Thanks, Madam Chair. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022, with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with the first item.

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Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022, in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Does the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment have any opening remarks?

Yes, Madam Chair. I am here to present the 2021-2022 Main Estimates for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $404,000 or 0.7 percent over the main estimates of 2020-2021. These estimates support the mandate objectives for ITI while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include:

• Initiative funding totalling $2.296 million, which includes:

- $936,000 to continue our support of tourism under Tourism 2025 towards the five-year investment strategy for the tourism sector;

- $400,000 to maintain funding for our Mining Incentive Program to stimulate prospecting and exploration and increase resource exploration and development in our territory;

- $360,000 to support the development of regulations for the Mineral Resources Act and to advance work on the mineral administration and registry system;

- $350,000 to invest in the creation of an action plan to develop the NWT's knowledge economy and establish regional economic development plans; and

- $250,000 to support an ITI position to coordinate and ensure continued development of the fish sector and support the Tu Cho Fishers' Cooperative, a key partner in our ongoing work to revitalize the commercial fishery on Great Slave Lake.

• Forced growth funding of $134,000 to support two regional tourism and parks positions;
• Other adjustments of $283,000, with $225,000 for the continued implementation of the Northwest Territories petroleum resources strategy; and $58,000 to support the department's continued provision of communications and services in French; and
• Sunsets of $2.067 million.

These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19^th Legislative Assembly by:

• supporting mandate priorities such as reviews of procurement practices within the GNWT;
• the competitiveness of the Northwest Territories royalty regime;
• socio-economic agreements; and
• the Northern Food Development Program.

That concludes my opening remarks, Madam Chair. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Minister. Do you wish to bring any witnesses into the House?

Yes, please, Madam Chair.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, will you please introduce your witnesses for the record?

Welcome. Committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with corporate management starting on page 206, with information items on pages up to 208. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. On it's page 207, purchased services has shown quite an increase, more than doubling from 2019-2020 to what is proposed for next year, or close to doubling. Can someone explain to me what is happening there? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There is an increase there. That's with respect to the Mineral Resources Act implementation and also money to establish the knowledge economy and regional economic development plans.

Thank you. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I do have some questions about those other items. I see that they are covered through the other activities, so I'll wait until we get to those other ones. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Any further questions under corporate management? Seeing none, Industry, Tourism and Investment, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $9,216,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will now move on to economic diversification and business support, beginning on page 209, with information items on page 213. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. In the Minister's opening remarks, she talked about how there was $350,000 to do some work on the knowledge economy, and I see, on page 211, there is a contribution of $200,000 for the knowledge economy. Maybe I can have someone explain to me what the $200,000 is for and where the other $150,000 would be found to total the amount that the Minister mentioned in her opening remarks. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to suggest that that go to Ms. Salvador, please.

Thank you. Ms. Salvador.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Okay, so now I've got a total of $300,000. The Minister, I think, mentioned $350,000 in her opening remarks, and then I got a figure of $200,000 here. Look, I'm not an accountant, but something just doesn't seem to be quite right, there. Can I get a better explanation? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the contributions section here, so this is detailing, I believe, money that is going direct to, for example, the maker spaces in contrast to the money that would be directed to a position that is there to support the work of the department, broadly speaking. Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry, that would be the $350,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Now I know what the $200,000 is here, but then I heard that there is $300,000 found somewhere else. The Minister, in her opening remarks, said that there is $350,000 to create an action plan for the knowledge economy. It still doesn't quite add up. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's good news here, Madam Chair, in the sense that there is money both to advance projects as well as money to put forward to the work of the knowledge economy as a strategy. Perhaps I'll try a third avenue and suggest that Ms. Strand answer the question, please.

Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

I think I'm going to move on because I'm not getting anywhere. I want to ask about the status. Is there any money in here for there was supposed to be a new NWT Arts Strategy, and I'm not sure where that falls between ECE and ITI. Maybe I could get an update of the status of that and what involvement ITI has and whether there is any money in here for that. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. ECE and ITI are, indeed, working together on this. I do not believe there is specific funding allocated at this point. If I could propose to have it go to Deputy Minister Strand, please.

Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Can someone tell me about the status of the arts strategy itself? I understood it was supposed to be released by now, and I'm not sure where it's at. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know we are partnered and working with ECE on this, and my understanding is that they are the lead. Let me see if Ms. Strand has an update on when we can expect it. I know it has gone through a review by me, but I'm not sure where it's at for its final revisions.

Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks. I eagerly await that. Can someone tell me: what is the status of the NWT Film Strategy and Action Plan? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I expect that it should be released, I want to say, this session. "Imminently" is, perhaps, a safer way of putting it.

Thank you. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I am imminently eager. Is there any funding in this part of the budget for a new strategy or action plan? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't know if that's in the section I'm in right now. Perhaps I will see if Deputy Minister Strand has that information at her fingertips.

Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I look forward to maybe a large supplementary appropriation, then, to assist with that work. I want to ask a question about the community transfer initiatives on 211. The amount there is actually declining, and I would like an explanation as to why it is declining in the time or whether, in fact, it should be actually increasing in terms of economic relief and recovery. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would propose to have that go to Deputy Minister Strand, please.

Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I am concerned, then, that we are actually reducing money to a community that now has an all-weather road. Hopefully, we can reopen later this year to allow tourism to start. Why are we reducing this funding now? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's a sunset, so it wasn't a reduction so much as this was the end point of the funding that was put in place when the road opened in order to help ramp up and be ready for tourism. Certainly, Madam Chair, what the intention is now is to monitor the reopening and to determine whether or not a position is still required and, if so, to, then, go back and seek that funding to have it return. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I look forward to that money being returned. While we are on the topic of new roads and so on, is there any specific funding in the budget here for assisting Whati in getting ready for a road that is supposed to open in November of this year, and if there is no specific money identified, why not? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are working actively with the Tlicho government and with the Whati government to determine what, in fact, they are wanting to see in terms of programming. At that point, there are quite a number of pots of funding that already exists under SEED, under tourism, that would be available to support whatever they determine to be the projects that they need. There is not a dedicated line item to the Whati road, or to the community of Whati as a result of the road, but it is more of a soft commitment that we are available and ready to work with them to help realize proper tourism, given the lessons learned from the Tuktoyaktuk road. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at page 211 and some of the various line items. In the last while, a lot of tourism operators took hits, I think, everywhere. It was a struggle to give people, like our tour operators and companies, assistance and try to help them weather out this storm, per se. I just wanted to ask the question for the Minister: how close their relationship is with CIRNAC to find out how funding is flowing to help out our tour operators in the NWT? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I don't have my tourism section open just now, but there is a close relationship, obviously, working with federal partners. It is our intention, much as when COVID first hit, to continue to work with them to understand what they are able to fund so that we are prepared to support their programs, complement their programs, or fill gaps if there are any. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Just kind of going down this line of questioning, if I was a struggling tour operator right now, in these line items, what programs are available? If you're a struggling tourism operator, what programs can I access within ITI? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. If you are a community, you would go through Community Futures. You might consider the Community Futures Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. If you are an individual, then you certainly may want to start, obviously, with CanNor, which is one of our great federal partners; go to NWT Tourism. There are quite a number of different pots that might apply, depending on the nature of what's being sought. Perhaps I will send that to Deputy Minister Strand to just outline some of those specifics.

Thank you. Deputy minister Strand.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for that response. It's nice to hear there is the concern for some of our companies, our tour operators. I mentioned in my budget address that my biggest fear right now is that the direction we are going is, at some point, we are going to have to have a triage, and I really don't want to be put in the position, with my colleagues here, to have to pick and choose which companies and tour operators, et cetera, get to stay afloat and who doesn't. I really hope that we can get ahead of that. My next question is: I heard the Community Futures Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Can the Minister just briefly describe what that fund is?

