This is page numbers 965 - 1056 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

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Total executive offices, not previously authorized, $200,000.

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Mr. Krutko.

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I get the permission of the House to go back to page 10, regional operations?

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Mr. Krutko is seeking permission to go back to page 10, Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures. Does the committee agree?

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1048

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Department Of Municipal And Community Affairs

Bill 18: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Go back to page 10, Municipal and Community Affairs, operation expenditures. Mr. Krutko.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th, 2003

Page 1049

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Chairman, I would like to move a motion. I move that this committee recommends that the Minister of Finance and chairman of the Financial Management Board file a report with the Legislative Assembly in the fall session for the $1.3 million expenditure relating to the road reconstruction in Tuktoyaktuk which details the approval process and criteria used to ensure compliance with the Financial Administration Act.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

The motion has been circulated. The motion is on the floor. To the motion.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Department Of Executive

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

We will go back to page 20. Executive, capital investment expenditures, total for executive offices, $200,000, not previously authorized.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Financial Management Board Secretariat

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Page 21, Financial Management Board Secretariat, executive, capital investment expenditures, directorate, not previously authorized, $324,000.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Mr. Krutko.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the whole idea that the government was gong to get out of the housing market, that decision was made during the 13th Assembly. This program seems like it's always coming back by supplementaries and the government is still expending money in this area. Have we looked at an employee housing purchasing program to see if there is a way we can offer these units to the private sector to have those units available to the teachers, nurses or people who provide a public service to the community, so the communities can maintain this asset, but also offer the requirement that seems to have a major affect in our communities, especially when it comes to providing houses to resource people we depend on in our communities? Has anything been done to look at transferring these units to the local housing authority or to the local Housing Corporation that can take on this responsibility and we, as a government, can get out of this once and for all, but allow the public sector to take it on?

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Chairman, we have a policy in the government where we will buy back a government employee's house if they will purchase a house in the community. The reason for having this policy is to encourage employees to buy. When we buy it back, we buy it back at a market value. We put it back on the market at market value. If someone in the community wanted to buy the house, there would be no need for us to buy it back. They could purchase it.

If we buy the house, we want to get our money back out of it, but if the house is surplus to our needs and it's sitting there empty but we own it, then certainly we would consider making it available for rent to someone else. If the hamlet/band council want to buy back the unit rather than us, we would be pleased to do that.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Krutko.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we all know that this probably just doesn't seem to want to go away. We think we have one problem solved by offering the employment housing purchasing program and then we find that we don't have the ability to build houses or provide housing to accommodate people in our communities, not only the residents of our communities but the people we depend on to provide public service. Has the government really seriously taken a close look at this along with the Housing Corporation and started changing some of the criteria that we know is not realistic? It seems like we are continuing to see these purchases come through a supplementary. Is there an easier way to purchase these units? I don't know how many times we purchase these units over and above... I know in other communities, we continue to see these units being purchased back by government, say when a teacher leaves and someone else comes back and takes on the unit. Then they leave and we are purchasing back. It seems like it's an ongoing cycle that doesn't seem to end. So I would just like to ask the Minister, is there any work being done to look at this program to see how we can deal with the housing shortages in our communities and get out of this program and replace it with something that is more user-friendly than going through this cycle? Has the department looked at alternatives?

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Voytilla.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

Voytilla

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we are currently very actively looking at alternatives to deal with this in a broader issue with respect to housing availability. Certainly this program is one we've maintained and we want to maintain it until we have an alternative in place because it has promoted the entry into homeownership of many of our employees. To date, we've generally been able to resell or productively use the units that we have had to reacquire. But as the Member pointed out, the issue is more of an ongoing and broader concern and we do have a task team that is currently looking at housing issues broadly, including the housing requirements of our staff in smaller communities. We are looking at ways of getting more private sector rental housing into the communities at an affordable rent level that will attract tenants. That committee is aggressively studying a number of options and bringing them forward we hope in the next few months for government consideration.

Committee Motion 125-14(6): To Report On $1.3 Million Project For The Tuktoyaktuk Road Reconstruction, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

June 12th

Page 1049

The Chair

The Chair Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Voytilla. Mrs. Groenewegen.