Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have Mark Aitken, director of legislation. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witness. At this time I’d like to ask for general comments, in regard to the bill, by members. General comments? Clause by clause?

Bill 15, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2009, reprinted. Moving to page 1, Bill 15, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2009, clause 1.

---Clauses 1 through 18 inclusive approved.

To the bill as a whole.

Does committee agree that Bill 15 is now ready for third reading as amended and reprinted?

---Bill 15 as a whole approved for third reading.

I’d like to thank the Minister and the witness. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you escort the witness out.

As we agreed, we will begin with Tabled Document 37-16(3), Supplementary Appropriation No. 4, 2008-2009. With that, I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for the supp, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger, for any general comments in regards to this supp.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present Supplementary Appropriation No. 4, 2008-2009. This document requests authority for additional appropriations of $46,691,000 for operations expenditures for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

There are two items in this request:

1. To provide appropriation authority in the

amount of $9.3 million for the Department of the Executive, Financial Management Board Secretariat to record the increase required to the estimated accrued environment liabilities of the Government of the Northwest Territories as at March 31, 2009, as required by Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

2. To provide appropriation authority in the

amount of $37.3 million for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to record a grant-in-kind for the costs associated with community infrastructure that will be transferred to community governments. There is no outlay of cash as the funds were expensed in previous fiscal years. The impact on government operations is nil as the department will record an offsetting revenue amount.

I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary appropriation document. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Are there any general comments in regard to the Supplementary Appropriation No. 4? With that, I’d like to ask the Minister if he will be bringing in any witnesses. Minister of Finance.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Does committee agree that the Minister brings in his witnesses?

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses in.

Mr. Miltenberger, could you introduce your witnesses for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me the deputy minister,

Margaret Melhorn, and Sandy Kalgutkar, the deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome witnesses. If we can move to page 5, 2008-2009 Supplementary Appropriation No. 4, Executive, operations expenditures, Financial Management Board Secretariat, government accounting, not previously authorized, $9.348 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I notice that $9.348 million for environmental liabilities. We are playing catch-up, but I think we are learning how to treat the environment properly. I understand that this is also only part of what our liabilities are that we will be hearing more in the future. Is the Minister assured that we will be taking care of these liabilities so we don’t accrue these sorts of costs in the future, taking care of the environment?

Secondly, is there any kind of estimate of what we can expect for costs the next time around on this same line item, the environmental liabilities? Thank you.

Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This money is going to be booked for what we anticipate our liabilities yet to be expensed. The money is not going to…As those liabilities come due, we will draw down this fund. We have, for example, booked the government, as well, over $27 million for Giant Mine that is being…That was done a number of years ago. As this fund is drawn down, then we will deal with those. We agree with the Member that the intent is to do the proper planning so that we can build in these costs into the cost of the development so that there is no further cost to the taxpayer. Thank you.

I appreciate the response. I understand the comments from the Minister. Perhaps there is not an estimate of what the future cost will be that are not yet accounted for in this proposal. I am wondering whether any of these that are accounted for with the $9.348 million are Commissioner’s land that is leased to other holders other than GNWT. Are all of these environmental liabilities on Commissioner’s land that we actually are off-buying ourselves?

Mr. Chairman, we provided the list to committee. I would be happy to share that. We have all the details of these known liabilities.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. We look forward to you sharing that information. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have the list in front of me. It is listed by department. May

I assume, then, that if it is just a department listed and not another entity, that if it is just a GNWT department, that it is, in fact, a GNWT facility that is on that land and it is not leased out to others? Thank you.