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Community Futures Regional Relief and Recovery Fund: the purpose there is to fund Community Futures organizations, which are in individual communities across the Northwest Territories and specifically with respect to COVID-19 impacts on those communities, outside of the regional centres in particular, so anything from short-term stability for the communities, various economic readiness activities. It includes small, repayable loans to some of the local small- and medium-sized businesses. Again, it's an infusion of funding to those Community Futures organizations that is really dedicated to some COVID relief specific to them. Thank you.

Thank you. Member.

If somebody is struggling in this area, when can they start to apply to a program such as this? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Each Community Futures organization does have a fair bit of latitude to administer their programs, and I would suggest that they immediately contact their Community Futures organizations in the community that they are in, knowing, of course, too, that there are certainly opportunities directly to ITI, that if certain things don't fall neatly within the Community Futures, there's a number of other programs still specific to COVID relief available. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for that. This is going to be important, and I'll say it again, I really don't want to be put in a position where we have, for lack of a better word, an economic triage. I'm moving along here. I'm looking at some of the other items here with film and arts. I think these are really, really important items. Arts, I think, are great. Before I went into office, I did some small film, and I did a couple of small horror films, H-O-R-R-O-R, just to make sure everyone heard me right there. It was a lot of fun. I think I encourage anybody who wants to go into the arts, and it's always a good thing to learn and for the youth, even older, to go and explore. It just seems like these two items could be a lot larger. Is there any appetite for these two line items to be larger in the future? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I assume it's the film industry rebate program and the Great Northern Arts Festival is what we're looking at now. Yes. Thank you. Madam Chair, we're definitely looking at the film industry rebate as well as the Great Northern Arts Festival. With respect to the film industry, I'm quite pleased to say that with the film strategy coming out imminently again and knowing that we have right now a fairly strong emergent film industry, of course, yes, I'm more than happy to say that we'd like to consider more money, but money does not grow on actual trees. We want to look at where the strategy takes us and get that out into the public and get the reactions to it and advance that forward. Once that strategy's out circulating, I think, at that point, we'd be in a better position to determine what type of future funding is most appropriate to achieve the goals. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll just finish off with a comment. There are jurisdictions. You look at other areas in Canada, like B.C., Alberta, you see some very cool country and western movies as of late, and you see Toronto. They really, really promote. Their governments invest money into their areas or to try to bring in foreign money. I think there should be some opportunity here, something that ITI and the Minister should consider at some point. I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. I'll take that as a comment. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's good to have the department back in the House. My question I'm just going to start with, I think, first with the BDIC on page 210. There's a $2 million budget for the BDIC. I know that the BDIC was kind of a bit almost on hold as far as when they were looking for the CEO and wanted to wait on that to get a new direction going. I know that you're in strategic planning or they're within strategic planning within the BDIC. Can the Minister speak a little bit to where that's at, and how much of the budget for the BDIC is going towards the strategic planning at this point? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Where they're at right now, there was a session before the winter break, and there's been a second session after. Sorry, by session, it's a strategic planning session that brings in all of the board members who are from across the Northwest Territories together to be at in-person meetings for the full board again. Two rounds of that, the second one was just, I believe, last month, if not maybe late in January. I am told that I can expect a summary report from them fairly soon as a result of those two sessions. I don't, however, know, Madam Chair, what the total cost of the strategic planning was off the top of my head, so I will commit to getting that information back to the Member.

Thank you, Minister. Member.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That would be great. I would like to see a bunch of money. Just more as a comment. I would like to see, I'm not so much concerned that those businesses make money in the BDIC but that we start thinking about all the indirect dollars. I know the department knows where I stand on that, so I'll move on. My next question, then, would be moving onto the Northern Food Development Program on page 211. I note that the number is pretty standard across the board. I think it was a $4,000 increase. Given that COVID highlighted food security issues even more so in the North and potentially had disrupted supply chains, et cetera, as well as food supply issues in the South with the culling of animals and the pouring out of milk, does the Minister maybe, perhaps, think that there should be more money put into this area? I'm curious to know why it's been left at just this level given the importance of it and the fact that that's been highlighted through COVID? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are, right now, working with the Department of Health and Social Services as well as ENR, and I think others, actually, towards a food strategy for the Northwest Territories, and a lot of work has, in fact, been done on that recently. There's been an inventory done around food security programming led by ITI, and recently, a poverty round table hosted by Health and Social Services. All of that information is being put together through an ADM working group so that all the departments, again, continue to understand what each one is doing so that we can best respond across both the commercial side of food security as well as the anti-poverty side of food security, and respond to it.

