Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, that is helpful to know. This is the predicted savings. I guess I am just trying to figure out next year, a year from now, business plans in the fall. I will ask then: how did the prediction work out? Is that something the department intends to sort of report on somehow in the business plan for next year, where we are at and how we are doing with the anticipated reduced use of locums? I am just wondering where that is going to be reported and tracked, or do I just have to ask at the next business plan? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions or lines of questioning here. The first one is: in the business plan, there are some reductions shown for a program, management and pre-suppression, reduce number of helicopters for pre-suppression. There's a reduction of $155,000 and then eliminate one helicopter contract for $469,000. Can someone explain what these reductions are all about and how that's going to affect our capacity to do pre-suppression work? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Is one of these details the land transfer arrangement that has to be made with the federal government? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. While the Minister and his staff are digging out the number, I guess I'll turn to: there is out now for public discussion a framework for boreal caribou range planning. A big part of this document really revolves around what's called adaptive management. It's basically a tiered approach to management and looking at disturbance levels and starting to do things with regard to regional range plans.

A big part of this document is really about monitoring. We have our government's own document talking about the need for more monitoring, but we're cutting the monitoring by $150,000...

Okay, thanks, Mr. Chair. I might have some other questions, but I do not think I am going to have enough time to get to that in this round, so I want to ask about the Climate Change Strategic Framework. We are supposed to be getting an action plan soon for that. Is there any money in this budget to carry out the action plan? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I appreciate that the Minister is going to do that work, and I know that he is really keen to look at new sources of revenue. Certainly, this is one, and this, these rates, have not been touched in decades. I can tell the Minister that. I think, quite frankly, we are giving our water away. These rates, as I understand it, are comparatively low compared to most other jurisdictions in Canada, and this needs to be changed. This is one of the reasons we got devolution, was to try to make sure that we get a fair return for the use of our resources, and I do not think these...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I give notice that on Thursday, March 1, 2018, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 1, 2018, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, March 6, 2018;

And further, that any time prior to March 6, 2018, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and...

[Microphone turned off] I think the deputy minister has confirmed my point there, that the water resource management officers do have a higher level of training than the Lands guys. That is not to say that the Lands guys are not important. They do their own thing. In any event, can I get a commitment out of the Minister that he will look at this issue of where the inspectors are parked and do their jobs, and they do it well, about maybe getting some efficiencies by reorganizing some of that and bringing the Lands folks into ENR? Can the Minister commit to come to committee with some ideas and...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to hear that. I would like to get some more details at some point.

Under the devolution agreement, there are more than 700 contaminated sites that are identified. This is a project that is probably going to start in the next two or three years. Well, I shouldn't say that, but this is an opportunity for us to build capacity locally, to do a lot of the other work that is going to come from the 700 contaminated sites, and start to build the kind of knowledge economy that my colleague from Yellowknife North talked about as well, where we have some expertise in...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So, the water use fees, is that something that we would be looking at revising in the review of the Waters Act? Thanks, Mr. Chair.