Debates of Oct. 19th, 2022

This is page numbers 4687 - 4726 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.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Prohibition Creek Access Road Project Procurement Process and Project Update

Housing Northwest Territories Indigenous Government Partnerships

Electoral Boundaries Commission Recommendations

Housing in Nunakput Communities

Arctic Security and Sovereignty

Sale of MacTung Mine

Mackenzie Valley Highway

Government of the Northwest Territories Infrastructure Investment in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Lessons Learned from Recent Flooding

Child and Youth Care CounselLor Program

Changes to Extended Health Benefits

Eulogy for David Gargan

Arctic Security and Sovereignty Investment

Homelessness and Housing in Fort Smith

Housing in Nunakput Communities

Mackenzie Valley Highway Project

Housing Policy Issues

Housing Infrastructure Investment in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Lessons Learned from Recent Flooding

Sale of the MacTung Mine

Changes to Extended Health Benefits

Transfer of Housing Units to Indigenous Governments

Sale of the Mactung Mine

Tabled Document 731-19(2): Analysis of Regional Flood Risk Planning and Evacuation Procedures following the May 2022 Hay River Flood, September 2022 Tabled Document 732-19(2): 2014 Northwest Territories Hazard Identification Risk Assessment, Government of the Northwest Territories, 2014 Tabled Document 733-19(2): Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Infrastructure in All NWT Communities, Government of the Northwest Territories, July 2021 Tabled Document 734-19(2): Highway Drainage Design Standards, Ontario Ministry of Transport, January 2008

Tabled Document 735-19(2): 52nd Dene National Assembly Resolution #22/23-013

Bill 56: An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Act

Bill 57: Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act 2022

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Legislative Assembly - Deferral of Department (page 14)

Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Justice - Assembly - Deferral of Department (page 60)

Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Municipal and Community Affairs- Deferral of Department (page 68)

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 298-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Justice - Assembly - Deferral of Department (page 60), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 4719

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 4719

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know that we provide this money and then we're working with a number of communities to provide asset management plans, and they're all kind of in a different stage of doing that, or hopefully -- I think a few will have complete planning done. I'm just wondering if that's a requirement of the funding or whether we are, yeah, requiring all communities to have asset management plans done. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 4719

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 4719

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister.

Page 4719

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.

Page 4719

Gareau

Thank you. As a condition of the community public infrastructure funding that you see in today's capital estimates, MACA does require that all community governments develop a five-year capital plan, and we work with them on that development. As part of that, we also do require asset management plans, recognizing that community governments are in various stages of completion of those plans. Thank you.

Page 4719

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 4719

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I'm glad to hear that, and I think asset management planning's important. I think it's a little ridiculous that we require our community governments to do it and we do not have an asset management plan. If you looked at GNWT, we'd be in about step negative 100 of asset management planning; step one being figuring out how much you actually own. But I'm glad we're requiring our communities to do that. Maybe one day we will do it.

I guess I want to go to another issue I have with the way we do our budgeting and see if MACA will comment.

I can go to -- well, I'm looking at the town of Inuvik's five-year capital plan, and it tells me what they're going to spend every five years. You know, I can see that they're spending $70,000 in 2023 on a motor control panel replacement. The GNWT doesn't provide this information because it says it affects procurement. Have we told the town of Inuvik or any other municipalities that they probably shouldn't publish this information because it's going to affect their tenders? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 4720

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. So, again, the Member's got the town of Inuvik's plan. That's their plan, and that's how they're doing it and how they're providing that information. The information that we're going to give to the Members, it's for them. Like, it's for their -- it's not for public consumption. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 4720

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Sorry, perhaps I need to get a clarification there. Is the Minister willing to publicly provide how much each community is getting under the funding we are seeing here? Thank you.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

Page 4720

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Okay, so the amount we're giving the communities, yes. The community plans, no. Those plans belong to the communities. Thank you.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 4720

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'll sneak one more in here which is this is the capital funding we give communities. I know we also give them operations funding and water and sewer. Does this mean that we are now going to provide a breakdown by community for each of the three funding groups publicly? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.

Page 4720

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I want to say no but yes, we will.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Page 4720

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, while the Minister's on a roll here, so I, you know, on page 69, large capital projects, it was $31.5 million in 2021-2022 and it's gone down now to $29 million. And, of course, the cost of living's actually gone up. So can someone explain to me the decline in funding here to our communities? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.

Page 4720

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that type of detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister.

Page 4720

Gareau

Thank you, Madam Chair. So what you're seeing, that $31.5 million in 2021-2022, that was provided via supplementary funding. So in that fiscal year, community governments received their $29 million base funding and then an additional $2.4 million in supplementary funding, which was part of the reducing the municipal funding gap. That additional $2.4 million continues to be provided to community governments but it's actually included in MACA's main estimates. We have a budget line in our main estimates called community government mandate funding, and it's part of that funding. That number in our main estimates is made of the additional funding provided to community governments for capital, which is around the $2.4 million plus O and M money plus water and sewer money. So it's just a breakdown of where that money is reflected. Thank you.

Page 4720

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, deputy minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Debates of Oct. 19th, 2022

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