Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In order to maybe try to provide clarity, if I could just point out the information that we have, the existing base budget for the Charlotte Vehus was $842,000. They put out a bid for a contract that came in at $1.459 million. That contract was awarded. The amount of money they had in that program area, $842,000, a gap of $547,000 that has been recognized as a base deficiency, and we are here to seek funding. Currently, there has been an adjustment to 2013-2014. Up until now the authority has been absorbing that cost and running a deficit which is no longer sustainable...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have with me the deputy minister of Finance, Mr. Aumond; and the assistant deputy minister of Finance and deputy secretary to the FMB, Sandy Kalgutkar.

Yes, as we pointed out, there has been a base adjustment, a target adjustment of $850,000 to the ’13-14 budget.

Yes, Madam Chair. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2012-2013.

This document outlines an increase of $20.928 million in operations expenditures for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The major items included in the supplementary estimates are:

$13.8 million to report two special warrants approved on July 31, 2012, and August 17, 2012, for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the increased costs being incurred due to the severe forest fire season in 2012;

$4.4 million to report a special warrant approved on August 17, 2012, for the Department...

Thank you. We haven’t looked at resource rents per se. What we are looking at and what we’ve tried to invest money in over the years is, for example, to increase the amount of immigration into the Northwest Territories. Right now our population is either static or, in some cases, shrinking marginally, which has a significant negative effect on our Territorial Formula Financing Agreement. So in order to do that, we have to make sure we have a strong economy with jobs, and we have to work with all the groups and communities on things like affordable housing and the services that will attract...

Thank you. In fact, at every one of the seven communities where we had meetings, somewhere during the course of the evening we talked about the new revenues that are going to come, and that in our case they are tied most immediately to devolution, that we were not considering tax increases at this juncture, given the economic circumstance and fragility of the world economic landscape. So we’ve indicated that next time, and we’ve heard some other requests, as well, for full disclosure of all the budget numbers laid out more in keeping with the main estimates. So we heard a number of issues in...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 2, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2012, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Madam Chair, the Minister of Transportation would like an opportunity to, as well, make a comment, with your indulgence.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s $9.5 million plus the $2 million currently before the House.

Madam Chair, I would ask if the Member would give me the number, I would be able to get you an answer.