We will proceed to detail with the Department of Transportation. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I’ve got a motion here. I move that this committee now concludes consideration of the Department of Transportation department summary and all related activities and information items contained in Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The motion is in order. The motion is being distributed.

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Does committee agree we are concluded the Department of Transportation?

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.

Thank you, committee. We’ve agreed we’ll continue on with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Minister, do you have some opening comments? Minister McLeod.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ main estimates for 2014-2015. The department’s main estimates propose an operations expenditure budget of $99.4 million, an increase of $665,000, or less than 1 percent, from the 2013-2014 Main Estimates. This increase is a result of $3.43 million in forced growth, an increase of $1.6 million in initiative funding, and sunsets and transfers totaling $1.01 million.

MACA has a number of key priorities in support of community governments. This year we completed the Accountability Framework for Community Governments and are in the process of implementing this important tool through a series of workshops and meetings with community leaders. MACA began collecting results in 2013-2014, with the first reporting anticipated in the 2015-2016 Business Plan.

An important factor in the implementation of the accountability framework is the creation of an assistant superintendent position in each region. These positions, created in support of the decentralization priority, are critical to the community government’s understanding and use of the reporting requirements and in utilizing the tools we have developed to their fullest extent.

Following the introductory workshops, the assistant superintendents are now meeting with all community governments directly to advance this work.

While forced growth can partially explain funding pressures facing community governments, MACA has consistently heard from all communities and our partners at the NWTAC and LGANT that the total amount of funding available to support community government operations is insufficient. In response, MACA has initiated a formal review of the formulas used to calculate funding amounts. MACA anticipates having this work completed by April 2014 so that recommendations may be considered in advance of the 2015-2016 business planning process. This work will be high profile and of significant interest to community governments and will also ensure that MACA is prepared for the future when new resources may become available.

Included in the 2014-2015 Main Estimates are the following new initiatives in support of the 17th Assembly’s goals and priorities; they are:

• $500,000 for youth resiliency programming as

part of the GNWT Mental Health and Addictions Strategy;

• $150,000 to supplement the After School

Physical Activity Program as part of the GNWT Anti-Poverty Strategy;

• $350,000 for the Ground Ambulance and

Highway Rescue Program to increase contributions to community governments and to implement a first responder training program; and

• $129,000 to establish a youth officer position in

the North Slave in support of the GNWT decentralization priority.

MACA continues its work to prepare for the transfer of the land administration function to the new Department of Lands. With this change, MACA has introduced a negative adjustment of $2.73 million to offset the transfer of 19 positions to the new department.

As a result of feedback received from standing committee on our draft main estimates presented in December, we have worked with Finance to change some of the descriptors of line items contained within budget documents. Specifically, descriptors for recreation and youth contribution programs have been amended to provide more detail in both the sport, recreation and youth activity and under regional operations activity.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Do you have witnesses to bring into the House?

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister McLeod, could you please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left I have Mr. Tom Williams, deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. To my right I have Mr. Gary Schauerte, who is the director of corporate services for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. I will open the floor to general comments for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Bromley.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I really just have one question. I wonder if the Minister could tell me how this budget has changed with devolution.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With devolution came the responsibility for land, so

we transferred 19 positions from our lands department over to the new Department of Lands.

Has the budget dropped commensurately?

In my opening remarks, I said our budget did increase by 1 percent, an increase of $665,000. Even with the drop in the positions that we’ve had and the money that goes along with it, we’re still faced with some challenges and some forced growth and that, so overall, we had an increase of $665,000.

I’m just asking because some departments have not been showing. They’ve adjusted their budgets to show what their budgets would have been last year if they didn’t have those positions, so that’s why I’m trying to get clear on this. Despite the fact that we’ve lost 19 positions here, this department has increased its budget slightly is my understanding right now.