Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, we do have a document that was put together entitled Green Light that was shared with the Members. It was put together primarily by the Department of Transportation. As to where we’re at on some of the initiatives in it, I’ll have Mr. Neudorf speak to that.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Minister mentioned, Green Light was recently released. It does highlight a number of different initiatives that DOT is already doing and/or would like to do as part of improving our environmental management practices or seeking to minimize our impact on the environment. So it does talk about doing climate change research and we have mentioned yesterday about some research we want to do around climate change or are doing. It talks about cleaning up existing environmental liabilities and we are working with that. We have recently hired a term position to help us address some of those deficiencies. In the budget here there’s also forced growth to seek funding for another position, another environmental analyst position, which would help to lead the corporate culture. So some of the things we need to do internally to promote ourselves and promote the environment a little bit more. Assuming this budget is approved, then we would hire that position and just take the next step to keep moving forward on that agenda.
What is the budget for implementing Green Light this year?
There’s no formal budget for implementing Green Light. It does seek to highlight a bunch of initiatives that DOT is doing around the environment, some of which I have just mentioned. There is additional forced growth funding being sought for one position in environmental affairs. That funding is $115,000.
Obviously we can have plans up the gazoo, some strategies and so on, and if there’s no budget to implement them, they’re not even worth the paper they’re written on. In fact, that’s an environmental impact in itself. I’m sure a lot of paper was used up here. I’m wondering when there will be a budget in place for implementing this program. Let me start with that.
I think I mentioned that Green Light does highlight a number of things that we’re doing already, including addressing the environmental liabilities which we do have money for. It does highlight our desire to implement best practices around environmental management. That means all the processes we have to follow to obtain permits, you know, with our capital funding, with the program initiatives that we have in place. That is being implemented already. Green Light just highlights that good work. The one new additional funding that we’re seeking in this funding is for the one position. That will be used just to help promote the culture within DOT to improve practices, and then, if we have the opportunity as well, to begin working with industry to see what can be done with the transportation industry as a whole.
Why am I not developing any confidence in what’s being said here? If we have the opportunity, we’ll do this and a plan with no budget. I haven’t heard of any evaluation that’s associated with this plan. Is it going to achieve whatever lofty hopes are in there? Apparently there’s nothing rigorous about it. I wonder if the Minister could explain to me what use at all this document is.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, I referred the question to Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe I mentioned a number of different things that the department is doing. Green Light will help us focus those activities to ensure that there is an ongoing commitment on behalf of the department. We are seeking funding for an additional position, so that is something real. We are cleaning up our environmental liabilities. That is something real. We do have money for Build Canada Plan, research and development under climate change. That is something real. We are working with ENR as they look to update the Greenhouse Gas Strategy. So that is another thing that we’re doing. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t really hear anything meaningful here. I guess I would ask the Minister to put some rigour into this process. The sorts of things that the deputy minister mentions are all good and they’re all common sense; they all are responsible things everybody should be doing. It doesn’t move anywhere towards the environmental responsibility we should be taking on these days. Dealing with liabilities sounds great, but what that deals with is when we make mistakes we’re going to try and look after. No, no, we want progressive action here that moves forward in a progressive way. I want to hear about reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the operations of this department, how they’re preparing for electric vehicles in the future or whatever, how they’re going to increase the mileage of our vehicle fleet in the Northwest Territories, something real real. So I guess I’ll leave it at that. That’s just a comment, unless the Minister would like to make such a commitment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, of course we would commit to providing and doing a more in-depth action than what we have here. There’s a lot of work that we’ve agreed to embark on in areas of what’s best practices within our own organizations. We are looking at bringing in another position to help us develop a long-term plan. There are many parts to the Green Light, some with other departments. If the Member feels that we are falling short, we certainly would accept any recommendations he has and move it to a move rigorous process, as he’s indicated, that would satisfy the Members of this House.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Bromley, anything further?
No. I appreciate that commitment. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Committee, we’re on page 11-13, corporate services, operations expenditure summary, $9.705 million.
Agreed.
Page 11-14, corporate services, active positions.
Agreed.
Page 11-16 and 11-17, airports, operations expenditure summary, $27.318 million. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here in regard to the Yellowknife Airport. One is that the business plan referred to investigation of an alternative governance for the Yellowknife Airport. I wonder if I could get an update on where that project is at, please. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, discussions on a new governance model for the airport have not moved or has not progressed any further since the last time we had these discussions.
Thanks to the Minister. I guess my next question, then, is what are the intentions of the department? Will this be looked at some time in the future and if yes, when would that be? Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, this was reviewed. We had staff take a look and provide us some recommendations. To date, it hasn’t been something that we feel that will have a lot of buy in. We are not convinced that it’s something that we would be successful in moving forward. Therefore, we’re not completely eliminating it, but we’re not going to be spending a lot of energy on something that we don’t think we’ll have put in place.
