Just to understand this a little further, why wouldn’t it be listed under the School of Community Government, then, if it’s primarily focused under their tenureship through new water treatment plants? If I understood that. Thank you.
It’s sort of a partnership approach. The money that we have in community operations is available for a circuit rider for course development water licence funding, as I mentioned before, and also some technical support as well. In addition to that, we do work with our partners in Public Works and Services in looking at some remote monitoring and testing out new treatment technologies that might be available when we’re putting in new plants. The training aspect of it is from the School of Community Government in addition to what you will find provided by community operations. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Committee, once again, we’re on page 6-22, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, grants and contributions, contributions, $200,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 6-23. Mr. Krutko.
I just have a question on community operations. I want to just throw a general question out there. Has this department ever considered decentralizing your department and putting more of a focus on a community-based effort by way of a regional operation? It seems like all your positions are at headquarters but I don’t see anything in the regions. But if you’re talking about community operations, if anything, you should be closer to the communities. So I’d just like to know, has that ever been considered by way of restructuring this department so that you’re more community based but, more importantly, closer to the communities either at the regional centres versus at headquarters.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The ones that we have in headquarters are usually support to the regional operation folks. So the bulk of our positions and the bulk of our work is done in the region and these folks here are just support to the regions. Thank you.
Mr. Chair, the reason I raise the question is because I’ve been working on projects in my riding, regardless if it’s looking at shoreline erosion for Aklavik or main street chipseal for Fort McPherson or some sort of youth centre for Aklavik or even an outdoor skating rink, but it seems like that corporate knowledge is no longer at the regional level. I mean, either through retirement and whatnot. But yet a lot of this information is still compiled at headquarters. I think that you have to find a way to improve the relationship between communities and not say, well, sorry, we gave you the money, that’s the end of it; we’ll wipe our hands of you and walk away. For me, you still have a fundamental role to play because you have the corporate knowledge that those communities need so that they have the information so when they consider things such as shoreline erosion, which the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs was responsible for the last time they did any major work on shoreline erosion for Aklavik, that information is still at headquarters.
The same thing in regard to the main street chipseal program for Fort McPherson. Again, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs along with the Department of Transportation did a study in nine communities. Again, that corporate knowledge is at headquarters. I think we have to find a way of getting that information and getting the resources and the people that have that knowledge or basically have that information. It’s easy to access from the community level and not have to call headquarters or talk to somebody at the regional office who does not know what you’re talking about or has never had the experience or has the knowledge of what happened in the past. I think it’s important and that’s something that has to be considered by headquarters and, more importantly, these positions cannot just simply stay at headquarters. There has to be that process of ensuring that you have dialogue with the communities, with regions and, more importantly, help them build that capacity and, more importantly, have that information so that when they do develop a proposal or whatnot, that the information is there that a lot of money has been spent already so that we don’t have to redo all that research and development all over again. So again, I think the department has to re-look at these positions and, more importantly, find a way to get them closer to communities, especially down to the regional level.
Mr. Chair, we still continue to work closely with the communities. The people at the regional office are usually their first point of contact and they should be able to provide them with all the information they get. I know in some cases copies of particular reports were provided to the regional office, to the communities, but there’s still the first point of contact and they’re working closely with the communities. If they need more information as to what went on in the past, then they’d normally contact community operations in headquarters and they’d be able to provide them with that information. The regional offices are usually the first point of contact and they’re working quite closely with the communities in any… If a community needs assistance, then they would usually call the regional office and they’d do all they can to provide the assistance to the community. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. We’re on page 6-23, information item, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, active positions. Any questions?
Agreed.
Page 6-25. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Although my issue I’m going to raise probably fits perfectly on 24, but certainly fits well on 6-25 as well. Ultimately, I just want to continue to exercise my personal opposition to the School of Community Government being under MACA. I have no issue with the School of Community Government. If anything, I wish to assure them that I do believe in the work that they provide. But the issue I take, and I try to take it every year and maybe someday, somewhere, someone will see my point, which is the alignment of where it should be.
I believe strongly that the School of Community Government actually belongs under Aurora College. I believe that we have a, for lack of better words, in my view it’s sort of like our training centre of excellence and I think Aurora College does a good job and I think that synergies could be built if the School of Community Government was rolled into that college. I think that a lot of people could benefit from taking School of Community Government courses through them, through the satellite offices of the colleges throughout the North. Not to say you can’t do that here, but, I mean, I think you can build on all the programs that are developed through the college and I feel very strongly about that and I would move a motion, but I’d probably be the only one who would vote for it. So I’m not going to waste the House’s time on that particular issue.
