Is there any plan to allow communities to retain these revenues that they basically bring in? I’m looking more like a lottery take, by way of bingo licences and stuff like that. The communities do handle a lot of that stuff through their authorities by way of issuing licences and whatnot.

Yes, Mr. Chairman. The revenue from the lotteries is, right now…. Only some communities are utilizing or getting a portion. The review fees, of course, is something that goes to Yellowknife. Land leases or revenue from land, taxes and stuff of that nature, we have been transferring through the New Deal back into the communities. We’ll continue to look at where and how we can help the communities raise revenue.

Does the Minister have any idea when he’ll have this review done and communities can see a possibility of being able to generate other revenue sources? You mentioned lottery licences, quarry fees, planning fees, registration fees. A lot of this stuff municipalities are doing right now.

Mr. Chairman, we could provide more in-depth detail to the Member if he’d like to see what we’re providing now. We certainly could give that to the Member, or to all the Members, in written form. Our discussions with the communities are ongoing, and we certainly include ways and means of raising revenue. There’s been some early discussion; however, this is not something we have sat down and have an agreement to do and any time frame to do it in — not at this point, but it’s something that has to be done at some point.

I noticed that under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure funding tax, for tax-based communities, their amount is going up by $200,000, and the non-tax-based communities went down by almost $2 million. I am just wondering: why is there such a drastic drop in non-tax-based and an increase in tax-based?

Mr. Chairman, the money for tax-based communities went up because the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund has provided dollars — this is a federal program — to the communities in the area of water and water treatment plants. For this year there’s $1.779 million. Next year, however, that program will expire and sunset and there will be no new dollars in that area.

I also asked about the non-tax-based amount, which declined by almost $2 million. He didn’t elaborate on that one.

Mr. Chairman, actually the non-tax-based communities got more of the MRIF money than the tax-based; they just took theirs earlier. The money that went to non-tax-based communities, which was 50 per cent of the pot, has already gone down by those communities. These dollars are still flowing to the tax-based communities, as they needed to provide a matching amount.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Information item, Revenue Summary, 4-10.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Department Summary, Revenue Summary, information item, approved.

Moving along. Page 4-13, Activity Summary, Directorate, Operations Expenditure Summary: $4.558 million.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Activity Summary, Directorate, Operations Expenditure Summary: $4.558 million, approved.

Moving along to Page 4-14, Activity Summary, Directorate, Program Delivery Details.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Activity Summary, Directorate, Program Delivery Details, approved.

Moving along to page 4-15, Activity Summary, Directorate, Grants and Contributions, Grants: $168,000; Contributions: $390,000; Total Grants and Contributions: $558,000.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Activity Summary, Directorate, Grants and

Contributions, Grants: $168,000; Contributions: $390,000; Total Grants and Contributions: $558,000, approved.

Page 4-16,

Information item, Directorate, Active Positions.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Activity Summary, Directorate, Active Positions, information item (page 4-16), approved.

Page 4-17,

information item, Directorate, Active Positions.

Department of Municipal and Community

Affairs, Activity Summary, Directorate, Active Positions, information item (page 4-17), approved.

Moving along to page 4-19, Activity Summary, Community Operations, Operations Expenditure Summary: $7.864 million. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just trying to get a sense of some of our human resource positions in this area. I’m wondering if there were any deletions in this specific area under Community Operations?

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There are two positions that are being targeted for reduction: the community emergency management coordinator position and the legislative and political development advisor position.

Are both those positions staffed? And if they are, have alternative arrangements been made to either do their duties, or have they been reposted somewhere else?

Mr. Chairman, there’s one position that’s staffed and the other one is vacant. I don’t believe any alternate arrangements have been made for that position that was filled.

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. A motion is on the floor. The motion is being distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I made this motion because I strongly believe this is a mistake — not in the sense of a wrongdoing, but as an oversight — in the sense of the choice of the position that was picked.

I think this is a position that provides a lot of value throughout our territory. It provides emergency management assistance throughout and to every community here. You don’t have to look any further than the flood in Hay River the last time it was used.

I think in a position like this it’s easy to say we could find someone else to do it. But what really happens here is that you develop an expertise and a skill level that is ready to respond immediately when we have a situation. One could say that we could find binders and books and get other people to manage it if that situation arises.

The fact is that when an emergency happens, you want someone well-versed in the skills and abilities to be able to manage this and control the situation. And the fact is that you need experience and insight to do this. If we start eliminating these, the theory may be.... Why do we even question first aid training, for goodness sake? Someone may say: Well, we have a manual in the office, and if somebody fell down and needed first aid, we’ll just go open the manual and we’ll work our way through it. In the reality of emergencies, you need primary responses and professional responses, and that’s why we train people in these types of areas, to make sure they’re ready.

A year or two years ago Aklavik had its flooding, and we needed those professionals at that moment when that action happened. We just cannot predict these things. I wish we could schedule disasters, but we can’t. That’s why we always have to make sure we have staff, that we have the ability to do that type of work.

Mr. Chairman, I don’t think this is a small move. I think this potential deletion has a larger effect on how we look at our preparedness throughout the Territories; how we work with our other search and rescue volunteer associations throughout Canada and the Northwest Territories; how we stimulate that work; how we work at the local level.

We have to make sure our territorial response team is ready, and I think this is a big thing. We look at our joint emergency preparedness, and we lose all of these talents and skills. Like I say, it’s easy to just turn around and say: Well, somebody else

should pick up these duties. But there’s a reason we have experts, and this is an area I would define as expert. Somebody just can’t walk in and take this role and assume these duties.

That’s why I’m concerned about this move. As I gave notice to the Minister yesterday, I hope he had the night to think about it. Certainly I would hope he would take the time and take this initiative back to FMB and plead the case and hear that there are Members like myself who feel this could put our communities-at-large at risk.

The other area that I’ll just touch on briefly — because I know there may or may not be other Members who want to speak.... The fact is, this plays a key role in making sure our airports are safe through emergency planning. This job is responsible — in my view and as I’ve understood it — to every community airport throughout the Northwest Territories. I mean, there’s a relationship built. This position isn’t just at headquarters; it’s doing the work throughout the territory. It may be located here, but all of its work is in the 32 other communities, bringing them together to make sure they are prepared, skilled and ready.

I’d certainly like to request a recorded vote now on this issue, while I’m speaking. I will now allow other Members to speak if they so choose.

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. Mr. Krutko.