Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 62-16(4), NWT Main Estimates 2010-2011, and would like to report progress. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. A motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder? The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
---Carried
The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to return to item 20 on the Order Paper, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters.
---Unanimous consent granted.
We will return to consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 2, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2009-2010; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act; Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act; Tabled Document 62-16(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2010-2011; Minister’s Statement 47-16(4), Transfer of the Public Housing Rental Subsidy; Committee Report 5-16(4), Report on the Review of the 2008-2009 Human Rights Commission Annual Report, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
By the power give to me as Speaker by Motion 12-16(4), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House.
I call the Committee of the Whole to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 2, Bill 4, Bill 7, Tabled Document 62-16(4), Minister’s Statement 47-16(4) and Committee Report 5-16(4). What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee wishes to continue consideration of MACA main estimates and possibly ENR.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
With that we’ll take a short break and get back with MACA.
---SHORT RECESS
Mr. McLeod, if I can have you introduce your witnesses once again.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me on my right, Mr. Michael Aumond, deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Also with us is Ms. Laura Gareau. She is director of corporate affairs with MACA. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Committee, we are on page 6-17. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regards to public safety, one of the issues that has come out especially with our small communities and most of the volunteer firefighters and also the communities have to deal with river safety in regards to search and rescue and people that have drowned and having the equipment or being equipped to carry out that response when the community by way of the fire department or whatnot. I would like to ask the Minister is that something that the department has been looking at and how we can either expand the capacity of either the fire department or the volunteer firefighters or look at the whole area of river safety and also dealing with search and rescue?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, we are always interested in helping the communities build up the capacity. We have seen in a lot of the communities where the volunteer firemen or the rangers or just residents in general are usually the ones out in the river looking or searching. If there is an opportunity there for us to enhance their training, give them some training, that is something that we will be looking at over the next while and just working with the communities to identify ways that they can be better trained to do the search and rescue. If it includes a partner on water rescue, then it is usually something that communities take upon themselves to do. We will do our part in ensuring that if there opportunities for training, we make it available to the volunteer fire department. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, one of the other issues from the fire department is making sure that we have the equipment or have the fire department equipped to deal with such types of rescues and, more importantly, search and rescue and also river rescues. I am just wondering. Has the government looked at the possibility of looking at supplying or finding ways that the volunteer firefighters in the communities can be equipped to look more than just responding to fires but also being a response to search and rescue?
Mr. Chairman, we have seen in some communities, they will take it upon themselves to…the fire equipment they usually have. If there are opportunities for, and if funding permits, then it is something that I think we need to have a look at, because they do a wide range of operations within the volunteer fire department and search and rescue. Search and rescue on the water is one of them. There is an opportunity there for the assistant fire marshal to work with them in identifying things that they might need.
I think the biggest part of it here is the training and work with the communities. I think you will find the communities are very receptive to any assistance that they might be able to get. It is something that we would be willing to work with communities and I know for a fact that the assistant fire marshal is talking to the communities. He is keen on getting some proper training for them. We will take that into consideration too. Thank you.
The other issue that has been raised is in regards to the incident that happened here in Yellowknife where we lost two firefighters to a fire here, but I think in the communities also it is a concern. In most of the cases, people are volunteers. They do put their lives at risk when they respond to a fire in regards to trying to put out the fire. Again, ensuring that they are getting the training and also making them aware of the hazards of fighting fires.
Again, I think that we as government have to do more to support our volunteer fire departments, especially in a lot of our communities where we have fire chiefs that have 20 or 25 years of commitment that they have made as a fire chief to our communities. Also, the people that volunteer to work with the other people in our communities, we have to do more, not only provide the equipment but provide them the training and ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge of how to react to fire but, more importantly, giving them the tools to basically be able to fight a fire safely and not put their lives at risk. I think that, for me, is probably one of the most important aspects that we hopefully can learn from the incident that happened here in Yellowknife and also deliver that in all of our communities in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Chairman, training firefighters to fight fires is a huge priority. I think you will see as we go further into the document that there is $150,000 identified through the School Community Government to assist with training firefighters. We have an assistant fire marshal in the regions that will work with communities to ensure that they are trained to fight fires. Thank you.
I just have a question on two capital items. The $200,000 grants and contributions and under other expenses, could you give me a breakdown of where those dollars are being expended?
We are on 6-17, Mr. Chairman?
That is correct, Minister. I believe we are under, Mr. Krutko’s, program delivery details at the bottom.
Public safety.
That is correct. Public safety. Have you got that, Minister? We are under program delivery details, community government, grants and contributions, $200,000. Minister McLeod.
I apologize for that, Mr. Chairman. I thought we were on a different page. The $200,000 is the money that is identified for communities that provide ground ambulance services. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, can the Minister give me a list of those communities? The other question was under other expenses, $190,000. Could he again tell me where the $190,000 is going to be expended and which communities?
Mr. Chairman, the one under other expenses is the O and M for the staff and, to the Member’s second question, there are seven communities that are identified and some of the larger communities: Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Fort McPherson, Fort Providence. As I stated earlier, some of them haven’t applied for the money because of the liability and they are working on community capacity before they feel they are able to apply for this money. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, just a question under other expenses. You mentioned $190,000...(inaudible)...
That is for the fire marshal’s office and other emergency management functions of this division. Thank you.
Thank you. Committee, we are on page 6-17. Activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, public safety, operations expenditure summary, $1.112 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
We are moving on to page 6-18, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, public safety, grants and contributions, contributions, $200,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 6-19, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, public safety, active positions. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 6-21, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, operations expenditure summary, $2.854 million. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a question here with regards to the review of the operations and maintenance funding for communities, which I understand was being done sometime in this fiscal year. Could I get some information from the Minister as to whether or not that review has been done and what the results were, maybe in a nutshell? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Is that on this page or is that on regional operations? I know there is infrastructure on this page. I see operations and maintenance on regional operations. Perhaps it is here too. Minister, would you comment?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That budget that the Member is referring to is in regional operations.
Thank you, Deputy Minister Aumond. We will cover that when we get to regional operations. Is there anything else, Ms. Bisaro?
No, thanks.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Committee, we are on page 6-21, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, operations expenditure summary, $2.854 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 6-22, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, grants and contributions, contributions, $200,000. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Specific to the management of drinking water in the NWT, what role does Municipal and Community Affairs partner with the City of Yellowknife specific to that, and is there a dollar amount attached to that support or is it just community money? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The money is primarily made available for circuit rider and some course development. We also provide money... We have a small pot of funding of $50,000 that we make available for communities when they’re applying for their water licences, but there’s no support specifically earmarked in specific communities. We provide the support specifically around the circuit rider for operations and maintenance of water treatment plants where that support is required. Thank you.
Is that a draw down by community for… I’m just trying to understand the process there. Maybe if the deputy minister could explain how someone can access that, as well as if he said training. I wasn’t sure. If you could elaborate on that. Thank you.
Primarily, the circuit rider training is available for… The School of Community Government and the community operations division provide training to those communities who have new water treatment plants and require the training and assistance with maintaining those water treatment plants. The purpose of the circuit rider is to make sure that we have a certified operator who can provide training to those communities who don’t yet have certified operators in the operations and maintenance of their plants. Thank you.
