This is page numbers 2143 – 2196 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th 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 services.

Topics

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Debbie Delancey

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This was funding that was provided by Health Canada through a contribution agreement which went to the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority to do the work outlined by the Member to develop a youth treatment program. The authority did not receive the full amount of funding indicated here because they did not produce the deliverables, as I understand it. As the Minister indicated, we are taking over responsibility for this and whatever work was done we will draw upon to inform our own development of a youth addictions treatment program, but there is no formal report or deliverable that can be shared at this point.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Ms. DeLancey. Mr. Hawkins.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

That was the missing component there. Can I be sent a copy of the report once it’s been done?

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Beaulieu.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, if we do get a report, we will provide it to the Members.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Page 8-37 to 8-41, Health and Social Services, information item, work performed on behalf of others.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 15-17(4): Funding For Health Promotion And Education Initiatives, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Committee, I draw your attention to page 8-7, department summary, operations expenditure summary, $363.856 million. Mr. Nadli.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

February 25th, 2013

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the department summary for the Department of Health and Social Services 2013-2014 Main Estimates on page 8-7 at this time.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Question has been called.

---Carried

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

This concludes the Department of Health and Social Services for today. We would like to thank our witnesses, Ms. DeLancey and Ms. Mathison. Thank you for your efforts. Also to the Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you could please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. We will start Public Works and Services but we will take a short recess.

---SHORT RECESS

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Committee, we will come back to order. We are going to start the Department of Public Works and Services. Mr. Abernethy, do you have opening remarks?

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I am pleased to present the Department of Public Works and Services’ main estimates for the fiscal year 2013-14.

The department’s main estimates propose an operations expenditure budget of $104.5 million for 2013-14, an increase of 11.5 percent over the

2012-13 Main Estimates. This increase can be primarily attributed to the following activities:

• one-time funding for the demolition of the Sir

Alexander Mackenzie School and Samuel Hearne Secondary School in Inuvik; and

• ongoing funding for the transfer of responsibility

and funding for the administration of Health and Social Services leased space to the Department of Public Works and Services.

The demolition and removal of the old school buildings in Inuvik also represent an important part in the department’s Risk Management and Safety Program by helping the GNWT address its aging infrastructure problem while reducing our deferred maintenance deficit.

Our building infrastructure continues to age and requires ongoing investment to ensure continuity in the delivery of government programs and services in all of our northern communities. As in past years, Public Works and Services’ Deferred Maintenance Program is an essential part of our overall strategy to address our building infrastructure needs and is coordinated with capital planning, energy investments and regular preventative maintenance programs to maximize its effectiveness. For 2013-14 this department will have $3 million in operations and expenditure funding and another $5 million in capital expenditure funding, for a combined total of $8 million to spend towards reducing our government’s deferred maintenance deficit. By the end of 2013-14, through a combination of direct program expenditures, reductions from building demolitions and integrating deferred maintenance with the corporate capital planning process for major and minor capital projects, we are projecting the deficit to reduce to $290 million.

The transfer of responsibility and funding for the administration of leases from the Department of Health and Social Services to Public Works and Services is a significant change for this department in 2013-14. This transfer represents an increase of 46 percent for the number of leases managed by Public Works and Services and a further increase of 20 percent in its base lease funding for 2013-14 and beyond.

To effectively and efficiently manage this initiative, the department has created a new leased property administration position based in Hay River to support and coordinate the management of the health leases with the department’s overall property and accommodations portfolio.

I’d like to focus now on some of the other activities that the Department of Public Works and Services has planned for 2013-14.

With the implementation of the new digital communications network, or DCN, now complete, the department is actively monitoring its performance to ensure effective and efficient

communication services are provided to all communities throughout the Northwest Territories. The new DCN was a key part of the 2008-2012 Enterprise Network Strategy, and the Technology Service Centre is now engaged in developing its next five-year strategy to ensure there is continued support for the government programs of today and the e-government requirements of tomorrow with a particular focus on health care and education applications.

A new initiative for the Technology Service Centre in 2013-14 will see its services to government expanded by assuming desktop support services for the Stanton Territorial Health Authority and its approximately 325 employees, joining the Sahtu and Deh Cho Health and Social Services authorities already supported by the Technology Service Centre. While support for the Stanton Territorial Health Authority will increase operational costs to the Technology Service Centre, those costs will be offset by the equivalent recoveries provided through the current chargeback model without an increase in rates.

