Wendy Bisaro

Thank you for the explanation. I’m not sure I totally followed it. Does that mean, then, that the department budgeted in 2008-09 for utility costs which they knew they were going to go over? That kind of is what I thought I heard Mr. Kalgutkar say, that the budgeted amount was too low and they knew that going into their budget in 2008-09, so they had to take the reserve and put it in there before they ever started. If that is the explanation, I’d like that confirmed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As much as I am somewhat flabbergasted by the amount of money that we have to approve here, I can see that these costs are ones that we don’t have a heck of a lot of control over. I am somewhat concerned when I look at the information we were given on the utilization of the supplementary reserve. Of the over $6 million that the Health department got in their supplementary reserve fund, $2.3 million went to Stanton Hospital and $2.3 million went to the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority as one-time funding. That concerns me. That is a pretty healthy...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I just have to express my dismay at the amount of money that we’re spending on the Territorial Power Subsidy Program. I know our power rates are high, but it’s a huge amount of money that we’re giving away. This supp is for $1.2 million and when I look at the reserve that was allocated to FMB, another $225,000 went into the Territorial Power Subsidy Program. So it’s like $1.5 million over and above what we budgeted that’s going in there. So I don’t really have a question. Again, I think this is more a comment against this particular program, which we have to...

Thank for the answer. My apologies for not having heard the answer previously. That’s all. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a couple of questions related to this section. The first one relates to cell phone use by drivers operating vehicles. We discussed it a bit when we reviewed business plans in November and I just wondered whether or not the department has given any consideration to legislation that would prohibit the use of cell phones while the vehicle is in operation. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for those comments. I think I have to take his answer as a no, that there is no policy. Agreements, yes, and the need for accountability and criteria that guides those agreements, absolutely I agree. But that doesn’t tell me that it guides the government when they make these kinds of contributions. In my Member’s statement, at the end of the statement, I requested that the Minister discuss the idea of an equity policy with Cabinet and/or his department and I would hope that he would bring a recommendation forward to Regular Members for debate. I would like to ask the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance. I spoke in my Member’s statement about the need for this government to look at an equity position in large infrastructure projects. Like my colleague, Mr. Ramsay, I feel that this is an area where the government has been missing the boat, so to speak. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance whether or not he or the Cabinet has had discussions regarding taking an investment or an equity position in large infrastructure projects in the NWT. If yes, what is the nature of those discussions please? If not, why...

At the risk of belabouring the point, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am having trouble understanding the budgeted dollar amount for utilities in 2008-09. Was it totally out of line? How come we had to put $800,000 in from the supplementary reserve right off the bat?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to ask, the supp is indicating $56,000 for increased utility costs, another $382,000 further down in highways and then again in marine and again in road licensing and safety. I look at the supplementary reserve amount that went to Transportation; it shows $800,000, which was for utility budget deficiencies. Do we have the $996,000 for utilities deficiencies plus the $800,000 from the supplementary reserve? Is that all going to utility deficiencies? Thank you.

No, that’s all. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I agree with the Minister.