Sorry, this is a question. I think that's a 2014 number, but -- well, now I'm talking about a confidential document and trying to get clarification on it in a public sitting as we vote, which we're not allowed to do according to our rules. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Did you have any further comments? Okay. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I appreciate, I guess, what the Minister had to say about the additional funding and the tiered approach for those that -- those communities that were impacted by flooding and fires over the past 16 months. You know, it's not going to -- it's not going to fix everything because, you know, when I look at it, you're probably looking at -- even if you look at a thousand dollars a day lost in revenue and, you know -- and in Hay River, people have been out for, you know, up to two and a half -- two and a half months. And then you take that -- you take the time into sort of go in and get your business back up and running and then you have to entice your clientele to come back. So you're looking at, you know, upwards of probably a loss of, you know, a hundred thousand dollars for some businesses. And, you know, it's going to vary. But it is a big chunk of change. So when we are talking the amounts that she noted, it's not a lot. It's something, though. And I'm hoping and, you know, I encourage the Minister as well, to go out there to the federal government and continue, you know, pounding the table and, you know, I'll do it from this side as well with our MP and see what we can do. Because right now, you know, we look at Hay River. We've had -- you know, we've had issues with -- well, with the fires and the flooding and now we've got issues with low water. So Hay River, I think, at the end of the day is going to have to reinvent itself. Manufacturing is a big thing. And right now our manufacturing sector has pretty well been decimated as well, so. But, you know, I'm glad that the, you know -- the department is going in the right direction, and Cabinet's going in the right direction. At least we're not going backwards. But, again, like my colleague said, you know, funds there for some of the people who did take the initiative to go out on their own and especially, you know, those in Hay River. You know, I talk about them because they're the ones that had to -- you know, that went through the fire. They're the ones that, you know, lost vehicles. They're the ones that lost -- almost lost their lives, lost pets, lost livestock. And, you know, it was a pretty scary ordeal. And, you know, I'm just lucky I didn't have to go through it. I was fortunate to be in the community, I guess, for that -- most of the evacuation I was on the list of, I guess, essential or nonessential essential workers for not only Hay River but for Enterprise as well. And I was able to, you know, use some of the skills that I had operating equipment, setting up camps. I even, you know, swept the floor in the airport and replaced some of the toilet paper and stuff like that so people had that in the morning. But, you know, so -- so everybody, you know -- any MLA could have done that. And, but it's -- you know, at the end of the day we got to -- we got to help people get back on their feet, and the only way to do it is usually money and other programs as well that whatever we can do. And that would be through, you know, ECE, DAP, and that, so. Yeah, so that's it. Thank you. It was just comments.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Are there any other comments? Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to make a comment, and I want to thank the Minister of Finance and the Cabinet for making sure that the fire centre is going to be constructed for the community and for the Northwest Territories. After this fire season, I think it's extremely important that we save all the data, and we support the people that work in that centre. We have some really incredible staff in that centre, and they work for the whole Northwest Territories and helped with the first -- with the first responders with -- especially with making sure that our communities were safe this summer, and we went back to our homes some of us. Some lost homes, and I'm very sorry that that happened to some of the communities.

Finance must be a tough job because I know how it is when things are, you know, not all in the -- in the black and you have to decide on what is important and what isn't. And I'm sure that people all -- when this budget was put together that people thought about it very carefully. And of course I like the budget. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Are there any further comments? Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I won't go on and on about the budget either. But I just wanted to say that one thing that I really like about this budget is all the roadwork that's in it. And what I really, really like about the roads and bridge work is a lot of it is 100 percent funded. And I think -- and will give kudos on that. I think any time we can bring in 100 percent dollars to our territory, it's only a good thing. And also just to point out, we can't take road money and build houses with it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Any further comments? Seeing none. Does committee agree that you've concluded consideration of Tabled Document 973-19(2), 2024-2025 Capital Estimates? Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Madam la Presidente. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 973-19(2), Capital Estimates 2024-2025, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 973-19(2) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Mahsi, Madam Chair.

Thank you. The motion is just being distributed. I always jump the gun on that one.

The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried. Tabled Document 973-19(2) will be reported as ready for consideration in the formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

---Carried

Minister of Finance.

You know what, Madam Chair, since you've turned it back to me, I was remiss to not thank yourself and the chair of the AOC more directly. It actually has made the process -- let's go ahead and say fun. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Well, thank you. Committee, thank you, Minister. And there's no witnesses. So we'll continue with our next item.

Committee, we've agreed to consider Tabled Document 974-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024. And I will remind the Members that we considered all of the detail within the document on September 29th. Does the Minister of Finance have any opening remarks?

I do, Madam Chair. Thank you. Madam Chair, this is an unusual supplementary estimates request following a very unusual, and I hope unique, summer for the Northwest Territories.

Low water levels have made the annual barging resupply much more costly. Low water levels have also meant that we've been burning more diesel to provide electricity throughout the Northwest Territories, which is much more costly to the GNWT. And, meanwhile, early in the season, flooding also required emergency response.

Madam Chair, these emergency costs alone would not have required this supplementary request or supplementary estimates because we build in contingency when we put forward a proposed borrowing appropriation at the main estimates stage. In fact, even adding a difficult fire season would not have led to this request.

However, the dryness we are experiencing has contributed to the worst wildfire season we have ever experienced and lead to multiple evacuations for Hay River and K'atlodeeche First Nation and then, ultimately, to the evacuation in total of almost 70 percent of the population from eight different communities with most having to cross into other jurisdictions. Madam Chair, this summer was beyond being merely difficult.

This level of emergency and emergencies and the amount of financial output required to pay emergency responders, for example, and emergency services was extraordinary. Therefore, to ensure that we continue to have adequate cash available to pay all of the invoices that will be coming in over the next few weeks, we are requesting this supplementary borrowing appropriation in order to provide a cushion.

This supplementary request, to be clear, is not a new approval to incur additional expenses. It is only to ensure that we would have the cash available to pay the bills that we have already been approved to incur. For example, during our one-day emergency session, the Legislative Assembly approved an appropriation to the Department of Environment and Climate Change for $75 million to support the wildfire suppression costs. In order to ensure that we can pay all of the contractors and suppliers in cash, we are requesting this supplementary appropriation to the borrowing.

This request does not necessarily mean that we will end the fiscal year with significantly more debt than what was originally projected. We are expecting an advance from the federal government under the Disaster Assistance Financial Arrangement which will provide a significant cushion to our cash balance. We do not, however, know exactly when that cash will be received.

We do continue to monitor all of our expenses and revenues regularly, as we always do, as well as monitoring departmental variances as we have through the floods and previous fires. And as the costs will come in from this summer season, that work will continue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Minister, did you wish to bring witnesses?

No, thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Committee, do you have any comments? Member for Frame Lake.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. I've got a couple questions if I can. Is this a one-time increase, or is this a permanent increase to the borrowing limit? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Madam Chair, this is not an increase to the borrowing limit. I'm happy to clarify that. So the borrowing limit that's imposed by the federal government is separate and apart, and I certainly do not have the authority to increase that, which is imposed by the federal government. And within our fiscal responsibility policy, we created our own internal limit to give ourselves room that if we come up upon our own internally imposed limit, which is the cushion below the federal limit, that would then trigger within our own processes a requirement to consider what we would then do lest we in fact get to that federal limit. And I can say that, quite intentionally, while we wanted to give enough of a cushion so that given the election period and given the blackout period that is associated with it, that the Department of Finance could go about their business paying all of our contractors and invoices. So we've sought a limit that is under our own imposed limit and does not approach the federal borrowing limit. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.