manage to convince the government that chipsealing is an urgent need in the communities in relation to dust control, they have allocated only a certain amount of money for this. I am hoping that with the success that we are achieving even at this early stage with four communities, that we will be able to go back and show the government that there is a need for more funding and a need to step up the program. At this point in time, I am limited to a certain amount of dollars in this fiscal year. It is not my decision alone that decides what communities are being done, like I pointed out before. It's not my decision alone, it has to be in relation to where the other activities of Transportation are taking place. That's the only thing that makes it viable. Otherwise, we are talking millions and millions of dollars and we don't have that. I understand the concern of the Member and I will do what I can. I will work with him to see if it's possible somehow to do his communities. But, again, I can't base decisions on politics, otherwise his argument that I am doing this in favour of my communities will be valid and I am not doing it that way. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 247
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 247
Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Minister communicating with the Department of Transportation to come to a realization that there is chipsealing happening there. My argument, Mr. Chairman, is not just for my communities. My argument, Mr. Chairman, is how government approaches its responsibility. It's an attitude that this government goes and runs with. You should feel privileged that we are delivering programs and services to you. We are doing things and you should be happy. That is the wrong attitude from government. It conjures negative feelings in communities that replicates itself. It contributes to the low self-esteem of our communities and our people. We must start changing our attitudes.
I am not just talking about Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e. Every community has problems with dust issues. How we approach this particular responsibility is troubling to me. We never thought it through. We let our financial restrictions dictate how we think. Every community needs it. So what's the answer? We have the equipment, so we will do them first when we should have thought there is an issue here. There is an issue with dust and how it relates to our health. Let's determine what the dust levels are across the Territories in communities. Let's discuss with the communities, here is your dust level, this is more information, this is how much it's going to cost. We don't have the money now, but we will help you do your job so we can address the issue as soon as possible, not 10 years down the road, not 20 years down the road, but as soon as possible.
Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith at a global level. A good percentage of the world did it with Kyoto. We don't know what it means. We don't know what the effect is going to be with us as individuals and societies, the cost to our governments and institutions, but it was the right thing to do so we went with it. Not all of us agreed with it, but as a society, we went with it. This is something similar to that, just localized. That's what I am talking about, Mr. Chairman.
In fact, Mr. Chairman, I would like to call progress until we can deal with this more effective through a motion, so that we can change the department's way of dealing with this particular issue and so we can go to the communities and let them know we are dealing with their issue of dust control and that we will be dealing with it in a coordinated long-term plan.
The schedule that was given to me, half the communities are not even on it, yet those communities have dust problems in their communities as well. Because of our limited thinking, not thinking outside of the box, we are denying them the hope and opportunity to do something about that problem. That's what I am talking about, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
The Chair Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Are you making a motion? Does the committee agree we continue with detail?
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
The Chair Paul Delorey
Directorate
We are dealing with MACA, directorate, grants and contributions, page 4-11. We are on page 4-9, directorate, operations expense, total operations expense, $3.996 million.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
The Chair Paul Delorey
Page 4-11, directorate, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $225,000.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
The Chair Paul Delorey
Page 4-13, community financial services, operations expense, total operations expense, $4.957 million.
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Applause
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
The Chair Paul Delorey
Community financial services, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $3.75 million. Mr. Dent.
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Charles Dent Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, under cost-shared water/sewer projects, tax-based communities, I see that we have the same amount in this budget as we had in last year's main estimates. I would like to get an indication from the Minister, if I could, why we are showing zero in the revised estimates? Were there no projects for the $2.5 million we had in the budget for this year that were funded? What are the projects that are going to be funded with the $2.5 million shown for the 2003-04 main estimates?
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 248
Delancey
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The $2.5 million is not shown in the revised main estimates because on an annual basis, this money is included at headquarters, but once we have actually determined the allocations to the tax-based communities, then we move that budget into the regional operations. So in the revised main estimates, this $2.5 million would show up in the regions, allocated among the six communities. Similarly, what we've done is invited the six tax-based municipalities to make applications. We are in the process of reviewing those. Once the decisions are made, the budget will be moved out to the regional operations accordingly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
community Financial Services
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 249