This is page numbers 6259 – 6290 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th 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 work.

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Bill 56: Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, I will move that Bill 56, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 56: Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 17, motions. Mr. Blake.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

WHEREAS Section 61 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act permits the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, after the approval of the appointment by resolution of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly considers the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner essential to exercise the powers and perform the duties under the act;

AND WHEREAS the term of the Information and Privacy Commissioner expires on October 30, 2015;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly is of the opinion that the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner should now be made to be effective on October 30, 2015;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that pursuant to Section 61 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, that Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts be reappointed for a term of five years as Information and Privacy Commissioner;

AND FURTHER, that the appointment be effective October 30, 2015.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Question has been called.

---Carried

Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 246-17(5), Supplementary

Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015; Tabled Document 247-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016; and Tabled Document 248-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. We would like to consider two of the supplementary appropriations that were recently tabled, Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015 and, time permitting, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you. We will reconvene after a brief break. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

I’ll call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we agreed to first look at Tabled Document 246-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015. I would like to ask the Minister responsible, Minister Miltenberger, if he has opening comments.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015. This document proposes an increase of $25.337 million in operations expenditures associated with a non-cash expenditure for a one-time increase to the total environmental liability in response to changing accounting standards that became effective for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary estimates document.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Thank you. Minister Miltenberger, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort in the witnesses. Committee agree?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Minister Miltenberger, please introduce your witnesses, please.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I have with me Mike Aumond, deputy minister of Finance; and Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the FMB. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. I would like to open the floor to general comments on Tabled Document 246-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015. Mr. Bromley.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand this came about as a result of new accounting procedures required by whoever sets those things. I don’t know whether it’s the Auditor General or what. I am happy to see this. I think our government is too. They realize these liabilities are real and are out there, and it’s nice to have some assessments on which to base what the costs are going to be in the future and today.

I understand that there are two components to this. One is assessing existing sites in a little more depth, rather than just knowing they exist and they do have some degree of liability. We are now trying to quantify that a little bit. We’re also adding in sites that were worked on before, non-operating sites.

In terms of the assessment of work that’s been done on estimating costs of cleanup of sites that we have done in the past, what degree of confidence do we have in those? How deep did they go? Do we expect when we get around to doing the work, we will need more work? Is it likely that these are conservative estimates and there is some chance the final cost will be less than what the current appraisal is? Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Deputy Minister Aumond.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Aumond

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Based on the work today, we are pretty confident we are understanding what the costs for remediation might be for these sites. However, the one caution I would put out there is, through past experience, one really never knows until you get on the site and start undertaking the work to find out what you are really faced with. We have all three phases of site assessments completed before we put together the cost of remediation. Other than what you might expect to happen to inflation to different components between today and then when we actually get around to remediating the sites, we’re pretty confident in the numbers we have.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thanks for that response. So, did we do any fieldwork on this? Was there an attempt to build in the area of contamination, the degree of contamination, the depth of contamination, that sort of thing, in toward building these estimates? Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Aumond

Yes, we did. In particular there are four or five new sites that we actually undertook some fieldwork, some site assessment work on the field, which accounts for about 58 percent of the increased costs that we’re proposing to add today. Thank you.