This is page numbers 273 to 310 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 2nd 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 communities.

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Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

This ’07-08 fiscal year still ends at the end of March. Later on in the session, we're going to be dealing with how we get from March to June. This budget, the dollars voted for the 2007-08 fiscal year and the authority to spend those dollars ends March 31, 2008.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Still on page 18, Industry, Tourism and Investment, Economic Development, not previously authorized: negative $1,864,000.

Industry, Tourism and Investment, Economic

Development, $1,864,000 approved.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Total Department, not previously authorized: negative $1,706,000. Agreed?

Total Department, $1,706,000 approved.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

February 12th, 2008

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Moving on to page 19, Environment and Natural Resources, Operations Expenditures, Corporate Management, not previously authorized: $375,000.

Environment and Natural Resources,

Corporate Management, $375,000 approved.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Total Department, not previously authorized: $375,000.

Total Department, $375,000 approved.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Moving on to page 20, Municipal and Community Affairs, Regional Operations, not previously authorized: $3,172,000.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

With regard to the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Agreement, I'd like to ask the Minister exactly what the time limit is on this agreement, what other projects are going to fall within this funding arrangement, and which communities are going to be benefiting from this program.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

This is an agreement that flows over a five-year period. The total amount of that was in the neighbourhood of $16 million. This flows through to a number of communities. For that information, it was split as well between tax-based and non–tax-based communities: 45 per cent to

tax-based communities and 55 per cent to non–tax-based communities is the way it’s worked out.

We don't identify, for example, what tax-based communities spend their money on. They have their plan to work on. As well, we have a new deal process we’ve worked out with a number of other communities.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs may be able to provide a bit more detail there.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

There is a number of projects that we have approved to date. I believe the Member is asking for a listing of those projects. Those are the Behchoko sewer main replacement, the Behchoko water treatment plant, the Behchoko vault replacement, the Behchoko solid waste disposal site, the Inuvik woodbox utilidor replacement, the Norman Wells water storage tank replacement, the Yellowknife corrugated metal pipe replacement, Fort Simpson water and sewer main replacement, the Fort Smith Water Treatment Plant upgrade, the Hay River sewage treatment lagoon upgrade and the Fort Smith intake ground stabilization and geotechnical assessment.

There is still a number of projects we’re looking at. Those are the implementation of the water treatment plants, and also the Nahanni Butte gym project, the Fort Smith Water Treatment Plant amendment and the city of Yellowknife wood pellet boiler project.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

I asked the question of how many years, and the Minister mentioned five years. When does it start and when does it end within that five years?

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Chairman, the program started in January 2005, so this is a continuation. It’s been adjusted as of recently. I believe it ends in five years, so it’d be 2010.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

I know there’s talk about another fund in regard to the Canadian building fund. Can these dollars — and also using the Canadian building fund dollars — be used jointly, or is this a separate fund altogether?

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Chairman, I believe they are separate funds. The Building Canada Fund needs the matching dollars from each jurisdiction to qualify. This one is separate from that.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

I believe that we do have very major infrastructure problems — our community especially. There’s federal legislation that’s being developed, or has been developed, looking at the possibility of having to process our grey water. Right now we just pump it out of a house, put it into a vehicle and put it into a sump. I think there’s talk about having to process that through a treatment facility.

Again, there’s going to be a major cost implication to communities, where you’re going to have to start treating your grey water. I’m just making the Premier aware that there are going to be implications, especially for smaller communities, non–tax-based communities, which will not be able to, unless we match some of these funds.

That’s why I asked the question of the possibility of matching or, basically, getting some money through the municipal infrastructure fund and maybe through that Building Canada Fund which can assist these small communities where you will have a major capital cost, especially if we have to force all our communities to go into the arrangement of having to treat grey water in all our communities. I think there is that financial implication that is coming, and I think we have to be ready for it.

Also, the problem we see from putting water treatment plants in communities where the costs have skyrocketed and where we’re realizing.… I believe we have ten communities on a list, and we’re only able to do five. Again, with the limited dollars we have, we have to be able to stretch it as far as we can.

