Good afternoon, committee. I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to consider Tabled Document 248-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016; Bill 37 and Committee Report 15-17(5).

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agreed?

Okay, committee. We will commence after a short break.

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I would like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We have agreed to consider Tabled Document 248-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016. I would like to turn it over to the Minister responsible, honourable Minister Miltenberger, to make opening comments. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present

Supplementary Estimates (Operations

Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016. This document proposes an increase of $11.3 million in operations expenditures for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The more significant items included in the proposed supplementary estimates are:

1. a total of $4.6 million for the Department of

Transportation associated with runway service improvements at the Yellowknife and Inuvik airports, of which $1.6 million is offset by a lapse in the prior year;

2.

$2.4 million associated with various departments to provide devolution transition funding for the continued transition of authority of Territorial lands, water and resources, of which this full amount is offset by lapses in the prior year;

3. $1.5 million associated with the Population

Growth Strategy which includes:

• $1.3 million for enhancements to the NWT

Student Financial Assistance Program, and

• $215,000 to support the GNWT Immigration

Program.

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

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister, do you have witnesses you’d like to bring into the House?

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Does committee agree?

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

Minister Miltenberger, if you’d be kind enough to introduce your witnesses to the House, please.

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

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Aumond, Mr. Kalgutkar, welcome back to the House. Good to see you. Committee, I’ll now open the floor to general comments on Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1. General comments. Does committee want to proceed to detail?

Thank you, committee. We’ll proceed with detail. Committee, I’ll get you to turn to page 3 of the Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016. Expenditures on behalf of Members, Legislative Assembly, operations, not previously authorized, $8,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $8,000. Any questions?

Agreed, thank you. Page 4, committee, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, operational expenditures, intergovernmental relations, not previously authorized, $50,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $50,000. Does committee agree?

Page 5, Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, negative $84,000; income security… Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Throughout this document we have quite a few

items that have to deal with the adjustment to the Collective Agreement. Can the Minister maybe give me a little more explanation why these numbers weren’t available during our regular process of budgeting? I guess it’s spread throughout the document. So, if the Minister could just explain to us why this is a supplementary estimate as opposed to the regular budget process.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These numbers are calculated as of April 1st , and some of it, as we’ve noted, some have

gone up and some have gone down depending on the communities in the region. Thank you.

Thank you. I guess, would we have not negotiated these allowances in the process, or would we not have known that number or estimates based on April 1st when we went into

budget?