Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you. So when would the projections for 2024-2025 have been completed in the sort of timeline of -- I'm just trying to piece together, like, you know, if it cost approximately this same amount in 2023-2024 in actuals which would have been, I guess, at the end of 2023-2024, we went downwards for our estimate. That's, I guess, my main question is why did we project downwards when we were facing $7 million more in 2023-2024? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. To the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the previous amount of $13 million is what the budget amount would have been. So back 2023-2024, likely you would have seen -- and I don't have it here or recall, but in 2023-2024 the actual budgeted amount, I believe, was significantly lower than what the actuals wound up being. You would see a change to revised if we brought a sup. In past years, we were, I know certainly in some years, able to cover internally increased costs in medical travel within the department. The last few years have seen a number of cost increases, not the least of which is an increased number of folks requiring medical travel, increased costs in flight costs. It's not an unsimilar story to what we may hear soon from when our friends in health and social services appear and speak to medical travel more broadly but the cost drivers that they are experiencing also impact this piece within the Department of Finance. So with -- you know, again, if there's a sup that needs to be brought to cover the cost, you would see it in revised but if not, you wouldn't, but -- you know, and, again, we have now at this point sought to increase the main estimates to reflect the fact that costs seem to be staying -- are higher than what were being budgeted and are staying higher. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I can appreciate that. I just -- I guess I'll stop there. I'm just -- I'm struggling with the concept of knowing that the costs were that much in 2023-2024 and then skewing back down. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me just as someone who sees, like, actual costs in my own budget. I realize a public government is different than a human being but it -- yeah, I'm still struggling with this. I don't know if the Minister has anything further to add.

Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. No, and, Mr. Chair, happy to spend a bit more time on it. I think this is actually an important -- quite an important concept that happens across different line items, and this is a good one to use as any.

So we -- the 2023-2024 number that you see there is actuals. We don't get that until much later in the budget cycle. Obviously, we're filing public accounts, you know, after the fact when the fiscal year is well over and we're already well into the next cycle, so the budget would have already been established in 2024-2025 and would have stayed at 13.088 unless we had, through this process, decided to increase the budget. So we wouldn't have had the actuals at the time of preparing the 2024-2025 Main Estimates.

A revised number happens, as we're seeing, you know, with the supplementary estimates that we dealt with earlier this week and starting in last week. Sometimes there's supplementary estimates that have only, you know, a specific one-time amount, but you may see that there are ongoing adjustments to a budget and then that can show up in, you know -- if there's a budget change, it would show up in the revised, and the -- sometimes it's a one-time change, but sometimes, again, then you can bring a forced growth submission which is when -- or other submission and you may see a change in the 2025-2026 estimates. Little time on the clock, so I'll stop there, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's helpful. I do want to touch on one other line item in the comptroller general, and it's a very dramatic swing but in the other way. It would be environmental liabilities which in 2023-2024 actuals were $31 million approximately and now are down to $2 million. Can the Minister tell the story or substantiate those numbers? Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Mr. Chair, if I could start with the director -- the deputy, please.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the deputy minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the reason that the actuals for 2023-2024 are so much higher than our budgeted amounts for the year 2025-2026 is because we recorded several liabilities in that year. So I can list off which those are. So it was a Cameron Hills environmental liability, and that was about $22 million. Norman Wells, there was an environmental liability there related to hydro carbons and metals, and that was about an $8 million liability. And then Fort Resolution, also underground historical pipeline, $3.6 million. And then finally, Fort Simpson, there was a highway maintenance facility, so that's $1.7 million. So that is why that's much higher than the other budgeted amounts. So we basically took a lot of liabilities that -- or took -- recorded those liabilities in that year, so that's why it went up so much. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I'm going to -- did you have a follow-up? Member from Great Slave.

Quite very grateful for that, Mr. Chair. Thank you. So can you explain how taking on a liability one year and the cost of that liability goes from a big cost to a not very big cost? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll start with the deputy.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the deputy minister.

Thank you. Next on my list I have is the Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I appreciated the inquiries from the Member for Yellowknife Centre also. I just wanted to note that I, too, have a number of constituents who have had difficulties in this area. So not to repeat any questions, but I did just want a clarification.

I believe I heard the finance Minister say that she's added staff to this area that deals with this area. I'm hoping that the idea with that is that they are going to help to alleviate some of the burden and help to ensure that we're meeting that 30-day timeline more consistently. Is that -- can the Minister just confirm that and maybe tell us -- give us some details about that. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, two staff are being added to FESS, so that is the division that supports public servants with -- including with medical travel assistance. And, you know, definitely the intent there being with two additional people on that that will be an opportunity to help ensure that people are having more timely assistance. You know, again, Mr. Chair, there's -- I will say there's also work happening in the Department of Health and Social Services. We do rely on referrals from them to come over to us, to FESS, and, you know, have had some conversations around wanting to ensure that there's no barriers between that process. So that is also in the works and, yeah, I'll just stop there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.