Don Stewart

Hay River

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 64)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. After accounting for the items that are in this supplementary bill, there will be approximately $6.4 million left in the supplementary reserve for O and M for 2016-17.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe the Infrastructure Department would have the utilities budget for GNWT assets across the NWT, so I think that's where you would find the amounts that we're spending on utilities for our own assets. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That one is actually a very interesting case, because that was one where there was an offset of new sites identified and costs, as well as reductions as we cleaned up our sites, so it netted out to zero, the impact that year; but there was actually activity both positive and negative that led to that point. It wasn't that there wasn't anything going on. It just happened to net at that level for that fiscal year. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The way the environmental liabilities work for our own sites is we have a listing of all of the GNWT sites with liabilities. We have a liability fund of about $48 million that is put away to clean up those sites. The $2 million that you see in the main estimates reflects the changes on an annual basis that we would expect to happen as we either get better estimates of costs or that we clean up things or adjust them or, frankly, as new sites are identified and those sorts of things. The $2 million is actually almost like a debt value, if you like, because there may be...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think, for the Member, we will be in a position by the MayJune session to provide a briefing to the standing committee. The issue really with the heritage fund  there were two issues that were to be examined. One was around the overall governance of it and administration. The other was around some of the contribution levels.

The issue I think around governance, and we will get into this more, is really around some of the criteria on what kind of instruments we invest in. We are very conservative in our investments, and I think that is a smart strategy with this type of fund...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The expectation was that they were going to sunset, but they are actually vacant at this time. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The increase there is primarily related to the Service Innovation Strategy. That office also takes care of our involvement in CRCT hearings and those sorts of events as well, but that would be the increase reason for that one. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The Minister will get back to the committee with the exact number, but my understanding it's approximately 800 to 1,000 is my memory of that. We will get the exact answer and get back to you on that one.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We estimate that it will be over 2,000 families that will be eligible to receive the NWT child benefit. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So again, you can see there is a whole list of detail provided out under "accounting services," and that's really the leftover amount that relates to the staff who are involved in government accounting operations and those sorts of things. So the bulk of that would be salary dollars for our accounting services division as well as a small amount of O and M. Thank you, Mr. Chair.