Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So let me start by saying there's actually a projected shortfall of $2.843 million. Some of it is can otherwise be funded internally. The actuals are for it's for, rather, yes, the total expenses are estimated at around 4.9 or just over $4.9 million.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it is my understanding that the RCMP do the analysis and make the final determination on where officers should be located and what the operational needs are for those officers in those communities. For example, the example earlier of there being an officer based nominally in Yellowknife but assigned technically to Dettah or N'dilo. That said, Mr. Chair, I would note that there are community policing, again outside the scope of the supplementary appropriation, but there are community policing priorities that are issued every year that are prepared with the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, to date we've had 6,336 folks apply under the income disruption; 9,515 under the travel support. And of those, quite a number, 4,800, are processed for payment under the first. 8,712 under the second. Some are ineligible so there may be duplicate applications. They maybe hadn't met the specific qualifications under each program. But at this point, there shouldn't we're not expecting that there should be a significant number of any new applications. There's still about 230 about just under 250 that are still in process or being reviewed further. But that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, if there I mean, difficult to make a guesstimate of that. Different nurses have different fall within the pay scale at different rates. There is different overtime amounts, different enhancements, you know, again, so. I can give you there's a, you know, total number of scheduled hours that an agency nurse might work. I can try to break that down. But, again, breaking it down by what that does by hour, you know, again, different nurses come in at different hourly rates. So, you know, I'm not this is a discussion broadly about the fact that agency nurses are...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So phase one is opening up really what was a bit of an emergency level or emergency sized channel for first year. That would help get the barge traffic moving again. So it's been many years that there has not been an adequate level of support for the harbour. Back in 2012, Public Works and Services of Canada was actually providing a lot more support so that their own kibscar facility vessels could actually maneuver as well as Department of Fisheries and Oceans. That stopped, and then as a result, the harbour built back up. So it became a bit of an emergency, and that was...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you for that question. So the supplementary reserve is something in the operations budget that gives $35 million available for those unexpected things that come through as part of the supplementary appropriations process. And as I mentioned earlier, there are roughly four supplementary appropriations processes that go on through the year. So it's fully expected that we will have sups or supplementary appropriations. That's normal. Not everything happens neatly in, you know, say in advance of the February budget cycle. But at the same time, you want to make an...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 5, Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 20232024, be read for the second time.

This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 20232024 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is certainly some nuances that are different as between the two. I mean, we also look at the number of public servants and if there's obviously an increase in public servants, that can also drive it. There's cost of airfares that have increased. Again, some expectations of getting back to having more regular dental clinics and clinicians in communities and just things that are not unfolding as we would have predicted or hoped. But, you know, yes, to some degree the dental costs are driving both with those nuances considered. So, again, that's where I say I think...

Sure, thank you, Mr. Chair. There's obviously been a number of items where I've offered to return back to committee. Some will certainly take longer than others. Others I expect we can get back fairly quickly. It's been my practice, if possible, that given that they would be responses here on the floor that we would make it you know, we'll give it as a document or a letter that can be tabled in the House so that it could form part of the public record. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So under the First Nations Policing Framework Agreement, there's not there's a desire, if possible, to recruit Indigenous police officers. But aside from that, this particular funding agreement doesn't necessarily speak to alternative forms of policing or alternative community supports. It's outside the scope of the supplementary appropriation but I'd suggest the Member might be interested in looking at what's happening in Fort Liard right now where I think there is a community policing initiative underway. Thank you.