Thanks to the Minister. I would agree with his assessment. I don’t think there would be a lot of buy-in. I guess I would just ask, at this point, if that report is dusted off and some of the recommendations are going to be put in place, if the Minister would be sure to involve Yellowknife Members and the City of Yellowknife.
I have another question in regard to the Yellowknife Airport as well. There’s a reference to commercial land development in the airport environs here in Yellowknife. I wondered if I could get an update on where that is at as well. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, two parts, I guess, to the comments there. The first, on the airport authority, we are looking at some of the recommendations. There is, as part of the recommendations to move towards an airport authority, the desire to have an airport that’s more businesslike or businesslike operations and, of course, we want to do that also. It also looks at how to generate and raise fees so that the airport itself would be generating its own revenues. So we are looking at all different areas of our fees and our permitting so that we can be more on-line with other jurisdictions. As to the last question, I’ll ask Mr. Neudorf to respond to that.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Anything further, Ms. Bisaro? Mr. Neudorf.
If I could get an answer from Mr. Neudorf, that would be good.
Sorry. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On commercial land development at Yellowknife Airport, the demand has decreased in the last little while as the whole economy has gone through the downturn, so the immediate pressure to do something has been taken away. But we do view the development of the Yellowknife bypass road as an important aspect of the future development of the airport. So we’re pleased that that project is going ahead. The new Yellowknife combined services building is being constructed on the west side of that airport as well, so that’s important. We will, when the demand increases related to space at the Yellowknife Airport, be coming forward with some options, ideas for our government to consider about how we could finance those required improvements. Thank you.
Thanks, Mr. Neudorf. I didn’t hear any reference in Mr. Neudorf’s answer to, basically, commercial businesses. I guess I would like to know, when he’s referencing things like the combined services building and so on, those are basically government buildings, so is there an intent to use the land that’s now been opened up with the bypass road? Is there an intent to allow for commercial enterprises, private businesses to establish themselves out there and, if that’s the case, how is the department evaluating the disruption to the Yellowknife market that that may cause in general? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, the Yellowknife Airport development plan includes allowance for commercial development on the airport site more on the new bypass area. We have worked with the city for many years to avoid any type of disruption and we continue to look at air or related businesses that have some kind of function with the air industry and to do with the airport, and we will continue to try to focus in that area.
Thanks to the Minister. It’s good to hear that, that businesses are related to the airline industry. In terms of the land, is this government land? Is it city land? If it is city land, how are taxes dealt with? Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, this land is Commissioner’s land under the authority of the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is all I have. Thanks.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Next I have Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Just with respect to the airports, once again everybody worked hard on both sides of the government to relocate the Trout Lake Airport. I understand progress is going, but I don’t have questions on that. But I do want to first bring up once again the runway lighting for two of the communities in my riding. One of them is Jean Marie River and Nahanni Butte. Also, there was an airport improvement, too, on the Nahanni Butte runway. It was an opportunity to put in runway lighting, but at the same time, I still would like to have those installed in the communities hopefully in the near future, Mr. Chairman. I will continue to support the communities as we move forward with these requests. I would like to ask the Minister once again about runway lighting for those two communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, we have recognized and heard from the Member and he has made it very evident that he has concerns with runway lighting in those three communities. We have experienced problems, of course, in those three communities with runway lighting. They are very expensive to replace. I have had some discussion with our staff to see if we can explore some best practices of how we can avoid the situation of damaging the lights. I will certainly keep the Member informed if we are going to move to the next step on that. At this point, we need to be reassured that we are not going to be replacing the lights on an annual basis.
Mr. Chairman, I think that is the key thing in this initiative should it move forward. Of course, there have been incidents in the past that have led to cost of repairs to those runways, but I do know that the department has, not only in those communities but in other communities, been teaching operators about safety, care and attention around lighting equipment on runways. Just once again, of course, I want to let the Minister know that it is still a priority of mine and hopefully we can work towards that goal in the future. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, we recognize it is a goal of the Member. We also have provided training, as the Member has stated, in the communities. Anybody allowed to go airside needs to be trained. We have had problems that we need to be comforted that we can overcome in those communities. If that is something we can deal with, then we can certainly look at doing the needs assessment on reinstating the lights.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Next the chair recognizes Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister several questions. The first one is on the interest into the airport authority concept. Is there any type of preliminary discussions or just analysis? When you have an airport authority, does the airport authority speak to the self-sufficiency of running its own operations and possibly maybe this could free up some money from the GNWT in terms of the operations? I know it is a sensitive issue. I just want to ask that type of question in terms of a businesslike approach similar to other airports, Yellowknife operates under. There are certainly a lot of discussions with other stakeholders that I dare not say right now, but I just want to see if that is something that they are looking at. It does make business case sense, but we will have to come to that when we get there. However, I just want to see if that is sort of some of the analysis that this department is looking at.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Michael McLeod.
