Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, reports of committees on the review of bills, Item 15, tabling of documents. Item 16, notices of motion. Item 17, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, motions. Item 19, first reading of bills. Item 20, second reading of bills. Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success; Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010- 2011 Northwest Territories Human Rights

Commission Annual Report, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.

Colleagues, before I place you into Committee of the Whole, by the authority given the Speaker pursuant to Rule 11 in the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, I hereby appoint Mr. Bromley to act as deputy chair of Committee of the Whole for today.

And further, by the authority given the Speaker pursuant to Motion 2-17(3), Committee of the Whole may sit beyond the hour of adjournment until it is prepared to report. Mr. Dolynny.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We’ve got five items on today’s agenda: Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success; Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; and Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010- 2011 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you. Does committee agree?

Thank you very much, committee. We will take a short recess and return.

---SHORT RECESS

Welcome back, committee. We are currently on Environment and Natural Resources. Does the Minister have witnesses he wishes to bring into the Chamber?

I do, Mr. Chair.

Does committee agree to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please bring the witnesses in? Thank you.

Mr. Miltenberger, could you introduce the witnesses to the committee, please?

Mr. Chair, I have with me Mr. Ernie Campbell, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources; and Nancy Magrum, director of financial administrative services for shared services between ITI and ENR. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Campbell, and Ms. Magrum. I will come back to the committee in the House. Committee, we are on page 13-17 of the main estimates, activity summary, environment, operations expenditure, $5.936 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had noted previously that there is quite a substantial reduction in the commitment for energy expenditures and that this is costing us, especially I think in the production of both heat and power from renewable energy. We have fallen down and it is now costing us considerable many tens of millions of dollars in subsidies. This sort of thing will continue if we do education. We don’t quit while we reorganize our education; we continue to deliver education. I think that is what we are about here.

If we allow this trend to continue, of course, more and more will have to go into subsidies and we will be losing the options as we already are now for the next three years in terms of other infrastructure and services, important services for our people throughout the Northwest Territories.

I think we need to talk more about this and on that basis, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity, environment, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources main estimates 2012-13 on page 13-17 at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We will just wait until that motion is circulated.

Committee, the motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. The motion is not debatable.

---Carried

I’d like to thank committee for consideration of activity summary, environment, operations expenditures on the Department of ENR on page 13-17. It has now been deferred. We will continue.

Page 13-18, activity summary, environment, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $2.549 million. Does committee agree? Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that this page also falls under the offices of the summary on page 13-17. I am looking for your guidance here. If necessary, since this deals with the same thing, if it is simply details of the energy management I would introduce the same motion if the Chair felt it was necessary. Otherwise, I am happy to roll forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. By virtue these are just extensions of the motion in question. By virtue these will be deferred as well. Thank you.

On page 13-18, activity summary, environment, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $2.549 million. It would be considered deferred as well.

Information item, environment, active positions. Are there any questions? There are none. Page 13-21, activity summary, forest management, operations expenditure summary, $28.634 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do note that there has been a substantial reduction in the overall budget for forest management, $33.6 million down to $28.6 million. I suspect that is related to not starting out with the same degree of capability or capacity, I guess, for fighting forest fires, but I would like to get that confirmed.

As well, in the contract services, getting into the detail, there is a reduction in the order of $3 million.

Finally, I am concerned about the reduction of $300,000 from forest resources. As we’ve discussed in the House before, as we move toward important biomass programs to help our communities and our industry that is now proposing a pellet manufacturing plant, of course they’re relying on good information on sustainable yield of our forests throughout the NWT, as well as good forest inventories and so on. I’m wondering, again that’s a real hit to the forest resources just at a time when we’re proposing to move more and more to local use of our forest resources. Those three points, if I could get some explanation and justification on the forest resources side and what we’re dropping there.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The first two items are tied to the supps that have come through for firefighting. The biomass one is one of the sunsets resulting out of the lapsed strategic initiatives money that was there previously.

I guess I’ve just heard that it is indeed related to the slash to our Biomass Program. I think we’ve already committed to further discussions on that. I will look forward to those discussions.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. More of a comment. We’ll go back again. Page 13-21, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, forest management, operations expenditure summary, $28.634 million.