Ultimately, like I say, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the work they do. I know it’s good work and I hope the people don’t think it’s a criticism of the work that they do, because it certainly isn’t. But, like I say, this year, as I’ve said in many, many, many other years that I think it’s just not aligned properly and the synergies I believe strongly could go a long ways if it was tucked neatly into the Aurora College portfolio. So that’s all I’d like to say at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Just a comment. Committee, we’re on page 6-25, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, School of Community Government, operations expenditure summary, $2.950 million.
Agreed.
Committee agree?
Agreed.
Page 6-26, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, School of Community Government, grants and contributions, contributions, $760,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 6-27, information item, Municipal and Community Affairs, School of Community Government, active positions. Questions?
Agreed.
Page 6-29, activity summary, Municipal and Community Affairs, lands administration, operations expenditure summary. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had a question here with regard to the review of the Property Assessment and Taxation Act. When we discussed business plans I believe there was some information about that, that a comprehensive review was coming at some point in time and that we were doing discreet amendments much closer, I guess, in time. Anyway, if I could get an update on when the minor amendments or discreet amendments are coming forward and when a full review of PATA is coming forward. Thank you.
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d have to follow up with the Member and get some of the information because I’m not quite familiar with this. I know it’s not on the radar right now, but I will follow up with the Member. Thank you.
Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is really on access to land, Commissioner’s land for other purposes, including agricultural and access to biomass. I’m wondering what the department is doing. There seems to be developing interest, certainly standing interest for agriculture and developing interest for biomass. I believe MACA is working possibly with other governments and I’m wondering what the status of things are, when we can expect to see some improved access for those renewable resources. Thank you.
Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. If its Commissioner’s land within a municipal boundary, then it will be just a matter of them rezoning it for agricultural. Commissioner’s land outside of municipal boundaries we really haven’t been asked by anyone about accessing, but the opportunity is always there. I mean, if its Commissioner’s land and they go through the proper process, then the opportunity is there. Thank you.
Just for my clarity here, is there a standard distance that municipal land extends from highways and has the department classified Commissioner’s land outside of municipalities in terms of its agricultural potential? Thank you.
No, we haven’t.
Thank you. Is there a formula for Commissioner’s land along highways? Is there a setback that is Commissioner’s land where we have a territorial highway or any guidance there? Thank you.
I don’t have that information handy, but I will commit to the Member that I’ll check with our lands administration. I’ll also check with Transportation as far as a setback goes. Thank you.
Just getting back to my original question, I’m not feeling like I have an answer yet. What is the department doing to improve access for agricultural and biomass harvesting activities? A couple of activities are increasing in importance for us.
We’re not denying anyone access to Commissioner’s land. We just haven’t, as I stated before, had much of an appetite from the public to do it. I’m sure that as we go forward with biomass, be it wood and agriculture, I’m sure if the demand is there, then we will have to take steps to address it because we could see this becoming quite an issue in the future. Thank you.
It’s certainly an issue for agricultural land and I believe the lead might be ITI, which might be why you haven’t heard about it, but it speaks to the stovepipes that we’re continually dealing with. So I guess I just ask the Minister to look into that and see if there’s an opportunity to help out our public who are interested in accessing more agricultural land and I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
I will assure the Member that we’ll do some research and see what we can find out and then I’ll get back to the Member with some of our findings. Thank you.
Thank you. Next I have Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On land administration I just have a question for the Minister. Is this the budget after the majority of the land, like the taxing and leasing of land, has been transferred to municipalities like hamlets, towns, cities, villages, whatever?
MACA still continues to do the bulk of it. It hasn’t been transferred. Thank you.
I’m wondering if that’s the intention to transfer this administration to the municipalities/
It is our intention in the future to transfer the responsibility of administration of lands to the communities, within community boundaries.
Can the Minister tell me if once a municipality, whether they be a band government or just become incorporated or an actual settlement that has become a hamlet, which is the case in both of the communities I represent, is there the option of setting the land administration and the taxing or the leasing of land aside and still continue with the rest of the agreement of transfer?
The community would just have to enact the proper bylaws and then they would have authority to set the writs.
I guess I’m wondering the opposite. If the communities would have an option to leave this exactly where it is, under the control of MACA, and transfer the rest of the community transfer process, just setting aside this issue for now, parking it for now until the communities are more comfortable to take over land administration.
The communities can take everything else on, they’re not obligated to take the lands.
Next I have Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the taxation portion I have a question for the Minister. Does Municipal and Community Affairs charge back to the communities or in some fashion for managing the taxation of individual communities? In this particular case, obviously, I’m not referring to the City of Yellowknife but other municipalities, especially in tax-based municipalities.
Deputy Minister Aumond.
