Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Madam Chair. As the appropriation for the previous low water surcharge was spent, the Public Utilities Board wanted to know, given the fact that the low water issue was continuing, what was the intention of the government and what was the intention, then, of the Power Corporation to respond? Were we going to raise rates or was there going to be some other accommodation made. We were monitoring the volumes of flows, the needs, the extent of the low water, and we wanted to be as clear as possible and see what was going to happen. So they wanted to know fairly early in June, if my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t believe anybody is being unfairly targeted. Thank you.

One of the big areas has been on the preparedness with emergency firefighters and extra crews that were trained and standing by and ready to roll that were there right from the start last year. The year before last we were gearing up just because of the unprecedented nature and trying to recruit emergency firefighters. We had an amazing response, but this year we’ve kept it in place. We’ve worked on the training, so we now have a cadre of trained emergency firefighters. We’ve worked a lot on our communications. We’ve had the benefit this year of the weather that worked in our favour. We’ve had...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We anticipate that this is the final supp that will be required. Thank you.

As we speak, the folks will be pulling together a package that we will put on the table and provide to committee members. It will be part of the record on a go-forward basis. We will do what we can for last year, but we’ll do this year for sure. I will commit to that. We’ll make it part of the record that that will be the expectation for all further supplementary or special warrant appropriations. Thank you.

I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016. This document proposes an increase of $50.7 million in operations expenditures for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The more significant items are:

1.

a total of $24.5 million for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the increased costs incurred during the 2015-2016 fire season. Twenty point nine million dollars of this amount was approved by a special warrant in June 2015 and is now being included in the supplementary request.

2.

$22.1 million for the Department of Finance to contribute funding...

Yes, I would, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 70, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2016-2017, be read for the third time.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 70, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2016-2017, be read for the first time.

We will get that information. NTPC tracks it to the litre and we’ve already indicated that we’d be prepared to compile that on an as required basis, monthly, quarterly, whatever is the wish of committee to provide that information so that we can see how it goes over the course of this fall and winter. Thank you.