Thank you. Are there any further questions from Members for service to the public?

Seeing none, Justice, service to the public, operations expenditure summary, 2022-2023 Main Estimates, $4,769,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Committee, there are additional information items from pages 304 to 306. Does any Members have any questions with regards to those information items?

Okay, seeing no further questions we will now return to the departmental summary found on page 275. Okay, so Justice, operations expenditure, total department, 2022-2023 Main Estimates, $137,054,000. Mr. O'Reilly.

The motion is in order. To the motion?

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Consideration of Department of Justice, 2022-2023 Main Estimates, operating expenditures, total department, is deferred.

Thank you, Minister. And thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.

What is the wish of committee?

Thanks, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to continue with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Okay, thank you. We will take a short recess and then resume with MACA.

---SHORT RECESS

I now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023. Does the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs have any opening remarks?

Yes, I do. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I am pleased to present the 2022-2023 Main Estimates for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $1.972 million or 1.6 percent over the 2021-2022 Main Estimates. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the department while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize reasonable and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include:

• Initiative funding increases of $922,000 for community governments and $507,000 for ten relief workers and associated salary and benefits for NWT 9-1-1 service;
• A forced growth increase of $331,000 in the proposed budget is to provide for grants in lieu of property tax for tax-based communities; and,
• Finally, there is a total increase of $212,000 in other adjustments, which is the net impact of an increase of $123,000 to provide for MACA's administration of federal investment in Canada Infrastructure Plan; an increase of $445,000 for the collective agreement increases with the Union of Northern Workers; and a decrease of $356,000 in travel budgets.

These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly and support the vision of the Budget 2022 by supporting the GNWT's mandate objective to reduce the municipal funding gap by $5 million. If approved, this mandate objective will be 83 percent fulfilled for a total investment to date of $4.167 million.

Of the total proposed estimates for MACA in 2022-2023, 82.8 percent, or $101.9 million, is intended to support community governments.

That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Does the Minister wish to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Yes, I do.

Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Thank you. Minister, would you please introduce your witness.

With me today is deputy minister Laura Gareau. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Welcome, deputy minister Gareau. Committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Thank you. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary beginning with community governance, starting on page 334 with information items on page 337. Questions? Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I see there's an increase for assessment services and my understanding is that that's partly because we pay people to do some of the assessment work. And I've asked many questions before and, forgive me, I just fully do not understand the role of MACA verse Lands verse Finance in assessing how much people pay in property tax especially, you know, in not tax-based communities. So I'm going to try and ask a few more questions to help myself understand what's going on here.

And specifically I guess I want to ask, in the Ingraham Trail does it actually matter how much your property is worth for how much you're going to pay in the various taxes and lease fees, or are all of those properties essentially just not meeting the minimum threshold so they pay the same amount? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

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

Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.