I’d like to ask the Premier exactly.… I know we’re still in negotiations on the Building Canada Fund. Is that something we can bring forward to the federal government to see if we have the flexibility of doing that — being able to move this money around and also joining these two funding sources together for any large capital projects that may come in well over our allowable amounts, because we won’t able to match it, especially if we expect the small communities to match those projects.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

I have to go to the Minister responsible, the Minister of Community Affairs. He can give details on the overlap or how one fund affects another. Potentially, one may roll into the other. The question about the bundled projects or the…. Previously the Minister responded about bundled projects. That is one of the activities we’re looking at doing: how our infrastructure is not one project by one project. We found they cost substantially higher. But for the actual funding, how it rolls out and the impact on other dollars available, Mr. McLeod can provide that detail.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Chairman, this whole initiative was put in place by the federal government with a budget of $16 million over five years. It increased by an additional $3 million over the life of those five years.

Although it doesn’t state it, the MRIF program is completed. It’s expected that the new Building Canada Fund will replace it in terms of providing funding for infrastructure to the communities. It would be very unlikely that they would accept a project that’s been approved through the MRIF

process — that has an oversight committee that we have joint management on with the federal government, that we would be able to use the new money to steer it towards an already approved project. I would say the chances are going to be very slim. We haven’t signed the framework agreement yet. Once we do that and we start working on the funding agreement, the detail will become more clear. Thank you.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

I would like to ask again: would you consider that some communities may not be able to come up with the matching funds? We should have the flexibility or ask for the flexibility with the federal government in those circumstances that we do allow for some leeway. Again, I know people are perceiving a gas tax and whatnot. But again, the smaller your population, the less you get.

I think it’s important that we do look at that option and that we don’t totally exclude it from our negotiations. I’d like to get some assurance that maybe we’ll consider that in our discussions with the federal government.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Chairman, the Building Canada Fund, again, as the Minister pointed out, is going to continue on where this one changes. As well, there is an allocation identified, and this is the work that’s been ongoing in negotiations with the federal government. A portion of that is for municipal infrastructure; a portion of it is for transportation infrastructure. And there are a number of categories that are highlighted within that. Again, the Minister may have further detail on that.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Chairman, the Member’s concerns have been raised by the members of LGANT, the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories. They’ve also been brought forward by the N.W.T. Association of Communities.

One of the things that we’re trying to work out as we move forward on the discussions with the Building Canada Fund is how would the communities access the dollars that would be made available — whether it’s a formula funding process that we have now with the communities for the capital or would it be an application base so that we can enhance what they’re doing already and give them a little bit of breathing room.

We’re not quite there yet on how we’re going to do that. That’s something we’ll have to work out because we want to include the communities as we have those discussions.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

With regard to the way the funds are going to be rolled out, is that going to be base-plus funding in regard to having a base for communities to work off of and then maybe look at population on top of that? I know that process. We have done that

in the past in regard to the last Assembly. And I think that way did work.

I think that having a base to work off makes it more workable for communities to do capital projects in communities. I would just like to know: is that program going to be base-plus funded?

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

The arrangement between ourselves and the federal government has a base to it. As we proceed from our end to communities looking at project by project, that changes how it flows. But there is potential that it can recognize the difference in community size as well. The Minister, again, can add more detail.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Chairman, we have confirmation from our government that they will be going into two different areas: transportation and municipal assets. We have a process for the transportation side of it.

The unknown at this point is how the money would flow to the communities. Of course, that’s why we can’t put together any lists and bring it forward because we need to work out a number of things before we can move forward. And dealing with the communities, providing money to the municipalities for capital is one of the areas that we have to yet negotiate and work out.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Final question. How soon do we expect to have an answer or have this negotiation concluded so that we can see where we’re going with this program?

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Chairman, we are hoping to have the framework agreement signed off before the end of this month or very close to the end of this month. The funding arrangement, we’ve yet to get a timeline on that; it could be another couple of months. Thank you.

Bill 2 Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2007-2008
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

We’re still on page 20, Municipal and Community Affairs, Regional Operations, not previously authorized: $3,172,000.

Municipal and Community Affairs, Capital

Investment Expenditures, Regional Operations, $3,172,000 approved.