Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I’d have to see that quote that has been attributed to me about putting flea collars on moose. I have no recollection of saying something of that nature. However, be that as it may, the concern that the Member raised is, are we going to work together with communities and hunters and the users of the land and ENR to make sure that we keep an eye, and if there is a tick infestation that we identify that. We take the steps necessary to see that we remediate the situation to the best of our abilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just with regard to the nature of the funding, this is coming out of implementation funding to the A-base, so it will be ongoing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 1, 2015-2016. This document proposes an increase of $11.3 million in operations expenditures for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The more significant items included in the proposed supplementary estimates are:

a total of $4.6 million for the Department of Transportation associated with runway service improvements at the Yellowknife and Inuvik airports, of which $1.6 million is offset by a lapse in the prior year;

$2.4 million associated with various departments to provide...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We routinely monitor moose populations and we look at a general health insect infestation, and the one tick that we were paying close attention to see hopefully that doesn’t migrate north, of course, is a tick that causes lime disease. At this point, we don’t believe that particular black legged tick is in the North.

In terms of other ones, we rely on the moose surveys and feedback from hunters. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This funding is coming from transitional funding tied to devolution, and there are two things at play here. One is we have taken over about $63 million worth of new programs and services that we’ve integrated into the government with many new responsibilities, mandates and authorities. We’ve integrated them into the Government of the Northwest Territories. As well, we have a communication infrastructure that’s 20 years old and in need of enhancement prior to devolution, even more so now after devolution. We’ve taken on, for example, significant regulatory functions. We...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 57, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015, be read for the second time.

This bill makes supplementary appropriations for operations expenditures for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 57, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015, be read for the third time. Thank you.

Nothing has been arbitrarily taken away and we provide a role, as government, in an orderly measured way when we think it’s required to make sure that the system that we have before us functions to the best efficiency possible.

I wasn’t sure if that was a rhetorical question, but we have people coming and going all the time. We have some of the best benefit packages, lifestyle issues that we think would attract folks, as do the private sector. But the reality is we have a fly-in/fly-out population that is fairly large. We have our birthrate that balances out, but on the exodus side we have some folks leaving, a few more leaving than are coming. So, those are questions, one that Mr. Bromley raised, that we are trying to deal with, with incentives to come here and to stay here and to bring folks from other places where...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 57, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015, be read for the first time.