In support of this government’s ongoing priority to increase employment opportunities where they are most needed, Public Works and Services continues to use a combination of in-house resources, including settlement maintainers and apprentices and locally contracted services, to assist in delivering its ongoing preventative and deferred maintenance programs for government facilities in every NWT community. These front-line positions enable the department to better manage maintenance activities and the availability of resources at the community level, while promoting and strengthening the economy and our northern workforce.

The Capital Asset Retrofit Fund program continues to be an important initiative for this department, and our government in 2013-14. It represents a multi-outcome Energy Management Program that aims to improve performance and reduce the costs associated with operating government infrastructure while supporting this government’s objectives in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels.

Assessing GNWT facilities to prioritize and target program funding to achieve the greatest return on investment remains key to this program’s overall effectiveness. The Capital Asset Retrofit Fund program together with other energy conservation initiatives implemented by the department, have helped reduce government greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 25,000 tonnes since 2007-08. Up to the end of 2012, the department is estimating the cumulative energy savings since 2007-08 have reached $3.9 million while displacing 9.2 million litres of fuel oil over this six-year period. This program is producing positive results which

have allowed this government to re-profile ongoing savings back into the Capital Asset Retrofit Fund to support additional investment in energy conservation and alternative energy projects in many communities.

Finally, in keeping with this Assembly’s commitment to be effective and as efficient as possible, Public Works and Services is moving ahead with implementation of a Procurement Shared Services Centre during 2013-14 and we will continue to support the Department of Finance in their efforts towards completing implementation of financial shared service centres throughout government.

Through these and other programs and activities, Public Works and Services will continue to provide the high-quality services that support the public infrastructure our clients and the public rely upon in delivering our government’s much needed programs and services.

Thank you for providing an opportunity for this overview of the department’s 2013-14 Main Estimates. I look forward to discussing them with you in further detail.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Do you have witnesses you would like to bring into the Chamber?

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I do, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thanks, Minister Abernethy. Committee, are we agreed to bring in witnesses?

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thanks, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Abernethy, if you could introduce your witnesses to the Chamber, please.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me on my left is Paul Guy, deputy minister of Public Works and Services; and on my right, the director of Technology Service Centre, Laurie Gault.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Minister. We are on the Department of Public Works and Services, page 7-7, operations expenditure summary. We will leave this page and defer it until after we have considered all the other activities. We will move to page 7-8, Public Works and Services…

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

An Hon. Member

General comments?

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Yes, that would be a good idea. I thought we were going to get this done tonight. Committee, are there any general comments? Mr. Dolynny.

Committee Motion 16-17(4): Deferral Of Department Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. Welcome to the Minister and Public Works

delegation. Madam Chair, there are just two areas I want to open up in general comments because they are really hard to see where they fall within the scope of the budget.

The first comment I have for the Minister is I took it upon myself to do a fairly intrinsic post-mortem of the Inuvik E3 School in the fall of last year, and was challenging the same for the department to follow up with their version of a post-mortem.

The rationale behind that is not to undermine or point fingers at whatever we could have or should have, the point is this is one of our largest pieces of infrastructure. In fact, even after the completion or, as we know today, the completion of the Inuvik-Tuk highway, the E3 School will still remain as probably the second largest infrastructure on our books behind the Deh Cho Bridge. It is a very important part of our history. I think it’s a history that we’ve got to learn. There were lots of new factors that went into the E3 School. This is where the birth of the Class C estimate program and the use of market escalators in their calculations, so I may want the Minister to comment as to where the department is at with respect to their post-mortem on that piece of infrastructure.

The second comment I have here, again, is in relation to the infrastructure that we find here in Yellowknife, the new 10,000 square foot office building that’s currently in construction. I would probably like to get a bit of an update as to where we are with that project. The concern I have is that I’m always nervous when we have a project of that magnitude that’s spread out over a number of different budgets. I know we’re talking more operations and this is a capital, and I completely understand that, but I think it goes hand in hand with some of the operational expenditures that we see in today’s budget. A bit of a recap as to where we’re at, are we on budget, everything’s working, and then maybe an estimated time of completion.

Really, in general, just two general questions to open up. Thank you.