The Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development met with the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, RWED, on January 13, 2005, to review the 2005-2006 Draft Main Estimates. The restructuring of RWED into two new departments will occur in the new fiscal year but had yet to divide as of this report. In this unique year, the main estimates of the departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment, ITI, and Environment and Natural Resources, ENR, were reviewed simultaneously by the committee and defended by the Minister of RWED.
The mandate of the Minister and Department of ENR is to promote and support the sustainable use and development of natural resources and to protect, conserve and enhance the NWT environment for the social and economic benefit of all NWT residents.
Working Relationship
As the days of the Department of Resources Wildlife and Economic Development come to a close, the committee would like to commend the Minister and the department for considering and implementing many of the committee's recommendations.
The committee has also appreciated the briefings and updates provided by the Minister throughout the restructuring process. The sharing of information has been appreciated and contributes greatly towards forming a strong working relationship.
The committee looks forward to having the same rapport with the two new departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Environment and Natural Resources.
Cost Of Restructuring
The committee appreciates that the government restructured RWED into the two new departments to improve program delivery. The committee also appreciates the difficulty in trying to quantify the cost of restructuring versus the cost of lost opportunity. However, the fact remains that the creation of Environment and Natural Resources alone will cost the government $1.074 million in ongoing costs. The committee is concerned about this expenditure.
The committee recommends that the government investigate how to further mitigate this expenditure as well as the ongoing restructuring costs for Industry Tourism and Investment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.