I am expecting that there will be a fair bit more information detailing the work of the government in, again, fairly shortly order, knowing that it's coming through the system now. Once we have that, again, we're in a better position to say whether or not more funding is required at present. The actuals were actually undersubscribed from 2019 and 2020 as compared to the main estimates here, but I know there's again funding in other departments, as well, to support this. For the moment, it doesn't appear from the actuals that there's been a lack of funding. What there is happening now is better coordination between departments. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Just remember, we still have our translators translating, so if you guys can slow down. Member for Great Slave.

Yes. Slow down but use less words so you don't take more of my time. I get what you're saying. I don't necessarily always believe, though that an -- it's been a long few weeks -- undersubscribed program necessarily means the need is not there for it, and I would maybe have a look at whether or not it's undersubscribed in that people aren't aware of it or there's barriers to applying on it because I just can't believe that there wouldn't be a need for this program? With that and, actually, it reminded me of a question I just forgot to ask you about the BDIC was: both of these are sort of in that. You've gone out. You're collecting information. You have either consultants or others compiling that for you, and it's coming across your desk or will be soon. Where does the committee sit in inputting on both of those situations, strategy plan for the BDIC as well as the food strategy programs? I would prefer to see that we have a chance to give input on that ahead of any finalization of those programs? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I seem to recall the last time BDIC appeared collectively with committee that they had said that we would have a draft to committee before it becomes finalized, so let me just repeat that now. With respect to food security, Madam Chair, I have only just recently received a rather large amount of information on food security and where it's at. Rather than me try to find it, why don't I turn to Deputy Minister Strand.

Thank you. Deputy Minister.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the deputy minister's comments around the collaboration. When I hear the Minister commenting that it's ENR, it's health, you know. I'm assuming and hoping it's getting to a point where someone is going to take ownership of the program because I do think that we don't want to end up in a situation where some of our social programs, it's: who does it belong to? I see the Minister nodding along yes to that, so I'll just do that one as a comment.

Back to the arts program and arts funding, I've mentioned this around other programs in different departments, but another need I'm hearing about in this area is not a need for funding for projects, necessarily, but a need for funding for core funding, for executive director positions. When I spoke with people in the music industry, they were telling me that their equivalent music counterparts in the South are funded positions, and they are funded by their governments with at least some sort of siphon to help. Here, it's all volunteer, and as we all know in the North, as soon as that magical volunteer who runs that entire organization leaves, the entire things falls apart. There is no transfer of knowledge between who is left and who is there. People get disgruntled; they get frustrated. I think, if we truly want to invest in our arts going forward, an economy around our arts, then we need to ensure that we're funding the administrative part of that work. I think we would find that would not only increase employment in small communities, it would increase Indigenous employment, it would increase P2 employment, and it would allow our arts and music scene to flourish. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not sure if the Minister wants to comment.

Minister, did you have a comment?

That's a challenging one to solve, Madam Chair. No, and I don't mean to laugh to make light. I suspect most people in this room would not disagree. Right now, the ITI-focused programming does tend to be project-specific or event-specific, whether it's direct under, for instance, the Northern Arts Festival or through the SEED programming that does tend to supply funding for events. Again, ECE and ITI work quite closely in terms of the arts strategy, and we've had some discussions about we have a great strategy. What will we do to ensure that there is the funding to meet its goals? I don't have an answer right now, Madam Chair, and I'm not sure what commitment I can even give, other than to say that, again, we are going to continue to have conversations about that strategy going forward, and the point has been clearly heard, that this may well be an opportunity for economic development, as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Any further questions?