Sorry, Madam Chair, I'm just -- I'm on the wrong page but, yes, it is all indeed carryovers.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I raised this in previous a capital budgets. I had understood the Department of Finance was going to develop some kind of a tracking system for carryovers, because we've had growing and very significant carryovers over a period of time and that's another question I'll ask at some point, but. And the tracking system was supposed to kind of categorize the reasons for carryovers. Sometimes it's got to do with cash flow from another party or, you know, inability to get the money out the door or there's no contractors available to do the work, or weather, or whatever. Is that tracking system now in place and what are we learning from it? Thanks, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, there's certainly is a lot of work that's underway looking at broadly how the government manages carryovers and responds and reports on carryovers. So I can't say that I necessarily have a complete answer at this point. But, there are a few things in the works and perhaps I'll just pause. I'll turn it over to Mr. Koe, please, just to give an update as to what some of the most recent thinking is that we're at on that. Just knowing that, again, that some of that would have to, of course, come through -- any final decisions would have to come through of course this Assembly, as well as all -- any other process of consensus government. Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Mr. Koe.

Thanks, Madam Chair. So I think I -- what I can take from our guest is that we're just setting up the system now and that we'll have a clearer sense, I don't know a year from now, of what some of the reasons are for the large carryovers that we're incurring; is that I guess what I'm hearing? Thanks, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Member. Minister

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there's a number of reasons why there'd be carryovers, and I think the goal right now is that rather than having each and every department provide the rationale or the reason, you know, department by department comes to MBS. MBS is going to be creating a system whereby it will be more uniformed so that it can be reported back to the -- to this Chamber in a way that, you know, again, is -- well, is more uniform and so that rather than, you know, having -- taking a bit of the subjectivity out of it and being able to report back more clearly so that if there are in fact trends across the whole of government, that those can be identified more readily. As it is right now, and I am certainly conscious of time but I can certainly speak to some broad thoughts on why there are sometimes large carryovers on, particularly on the large projects which is then what leads to the large dollar sums that are there. And I think those trends -- some of those trends are already apparent. But what we'd like to do is, again, provide a method and a methodology of reporting that is more clear and more uniform. Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Minister. Member.

Okay, thanks, Madam Chair, and thanks to the Minister for that. I guess this gets back to some of the reasons why I actually voted against the capital budget, because I just felt it was unrealistic and there was I think almost half of the money in the capital budget was a carryover from the previous year, and I just felt that there's no way we're actually going to be able to get all this money out the door during a pandemic, and I'm concerned about getting some of this money out the door even in this sup as well. So, yeah, until we get a better tracking system and a more realistic capital budget that doesn't overspend, in my humble opinion, I have difficulty approving some of these items. But I do understand the need for some of this work to carry on, and I think that's all I've got to say for now. Thanks, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Member. Are there any further questions, comments? Seeing none, Supplementary Estimates, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2021-2022, Department of Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, junior kindergarten to grade 12 school services, not previously authorized, $2,566,000. Does committee agree? Thank you.

All right. So we'll move to supplementary estimates. Supplementary Estimates, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2021-2022. Department of Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $2,566,000. Does committee agree? Thank you.

Thank you. Committee will now consider the Department of Infrastructure on page 7. Supplementary Estimates, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2021-2022, Department of Infrastructure, operations expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, $2,208,000. Questions? Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just curious, then, if the department or the Minister can speak a little bit to, was there any incurred or extra incurred costs as a result of deferring maintenance on some of these projects? And if so, would the additional costing be included in this 2.2, or would there be potentially further additional costs down the road? Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I would propose to send that over, I think, probably to Mr. Courtoreille to speak to.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Mr. Coutoreille.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm done.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) That's it. All right. Member for Yellowknife North.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Could we just get some more information on what the deferred maintenance projects that weren't completed were and why. Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Minister.

Madam Chair, yes, for that level of detail, again, I'm going to send that to, if I might, to Mr. Courtoreille, please.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Mr. Courtoreille.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I guess this is just a comment for Finance and Infrastructure. I believe the last time I asked about our deferred maintenance deficit, it was about $462 million of deferred maintenance to get our assets up to par. I just don't understand when we have such a massive deficit, and the Department of Infrastructure has consistently, you know, stated that they need more money for deferred maintenance and if we're going to get our assets up, we need to be maintaining them. I fully support that. I just -- it becomes harder to navigate the Financial Management Board and through committee and through the Legislative Assembly to get more money for deferred maintenance if you let it lapse, and especially on these smaller projects. I don't understand how we're not getting this money out the door when our deferred maintenance budget is so enormously large. So, yeah, just a comment there to make sure we're maintaining our assets, because it only costs us a lot more money in the long run. Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Minister.

Madam Chair, thank you. So there is a standing amount for deferred maintenance but, you know, a concern being raised on that regard, I would suggest perhaps a comment from the Minister of Infrastructure.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm just curious -- I know that the Inuvik wind project was somewhat delayed or had been uncertain at one point of whether it was going to go forward, I don't know what the best way to phrase that is. So that would probably have resulted obviously in this lapse or this continuation. I'm just curious to know how often can this money continue to be carried over from year to year under the ICIP funding which perhaps I should know as a former Infrastructure Minister. But could it continue on and what is the likelihood of the Inuvik wind project continuing on and being completed in a timely manner in which case we wouldn't be worried about lapses of funding. Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I don't know the specifics on that. Perhaps I'll turn it over to -- but the Minister of Infrastructure might.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the projects -- the ICIP for this project ends in 2027; my gosh, I wish it were done then. 2027-2028. And you know, each year, Madam Chair, we do get permission from Canada to be able to do some of these carry forwards, and with that, we're able to justify some of the reasons and rationales on, you know, the struggles we did have about, you know, trying to proceed ahead with the Inuvik wind project and, you know, trying to engage the community and form the partnerships to be able to do some of this work. Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm really glad to hear about the timeframe. And again, I probably should have known that and I also wish it was done in 2017 as well. I guess I just have questions a little bit about the $500,000 amounts for the two other funding pots there. I'm just curious to know if those were the contributions to get the dollars out of the federal government. Is that our -- the NWT contribution amount? Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm quite confident Mr. Courtoreille knows the answer to that, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) All right. Mr. Courtoreille.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I remember sitting in the Chamber in August of 2019 when the House approved, I didn't agree with it, money for the Whati transmission line. Have we actually spent any money on this? Thanks, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON (MS. SEMMLER) Thank you, Member. Minister.