Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I missed literally the first few words of the Member from Kam Lake's question. If she could just repeat the beginning, I wasn't sure what -- if I could, please, just so I can answer more specifically. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake, can you repeat your question.

Absolutely, thank you. No, the Member for Yellowknife North alluded to doing a review of both this fire suppression season and also the evacuation, and I know that that's going to be a heavy topic probably in September if we do end up sitting in September but I'm wondering if there is any kind of commitment that could be made here today that that is work that will be done. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm never in a good position to make commitments that involve other departments. I'm fairly confident in saying that we can provide the information about the costing, both of the fire suppression this year as well as the evacuation response, including supports that have been put together very quickly over the last few days. What that will look like and whether, you know -- in terms of a sort of, quote/unquote, "review", that's where I'm hesitant in that there's typically some form of after-action review that does take place and there's certainly the processes of the Assembly that exist. So, you know, in that sense I want to say yes. I just, again -- not entirely -- I'm wanting to ensure that what the Member envisions -- sees happening and what I'm able to commit to sort of here align. But, again, there's always reviews that take place of these processes. So thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake. I think we've lost MLA for Kam Lake. We'll keep her time, and then we'll move on until she can reconnect.

Member for Thebacha. Are you there, Member for Thebacha? Member for Hay River South?

Thank you.

Oh, sorry. Sorry, we'll just -- just one moment, Mr. Simpson. Ms. Martselos?

Yes, Madam Chair.

Go ahead.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I too will be supporting this supplementary estimate of $75 million. First of all, I want to acknowledge that, you know, Fort Smith evacuees have been away now for two weeks from the community and, you know, being the first community that was evacuated, it was a lot of -- it was very much a learning experience on behalf of myself and a big bearing on the evacuees from Fort Smith because, you know, there was a lot of loopholes. And I just want to thank all the Cabinet and all the ordinary MLAs and all the bureaucrats that helped me navigate to ensure that the Fort Smith residents were looked after properly. It was -- it was a big experience and an experience that I will never forget.

I want to thank the first responders and everybody who helped and who are helping with the fire and all those that are in evacuation centres, you know, it's -- it's a big experience for not only our Indigenous but all residents of Fort Smith and the NWT with this kind of disaster.

My question is for Minister Wawzonek, and I just want to ask the question about the operational budget. $75 million from the operations budget, I would like to know how that's going to affect all the departments and how we're going to ensure that we are not going -- the ordinary Members and residents of the NWT and all residents of the NWT are not going to have a situation where they have to do without in some other area in order for us to ensure that things continue as usual, because the cost of living in the North is very high, and the residents of the NWT have been very patient even during this evacuation. And, you know, and we have to ensure that we continue the services as we know it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, MLA Martselos. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, we -- we've worked hard over the last four years, notwithstanding multiple forms of crisis and emergency, to go from starting off with a deficit situation to being at a point where we were announcing $178 million surplus, what feels like a very long time ago now, back in February. That surplus is all but wiped out right now. There might be some smidgy bit left of that. That's my technical term, Madam Chair. At this point, we're, you know, at $178 million while we're taking $75 million out, better part of, right now. There was the $35 million, you know, supplementary appropriations reserved that was mentioned earlier but that is largely eaten up right now. The low water season is causing serious cost pressures on NTPC. It is causing serious problems for MTS. We had a litany of problems before us, Madam Chair. So when we have to take that -- when we run out of the supplementary surplus that -- or the projected surplus that we have, then we need to start looking at taking on additional debt, which then comes with high costs of interest that I think everyone is familiar with. Government pays them too. And we have a significant growing deficit, and this will only add to that.

So all of this is to say, Madam Chair, I am very live to trying to balance the needs of fire suppression, the needs for an evacuation that maintains all of our essential needs for people - accommodations, shelter, and the ability to return home - and the fact that we are not in a position as we're still recovering to then be adding a burden of high costs on people. This is a complicated and difficult and unhappy topic. I share the Member's concern. The cost of living is high in the North and, at the same time, the needs in the North are very high. I don't know that this is the time for me to try to answer or unpack all of that. I simply want to acknowledge the complexities of it, the challenges of it, and that that's -- these are conversations that have been keeping a lot of people up at night for the last -- well, I was going to say the last week, but probably before that too. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The other question I want to ask also is about the capital budget. Is this going to affect the capital budget items that we are going to be discussing in September? I'm concerned, now that we have such a bad fire season, I want to make sure that, you know, the -- the new fire centre is still on the books because, you know, this is what happens, and if we ever lose that data that's in that -- in that old building in my community, we are in big trouble. And, you know, I'm saying this because it affects not only the community of Fort Smith, it affects the whole Northwest Territories, and I don't want to see an adjustment in the capital budget at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So this is where the split between our operations and capital does get a bit -- not always very intuitive. So this supplementary appropriation is attached to the 2023-2024 year. That capital budget was already passed last fall. So that's this Fiscal Responsibility Policy and our efforts to maintain to be within that impact the capital budget that we're -- that, you know, we would have been acting upon this last construction season. What will come forward to the Assembly this coming fall will be the capital budget for 2024-2025. So these operational expenditures don't impact on that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Martselos.

So I'm happy that the Premier had some commitments made from the Prime Minister regarding costs. I don't know what those commitments are in detail yet and the criteria that is required. But maybe, you know, I'm hoping she covers all the travel, the evacuation costs, hotels, financial assistance to residents. And you know what, and some of the suppression, because we don't have the infrastructure, like she said, and I'm very happy that she did that and made it very clear the lack of infrastructure in the Northwest Territories.

You know, many times we are forgotten because, you know, we're a small population, does that mean we're -- we should be less than any other jurisdiction in Canada? I don't think so. And so I would like to get more details, and I'm sure we'll get that when we have sittings in September. And with that, I just want to -- I'm not going to ask any questions -- any more questions but I want to thank everybody who helped in the evacuation of the residents of Fort Smith and the NWT because it was -- it was scary.

I've never gone through anything like that, and I can imagine what happens with Hay River. Three times evacuations is unprecedented. And, you know -- and we have to realize that climate change is an issue, and it's going to continue to be an issue.

And with that, I want to thank all the Cabinet, and I want to thank each and every person that helps with all the evacuation efforts. And I especially want to thank one personnel person from Fort Smith, a MACA person, and that's Bobby Bourque. He helped me through navigating all these little issues with hotels even though, you know, it was -- it was horrendous when we first came here. And everybody else. I want to thank the leaders of the community of Fort Smith, the Aboriginal leaders, both chiefs, and the Fort Smith Metis President Allan Heron, Chief Laviolette, and Chief Paulette, for their coordinated effect on making sure that everybody came out safe and looking after the people. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. I'll return now to MLA for Kam Lake since we have her back.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My apologies for being cut off. My computer is hanging on by a thread these days. And I appreciate all of the questions that my colleagues have asked. I've had a lot of my questions answered, and I really appreciate the responses we've received as well.

One of the questions that I really want to focus in on is whether or not the efforts that have happened within municipalities are included in this $75 million as far as fire suppression is concerned. I mean, we saw in multiple communities, private industry really showing up for all of our communities and, you know, doing sprinkler systems, doing firebreaks, and stuff like that. And so I'm wondering if those are dollars that are being charged to municipalities, if they're included in this, if those are dollars that will eventually make it up to the GNWT level because those are dollars as well that our municipalities will not have been prepared for and will far exceed municipal budgets. So I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how private industry is being paid for their part in this. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.