Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have $650,000 before us today, and then in 2014-2015 we are budgeting $2.350 million. They’re still doing the technical and geophysical testing to find out, but there’s a strong assumption that there are permafrost issues, moisture issues and those types of things that are contributing to the slump in the runway.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2013-2014. This document outlines an increase of $24.290 million in operations expenditures for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The major items included in the supplementary estimates are:

$8.7 million for the Department of Executive for funding for costs associated with the implementation of the final Devolution Agreement. The net impact on government operations is nil as these costs will be offset with funding to be received from the federal government.

$1.6 million for the Department of Finance...

Mr. Speaker, in fact I do believe, as well, that Alberta has the same challenge with a significant amount of workers it brings in mainly from eastern Canada on an ongoing basis. We have had discussions about the challenges they face. I haven’t had any immediate or recent discussions with our northern territories. I have had more discussions with Alberta as they struggle to come to grips with the same issue. They may have come up with no surefire solutions, either, because the planes still fly on a weekly basis full of workers returning home or on shift change. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s from the budget year ‘12-13 and what it notes here is they completed 39 projects to date and we have an appendix attached, which lists all of them right from Yellowknife NSCF right down to Behchoko Chief Jimmy Bruneau, and things like installing biomass systems, electrical heat conversions, energy retrofits, lighting retrofits. I think committee has that.

My understanding is that the body in question did the job that they were tasked to do over two decades. That they had helped come up with a financing arrangement for the building of this singularly stunning edifice that we work in, and now their work is done. The mortgage is paid off. Not only was the mortgage paid off but they managed to accrue a small surplus which they have turned over to the Board of Management, to the Legislative Assembly to do with as they will under their bylaws, which is do something for the benefit of the Legislative Assembly, which is what is being done here today.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t have access to the document that the Member is quoting from the Parkland Institute. I can indicate to the Member that we have looked at increasing the payroll tax in nearly every Assembly that I’ve been in. We’ve broken it down in great detail; we’ve looked at it from every angle. The bottom line determination to date has been that increasing the payroll tax, when you look at all the administrative costs and the complexities and the amount of money spent making sure that there is no negative impact on Northerners has made it not worth pursuing at this juncture. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chairman. We pride ourselves on trying to do that full-cost accounting in all its aspects and we’ll, in this case, note the Member’s concerns and we’ll do that. Thank you.

I note the Member’s concern and, of course, we’re here before this Assembly to seek approval for these expenditures. I look forward to the decision of the Assembly, but the Member has made his comments noted for the record and I’ll let it stand at that. Thank you.

Yes, this particular supplementary appropriation will allow us to be able to conclude all the activities for which the money was dedicated, the transition costs. Thank you.

There’s $125,000 that will be accounted for through the O and M supplementary appropriation and this has come forward to the legislative process through the Board of Management in terms of the money that was to be spent on infrastructure and the money that’s going to be spent to accommodate and pay forward the celebrations that are going to be taking place here on Friday and Saturday. Thank you.