This is page numbers 2989 - 3034 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 know.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, just the breakdown as it stands right now, there's been about a million dollars invested thus far just in terms of preparing and doing the necessary level of studies I would anticipate to plan for this. 2022-2023, it was $6 million. And 2023-2024, the remainder of $12.7 million. So, you know, Madam Chair, I think this is an important project to discuss. This would bring fibre to Tuktoyaktuk by 2024. And as I have alluded to, this -- Northwestel is already under obligation to CRTC to bring in -- to upgrade the fibre -- or sorry, the broadband availability and broadband services across the territories to all communities, including Tuktoyaktuk, regardless of fibre expansion.

So, you know, is fibre better? Arguably, one would say yes but is it necessary? There are other projects underway. Just they're not ours. It is not the GNWT's project to be doing that. That is Northwestel. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, I guess I remain rather confused about all this. If there was a way to get further information about the ownership and operation of the Inuvik to Tuk fibre, how much we're paying, how much the feds are paying, how much Northwestel's paying, that would be really helpful. So is the Minister prepared to provide that information. Thanks.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm happy to provide the breakdown, certainly.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Member for Frame Lake.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks. And thanks for that commitment. I too, like my colleague from Yellowknife North, I'm concerned about building fibre to a community and then nobody's really going to help people get hooked up to it. So is that going to be just Northwestel's responsibility? What role do we play? Do we expect other third parties to suddenly show up in Tuk and start connecting fibre to people's homes? How is that going to work? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, Madam Chair, the Government of the Northwest Territories is not an internet service provider. We are obviously the owner of the Mackenzie Valley fibre line which gives that backbone through which other companies can then, as was described out of Inuvik, provide internet services directly. We are obviously a customer, and we can certainly be an advocate and a supporter, as we have been, and I would suggest that that's been successful given that what the obligations that CRTC has imposed on to Northwestel to provide additional services.

But the government is not the service provider here. I wasn't here in the last Assembly to know what led to such level of confusion. But that is not the role of the government. So the role of the government here is to do what we can to help enable this industry, to help support the industry, to make funds available through the federal government, to advocate for that, but we are not the internet service provider that is going to come with, you know, our screwdrivers and our drills and drill a hole in someone's wall to put their fibre in. I'm sorry, Madam Chair. That's just not what we do.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Member.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, it may not be what we "do" but why are we building -- contributing towards the cost of a line that goes from Inuvik to Tuk and then just leaving the people in the community without the service? We've already seen that happen with Mackenzie Valley fibre link where it goes right by communities. There's no last mile into them. They get no benefits, nothing out of it. And I think this is a good project. But if we can't help make sure that people can get connected to it, we're failing. Thanks. And I'm a just going to leave it at that because I just don't think that our government's doing enough to make internet affordable and accessible to everyone in the Northwest Territories. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Any further questions, comments? Member for Nunakput.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

November 24th, 2021

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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, I just want to make sure that this stays on the books for my community of Tuk, and any time it's for small communities, they're ready to get cut. And I really think that we should be taking a real good serious look at everything else that's paid everywhere else in the bigger communities, bigger centres and that, as soon as it starts to come to the communities, we're the first thing they're looking at cutting. So if they want to start cutting, go start cutting. So it's really upsetting, I guess, to make sure that we're bringing projects forward for the communities, for all 33 communities in the Northwest Territories, and let's share the wealth a little bit. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Since there's no question in there, did you have any other questions or comments?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, just make sure this project goes forward. Thank you. Just a comment.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Any further questions or comments on Management Board Secretariat? Seeing none, we'll call that.

Finance, Management Board Secretariat, infrastructure investment, $6 million. 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

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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

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Committee, please turn to page 31 for office of the Comptroller General with information on page 32. Questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I guess can we just start by getting an explanation of the $70 million we see here for asset retirement obligations. I have a general sense that this is under the new P3 accounting standards. So I guess I'd like to get a sense of whether this is a one-time figure we will now just carry on our books as a debt, or whether this is a thing we will kind of expect to see in future capital budgets and how exactly that works financially. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, this one, I'll be frank, is not my favorite one to have to explain. It does go directly to the public accounts and to the public accounting standards, and there's been a now change within the public accounting standards that requires that asset retirement obligations be booked in a way that they weren't before.

So there does need to be as a result of that what is a one-time adjustment to the capital estimates. That's the $70 million that you're seeing. And what that does is it's providing a way of reporting on the - to the public in the books what is anticipated to be a future liability. So it's not an anticipated spend that we didn't already have.

When we have an asset -- so, for example, if there's asbestos over at the museum, when the life of the building -- whatever building it might be -- comes to its end, we already know there would be a cost associated with decommissioning a building or cleaning up a building or removing that asset from once its useful life has come to a conclusion. But previously, that wasn't necessarily reflected. Now the requirement is that we in fact have to reflect that.

So the cost that you're seeing here is the estimate of all of the GNWT assets and what the value is. So that's been added here.

There is an ongoing forward adjustment, $8.5 million to the main estimates to reflect as part of this as well. But, again, it's a measure of what is expected to be paid on an ending asset. It's not new money, and the cost won't be incurred until the assets are actually at the end of life. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess, importantly, the last time I looked at our debt ceiling and the debt projections were getting pretty close. Does this $70 million count towards the debt ceiling.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

No, Madam Chair. Thank you.