Thank you. Briefly, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As we have heard and as we have deliberated through the MACA department, there is a lot going on within our department right now. As you know, a lot of our staff are currently down at the Canada Winter Games. I am sure that, once that slows down, we will be able to put more focus on the youth strategy, as well as getting that youth council together. Definitely, as soon as we get that information, we will be sharing it with committee. Thank you.

Thank you for that commitment. Next, Mr. Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister knows that a little while ago I raised in this House the issue with regard to the NWT SPCA making applications or at least inquiries to apply for the Non-Government Organization Stabilization Fund. I am not going to make any kind of monetary ask here today on behalf of that organization, but I do want to get some clarification where I can. I think, first of all, we can recognize that the SPCA does provide a number of services, and they provide it to over 30 communities in the territory. This is an organization that raises somewhere in the neighbourhood of about $600,000 a year in revenue, but they also generate about $800,000 a year in expenses. The difference is covered by donations and by in-kind services and volunteer fundraising. They have to do that year over year. If they don't, then they are at risk of closing their doors and not being able to provide these critical services.

Mr. Chair, interestingly enough, the Government of the Northwest Territories has what is called a Dog Act, in fact. It is a 15-page act that describes within it things relevant to duty of care, dogs in distress, abandoned dogs, protection of dogs, custody of dogs, veterinarian services, and interim custody. These are a lot of the services that sometimes end up falling on the lap of the SPCA when owners disregard their dogs or, for whatever variety of reasons, there is the need for attention for these annals. I guess the point that I am trying to raise is: how can an organization that I think most people would agree is really providing such good and critical services to our territory not be eligible to apply for stabilization funding? The answer is that one of the criteria says that, if in Yellowknife, you must be receiving $50,000 or more in funding from GNWT annually. I find it difficult to understand: how shall the SPCA get other funding from our departments, doing work for other departments, I suppose, to make themselves eligible to get stabilization funding? Can the Minister at least start, maybe, on providing us some insight on how an organization like the NWT SPCA can work its way toward being eligible for stabilization funding? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. It is a little off-topic to ask the Minister to talk about funding sources from other departments, but I will give the Minister a chance to respond here. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the Member knows, we had a good back-and-forth there last week on this topic, the GNWT did provide a one-time funding source for the SPCA. We also know that it is the responsibility of the municipalities. I did commit to the Member, when he did have this question, that I will be bringing it up this weekend to the NWTAC, as it is a concern, not only here in Yellowknife, but right across the Northwest Territories, and we do appreciate the work that the NWT SPCA does. We will continue to find ways. I know we have met with them. If there are other funding sources that they can apply to, we would be more than willing to share that information with them. As I mentioned, Mr. Chair, I did commit that this weekend, when I do sit down with the membership of the NWTAC I will be bringing this forward and seeing how we can find a solution. I will make sure I follow up on that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. Vanthuyne.

All right. Well, that is greatly appreciated, and I hope that they can be some meaningful discussions that actually result in a path forward for the SPCA to be able to access some degree of GNWT funding. With respect to the Chair, it is outlined actually in here, in the criteria with regard to eligibility for the stabilization funding, that, if in Yellowknife, you have to receive $50,000 or more in funding from the GNWT annually. So that is the reason why I raised it. It didn't mean to drag in other departments or whatever for it. I know you can't speak on their behalf, but I do know this much, and that is that the SPCA, while providing good services, is not necessarily tied and/or linked by contracts of any kind with municipalities, so that might be one of the things that you are going to want to raise with the NWT Association of Communities. They are a stand-alone, registered society, non-profit NGO, what have you, that provides a multitude of services and not necessarily do they have links to the communities for which they provide services in.

I think at the end of the day, one thing that you could suggest, too, is that, while they are not receiving funds from any other government department, that actually could be considered a good thing in that they are not being a burden upon any of our finances but that they would certainly appreciate getting supports that are similar to those that are given to NGOs through the stabilization funding. You know, NGOs, this will assist them with management, governance, organizational development, extraordinary operations. These are clearly things that an organization like the SPCA could use assistance with. So one of the recommendations that I will make, and you can take it if you like, is that I would suggest that in circumstances where the consideration might be made is that this $50,000 requirement, of having to receive funds from other GNWT departments, be scratched because I think we need to commend those NGOs that don't require assistance from the government. If they are able to operate on their own, but then, when they come to us for a little bit of assistance, we shouldn't be burdening them with the idea that, "Well, you have to be receiving other GNWT funding to the extent of $50,000 in order to be eligible for this pot." So I would just ask that the Minister and his department take that into consideration as they move into discussions with the communities and others with regard to potentially finding resources, funding resources, for the SPCA. Those are my comments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Would the Minister care to respond?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think all of Cabinet, I think all Members, have heard. I will definitely look at the policy. I think a good-news story on this one is that we have increased the funding to the NGO Stabilization Fund, but it is something that we do need to also look at. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anything further from Mr. Vanthuyne? Nothing further. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just need to clear something up in the response from the Minister just now, responding to the honourable Member from Nahendeh. The Minister said that, on the multi-sports thing, they would look internally first, before a supplementary appropriation was brought forward for the multi-sport section, which was deleted from the budget this year. We spent a lot of time as committee members talking about that, and we have talked to the Minister of Finance. We had an agreement that that will be brought forward in the supplementary appropriation for the actuals, so I need that cleared up. With one response, the Minister has put us back to where we are looking for the money internally. Our committee, priorities in planning, had said that we didn't agree with that, that it had to be coming through a supplementary appropriation in order to move forward. That is what the Minister of Finance agreed with prior to starting the budget deliberations. I need the Minister to clear that up for us. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Member for seeking more clarity on that. Yes, we would be looking at a supplementary appropriation, For clarity, yes, a confirmation. Thank you.

Thank you for that clarification. Anything further from Mr. Beaulieu?

Okay, thank you, and I guess I didn't hear the full thing. Again, this is based on actual costs of the multi-sport events? Thank you.

Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, that is correct.

Thank you. Mr. Beaulieu.

Nothing further, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Municipal and Community Affairs; sport, recreation and youth; operations expenditure summary, $5,442,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We have a couple of information items at the end. Mr. Beaulieu, to the information item.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question on the information item on page number 362, referred to as, "New Building Canada Plan - Small Community Fund." My understanding is that Building Canada Plan has a different meaning for a small community. My understanding is that the small community fund is for communities over 10,000/under 100,000 population. I would like to ask the Minister if my understanding is correct. Thank you.