Forest management, not previously authorized, $1,389,000. Does committee agree?

Wildlife and fish, not previously authorized, $944,000. Does committee agree?

Total department, not previously authorized, $2,543,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Please turn to page 10. Committee, I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Finance, capital investment expenditures. Are there any questions or comments? Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I see $2.4 million for Secure Image Management System upgrade. Can the Minister explain to me what that is? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is through the ISSS division. This is a project that will replace the system that is currently being used in the Department of Infrastructure to manage different drivers' licences, and it is intended to incorporate facial recognition technology into that licensing process. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I also see the $1.1 million for the Enterprise licensing and permitting. My understanding is that that budget line is to bring most, if not all, of our licensing and permits online into one system. Can I just, perhaps, have a bit of a distinction between SIMS and Enterprise? Is one for the DMV and one for other licensing? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Generally, I think the Member is accurately stating it. Just by way of a bit of a further example, the secure image management is quite specific to the DMV because it involves, as I said, facial recognition and the printing of actual licences that have people's photos on it. The Enterprise licensing and permitting system is intended to be the e-service delivery in order to access licensing and permitting across departments. It is really meant to be a direction in terms of getting us onto a single unified platform for all of the GNWT's general permitting and licensing, the difference simply being that that's a platform whereas the other one, as I understand it, is the technology required to do the facial recognition. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions on page 10? If there are no further comments, does committee agree to move to the detail contained in the tabled -- Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. There is $1 million in here for the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk fibre link. Is any of that money available, or is it going to be used for a distribution system within Tuktoyaktuk? Or is the line going to run into Tuktoyaktuk and then it's going to sit there and nobody can access it? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Look, what do I know? Is there an Internet service provider in Tuktoyaktuk right now, and are they going to hook up to the fibre link? I just don't want this to end up being another community where the fibre link goes by, or to it, and there is no way for people to access it. What is going on with this project? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I actually had the opportunity to speak with Northwestel just today. There are quite a number of projects that I think they are looking to advance. There are projects that they are looking to advance on their own, and some that they are looking to partner with various levels of government on, so, while I can't sit here right now and promise that all of Tuktoyaktuk housing and facilities will be linked to high-speed fibre in the immediate future, I can certainly say that this project will get a long way in terms of figuring out exactly what is required. It would certainly get that fibre as far as Tuktoyaktuk, which would certainly be a good starting point, and then we will be continuing to develop a plan, as I've already committed to doing in the House, to describe and to discuss the role of the GNWT in terms of making sure that there are those last connections, as much as we can support that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake. Are there any further questions on this page? If there are no further comments, does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?