Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to introduce or welcome president Young and also vice-president Jim Martin. Thank you.
Debates of Oct. 25th, 2022
This is page numbers 4771 - 4832 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
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 4822
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 4822
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Welcome. The committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the commit agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 4822
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 4822
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Committee, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation begins on page 71. We will defer the corporation totals and review the estimates by activity summary beginning at page 72 with finance and infrastructure services, with information items on page 73. Are there any questions, comments? Member for Yellowknife North.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4822
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. So I remember sitting here last year, and there was quite a big fight that the Housing Corp was only spending $10 million on capital. And that's kind of the same number that has appeared in every capital budget. And now I see for the first time revised estimates of the current fiscal we're in, and we're spending $104 million. So it probably would have saved us a lot of time and effort if we knew we were spending $100 million and not $10 million. But can someone just update me on where that money came from. You know, I know this -- I know we had that $60 million carve off, and there was two $30 million announcements, I believe. But, sorry, I just didn't know we were actually spending $90 million this year on capital at present. So can someone tell me where that money came from. Thank you.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4822
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4822
Paulie Chinna Sahtu
Thank you, Madam Chair. We were very successful, I guess, in our federal engagements and conversations within this year. I'll have vice-president Jim Martin elaborate. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4822
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Martin
Thank you, Madam Chair. The revised capital estimates for 2022-2023 of approximately $104 million is comprised of a few components. First off is the typical base-funded capital budget of approximately $10 million. And then in addition to that for this year, we've had approximately $7 million in capital carryovers from the previous year. And this is a result of the additional federal funding that Housing NWT has been receiving over the last couple years. We received $25 million from CMHC in 2021, and we received another $25 million from CIRNAC in 2021-2022. And those dollars went directly into the capital plan, which is supporting the delivery of 100 new public housing units for the territory, and these are projects that are continuing to proceed and multiyear in nature and, as such, they were carried over. And then the third component is an additional approximately $24 million that has been allocated this year from the initial $30 million allocation from CIRNAC, again under budget 2022. So that's reflected in this year's revised capital estimates as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th, 2022
Page 4823
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Yeah, thank you. I guess I'll ask the same question about the $35 million we're spending this fiscal. Can someone tell me where that money is coming from. Thank you.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Paulie Chinna Sahtu
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is coming from the federal engagement funding that we did receive from CIRNAC. I'll have president Young elaborate. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
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Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
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Young
Thank you, Madam Chair. And so as the Member noted, we had an approximately $10 million capital plan before we signed a new funding agreement with CIRNAC. Once we did receive that funding coming out of the 2022-2023 budget, we were able to adjust the portion of the $30 million that's going toward capital into this budget and that is what results in the $35 million capital plan. The balance of the $30 million is going into O and M type expenditures, and that's why it's not exactly 30 plus ten. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I kind of understand that. I guess, does the Housing Corporation have a bit of a -- I mean, there's -- I'm looking at, you know, $100 million being spent this year and $35 million for next fiscal and, you know, maybe they'll even be more money. But do we have some sort of public facing other than this page capital plan of where things are going. I admit that I think many MLAs have been confused at times with the different funding pools and what's being built where, but is there a bit of a five-year outlook of what we're going and how much we're spending. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Paulie Chinna Sahtu
Thank you, Madam Chair. We do have a list of where these projects are going to be and looking at the retrofits that we're going to be working on this year, I'll just have president Young respond as -- I'm not too sure if we could put this out there publicly or I'm not too sure. I'll have president Young elaborate. Thank you.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Young
Thank you, Madam Chair. And, yes, we have historically provided this to committee when requested but, again, because many of these are small projects that we are tendering to not impact the tender prices, we don't put the number of each individual project out publicly. But if requested, we can absolutely share that with committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Committee Motion 313-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Infrastructure - Deferral of Department (page 52), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
October 25th
Page 4823
Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Just further to the questions from my colleague from Yellowknife North, further than just the tendering process, there's definitely a sense in communities of kind of not knowing what direction Housing is going in or when their units might be updated or retrofitted or what kind of the future of housing looks like in the Northwest Territories. And that's not just even in small communities; that's regional centres. That's even here in Yellowknife. And so even though there's not, I guess, a willingness to put out a public document talking about tendering dollars, is there a willingness to put out a document of the capital plan of what retrofits, what new houses, kind of what is the capital plan, not talking about dollars but talking about how houses on the ground for Housing NWT. Thank you, Madam Chair.