Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
What was the total amount of inclusive schooling funding provided to each NWT education authority for the school years 2000-2001 through to 2008-2009?
What was the amount spent by each education authority for each of the following areas for the school years 2000-2001 through to 2008-2009?
Inclusive schooling staffing,
inclusive schooling staff development,
inclusive schooling program assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Government of the Northwest Territories Response to the Standing Committee on Government Operations Report 1-16(4), Review of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Annual Reports. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Supplementary Appropriation (Operations Expenditures) No. 3, 2009-2010.
I’ll call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the committee would like to continue with the consideration of the O and M budgets for the Department of Transportation and then continue on today with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will continue after the break.
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I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order and ask the Minister if he’d like to bring in witnesses.
Yes, Mr. Chairman. I would like to bring in witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the House. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. And if I could ask the Minister if he could, please, introduce his witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have with me Mr. Russell Neudorf on my right, who is the deputy minister of Transportation; on my left I have Mr. Daniel Auger, assistant deputy minister of Transportation.
Thank you. Welcome. Committee, I believe we’re on page 11-9, Department of Transportation, information item, revenue summary. Questions?
Agreed.
Page 11-10, information item, Transportation, active position summary. Questions?
Agreed.
Sorry, Mr. Yakeleya.
I just wanted to ask the Minister about the positions that were 276 and increased to 280.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, the changes that we’ve made in the active position summary page is to add an environmental analyst in Yellowknife and we’ve also transferred or deleted two positions that were transferred to Public Works. One is a plumbing building maintainer and one is another position that is a building maintainer here in Yellowknife. So we deleted two positions and added one.
In the 2009-2010, you have 276. Sorry. Okay, I’m good.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. In the past I’ve spoken about when the department relocated a marine position out of Fort Simpson and moved it to Hay River and that position ended up in Yellowknife. I have been consistent in asking for the return of that position to Fort Simpson. If I could just get the Minister to comment on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, I will have Mr. Neudorf speak to that situation.
Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Several years ago we had gone through a reorganization of our marine services division. We had created an assistant director of marine, which reports to the director of highways, and we had also created a manager of engineering position. Initially, we had hoped that we could fill those positions in Hay River and Fort Smith. We had a little trouble with staffing, so we ended up moving the assistant director to Yellowknife and the manager of engineering position is in Hay River. Both positions are full, with just a very recent hire of the manager of engineering in Hay River. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Having, of course, any government positions in any of the communities is part of economic development of a community. Have at least one staff member with those salary dollars. I seem to recall that I had thought it was a temporary move, only because the incumbent I believe was thinking about later relocating to Fort Simpson. I don’t know if that’s still the case there. Maybe I can ask about that. In any event, despite those facts, I urge the department for any future long-term considerations that we had that position there before and I see no reason why it cannot be returned.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, we had some challenges to fill the position while it was located in the Member’s riding. We will certainly consider relocating it back at some point as the restructuring is done to deal with the management of the change in the ferry systems in the southern part of the Territories. I guess, more specifically, when the Deh Cho Bridge process has come to conclusion and that ferry system is planned to go out of service we will look at rearranging and relocating positions back to Fort Simpson.
I have no further questions on this page.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Committee, we’re on page 11-10, Transportation, information item, active position summary. Questions.
Agreed.
Page 11-13, Transportation, activity summary, corporate services, operations expenditure summary. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question here which relates back to a discussion that ensued during business plans. I know that in all departments this year the utility payments have been transferred and consolidated with the Department of Public Works. I presume that has happened also with Transportation, that they’ve moved their utility payments over to PWS. When we discussed business plans, there was mention of a number of departments, including Transportation, being involved in discussion of the creation of an infrastructure department. I wonder if the Minister could comment on where those discussions are at.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, there has been as part of our reviews on how to be more efficient and more effective and when one Minister held the position of the three departments that had a lot of capital responsibility we did take a look at the possibilities of how to do things better. One of the things that we looked at was to create one department. It has been looked at. It has not had a detailed review. However, it was decided that at this point we wouldn’t move any further with it. There has been a report drafted for other changes that could be made within the departments to make it more effective and efficient and we certainly could provide that to committee.
Thank you for that update. I would appreciate if we could receive a copy of that report. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That’s all.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro.
Ms. Bisaro. You’re finished? Page 11-13, Transportation, activity summary, corporate services, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to ask quickly, I believe the department has put in place an environment program and I’m sure they would have had an evaluation system and whatnot to go along with that. I’m wondering where we’re at on implementation of that environment plan to particularly reduce our impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but the other aspects of the environment that were addressed there as well.
