Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following five documents entitled 2009-2010 56th Annual Report – Northwest Territories Liquor Commission and Liquor Licensing Board; Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2009-2010; Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2009-2010; Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011; and Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund, Annual Report 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Thank you.

As we look at managing forests we are doing a whole host of things. We are continuing with our inventory that we’re undertaking on Crown lands. We’re working with communities on community forest management plans that are anticipating in the boreal forest area the development of possible biomass facilities that would allow communities to have access to ongoing biomass supplies close to their communities. We’re working, with interest, as we’ve indicated in this House yesterday. For example, Member Groenewegen from Hay River South mentioned about biomass pellet plants. We’re investigating that...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to my right Mr. Gary Bohnet, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled Conference of Management Authorities (Species at Risk) Annual Report 2009-2010, and Northwest Territories Species at Risk Committee Annual Report 2009-2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, keeping with the automobile analogies, the reality was that if we were prepared to pay the 28 or 29 million as opposed to the 20 million at the time, we could have had all those extra features incorporated. Given the pressures and the fiscal realities of the day a year or so ago, we scaled it back to do the most fundamental core services we had, recognizing that we would probably want to, as time and resources permitted, expand and put in the programs that we’re talking about today to do the things as a government and as a Legislature that were not targeted, such...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The information we provided gives a significant overview. The Member has requested more detail. I will commit to check with the officials to see whether we can pull that type of information together with any kind of alacrity. Thank you.

We are working on that consolidated shared services model and we are bringing as many of the infrastructure resources together and the decision-making and the policies and procedures so we have something similar to those of us that have been around a long time and would remember the old government services kind of approach. The final configuration hasn’t been decided on, but regardless of that, the assured services model, this module will be an integral part of that system and infrastructure. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We appreciate the Member’s comment and we, as well, will be looking to see whether there are any efficiencies here in terms of dollars. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With this new system we have taken on a commitment to maintain and upgrade, and in the IT world that’s an ongoing commitment. While we’re not expecting any, hopefully, yearly major changes, we do want to keep it up to speed with the changes in software and programming so that it continues to provide the service that it was intended to, but it is going to be an ongoing commitment. Thank you.