I have to confess, I don’t know a lot about the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, but I thought I understood some time ago that we were dealing with them in Winnipeg. If this is a territorial marketing corporation, are the employees northern or is it an organization that operates outside of the North? If that’s the case, why are we supporting it? Thank you.
It’s not a marketing corporation. It’s the NWT Fishermen’s Federation. So it’s made up of fishermen that fish in Great Slave Lake and Kakisa and Tathlina Lake. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Now I’m really confused because I thought we were talking about the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. That’s fine. I have no further questions.
Thank you. We ‘re on page 12-31. Agreed?
Agreed.
Moving on to page 12-32. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to ask a couple of clarifications on agriculture development infrastructure and the promotion support for commercial processing and marketing fish and meat in the NWT. Are these brand new initiatives? I understood from the Minister’s remarks that we were adding $50,000 to agriculture, but I don’t see any previous expenditures that would indicate we were spending $250,000. I’m wondering where I could find that or if you could steer me straight here. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. With regard to the $300,000 for agriculture development infrastructure, $250,000 was transferred from contract services originally and $50,000 is the increase for 2011-12. On the promote and support for commercial harvest processing, $450,000 is transferred from contracting services and $100,000 is the increase for 2011-12. Thank you, Mr Chair.
And were those transfers done some years ago or was that just done this year? Can I get confirmation that these are first-time expenditures in recent times, say in this Assembly? Thank you.
These are new expenditures for commercial harvest processing and also agriculture development infrastructure, is my understanding. Maybe I’ll get Mr. Vician to describe it, Mr. Chair.
Deputy Minister Vician.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee may recall that the proposal came forward last year with regard to investment in agriculture and meat and fish distribution marketing. The budget had originally been established as a contracting expense. So the initiative was managed through the other expense category of accounting and would show up on previous sheets in the past. It has been proposed through this budget that this shift to contributions and that’s why this matter now shows up on the contributions accounting, and it’s proposed that we then use the contribution agreement process to work with communities and those involved in the agriculture and fish and meat marketing areas to deal through those transactions. It’s the nature of accounting. Last year it was with other expenses on your previous activity sheet and now we’ve shifted to grants and contributions as an accounting mechanism. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate those remarks. So does this mean that these groups of entrepreneurs or whatever will have more say on how these dollars are spent than in the past? Would that be fair to say or is that not necessarily true? Thank you.
Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe as well and that’s why it was done. It will be application based. The money will be distributed through a contribution. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I guess my last question with this is: is there a change in process here for the people interested in applying for these dollars and if there is, will you take steps to make them well aware of that? Thank you.
We feel it is an improvement and we will definitely be taking steps to make sure that everybody that we think would be interested would be aware of it.
Thank you. Next I have Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m wondering if the Minister can give me some information on broadband infrastructure support. What does that actually mean in terms of is that equipment that we’re putting into the communities? Are we buying satellites, things of that nature, and is he able to give me some examples as to where we would see if it is infrastructure for that fact? Where we would see it? Thank you.
Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Probably four years ago the federal government announced that they were investing approximately $39 million between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to expand and improve on the broadband infrastructure. Nunavut got the majority of the money. I think they got $25 million and the Northwest Territories got $14 million. This is our contribution to assist with the O and M and administration with the Falcon Communications. Thank you.
Next I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Instead of asking a question I would like to ask the Minister if I could get an explanation of how much money is used for fishing and for what purposes, what the programs are. I see marketing of fish here on this page and I asked some questions on the previous one and got totally lost. If I could simply get an outline of all the programs that pertain to fish, which ones are marketing, which ones are Fishermen’s’ Federation, et cetera. Thank you.
Mr. Minister, can you provide that? Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the previous page the $225,000 was for the NWT Fishermen’s Federation, which is made up of a consortium of fishers that fish on Great Slave Lake. The $550,000 is we want to promote and develop local markets for not only fish but also country food. For example, fish in Great Slave Lake, we’d like to see it served in the hospitals, we’d like to see it served in corrections facilities and also made available for consumption by people, because we think fish is a very healthy food. So if we can distribute and sell it locally rather than shipping it to Winnipeg for sale, then we think it will help the fishermen. They will get a higher price and they’ll get a better return. Thank you.
Thanks for the explanation. I guess I have to ask if the Fishermen’s Federation gets $225,000, does the NWT Farmers’ Association get the same amount of money? I would appreciate an explanation other than verbally. Thank you.
The NWT Farmers’ Association gets core funding, as well, and the Growing Forward Program that we have with the federal government, I think it’s budgeted for about $625,000. Thank you.
We’re on page 12-32, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions, grants and contributions, $12.949 million.
Agreed.
Total grants and contributions, $13.574 million.
Agreed.
Moving on to page 12-33, again it’s an information item. Active positions.
Agreed.
Okay. We’re moving on to lease commitments, page 12-34, again an information item.
Agreed.
Fur Marketing Service Revolving Fund. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I see we have lease commitments for infrastructure for the visitors centre in Inuvik as well as Dawson. I’m just wondering, does ITI provide any sort of contributions to the visitors centre in the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre that’s located here in Yellowknife that serves the whole North Slave. Thank you.
Minister of ITI.
Yes, we do, Mr. Chair.
Okay. I’ll take as a yes, we do on good faith.
Okay. We’re on page 12-35. Again it’s an information item, Fur Marketing Service Revolving Fund.
Agreed.
Okay. Moving on to page 12-36. Again an information item, work performed on behalf of others. Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Chair, I want to ask on the Growing Forward Project, the department has been very successful in the Sahtu with the potatoes. I think we are the spud capital of the Northwest Territories now with a good initiative last year in Norman Wells. I want to ask the Minister if the communities also wanted to look at other agricultural initiatives, can we start raising chickens and other birds like that so they become the capital of the Sahtu in terms of having those types of industries in our region to cut down the high cost of having chickens bought in the store there, or turkeys? Thank you.
Minister of ITI.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know there’s an election coming up so maybe the Member wants to make sure everybody has a chicken in their pot or a turkey.
We do have programs to be accessed to provide for agricultural development. In the Member’s riding, in Deline there’s a group that have gotten together and they’re going to be raising chickens and turkeys and collecting eggs. So, definitely, it’s possible, and under the Growing Forward Project there are about eight or nine different categories that can be funded through that program. Thank you.
We certainly look forward to that. I know that in Deline they’re asking about it so hopefully if they really, really do well, everybody in this House will be buying Deline fresh eggs and having some turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner. I just wanted to say that to the Minister to look at other initiatives in our region.
Again, we’re on page 12-36, information item, work performed on behalf of others.
