Debates of June 6, 2006 (day 6)

Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to get it on the record, I think the reason there were some issues around the $100,000 being spent at the Icicle Inn at Sachs Harbour was for the very reasons the Minister just explained, that the responsibility, in my mind, falls on the federal government. I think it’s incumbent upon the Minister of MACA and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to come up with a remediation plan and get the federal government to pay for it, because this is no fault of the GNWT that we ended up with this property and we ended up with his environmental liability. I think it’s kind of a farce really that we are having to pay this $100,000. The reason the motion came forward earlier in our proceedings is because I don’t believe, and some of the Members of this House don’t believe, that the department did its homework and the rightful people are paying this bill. I just wanted to put that on the record, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, regional operations, $11.070 million.

Agreed.

Thank you. Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, regional operations, continued, total department, $47.307 million.

Agreed.

Thank you. Page 14, Public Works and Services, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, directorate, $36,000.

Agreed.

Asset management, $3.656 million.

Agreed.

Total department, $3.692 million.

Agreed.

Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, during our deliberations on this, I had a discussion about the $3 million for Pile Inspection and Repair Program. I didn’t get answers that I really was looking for. Obviously, what happened in Inuvik with the school and the pilings failing, that happened. What I see this as is a knee-jerk reaction by Public Works and Services to go out and do some of this work without really truly knowing what the cost is. I would suggest it’s much more. If you get into a situation like you had in Inuvik, it’s going to cost a tremendous amount of money to repair pilings and fix them. Whether or not some are fixed as a band-aid or some are fixed permanently, who knows? Who knows where all the buildings are? What’s going to be inspected in what communities? It’s a big piece of work. I think before we agree to spend $3 million each year for the next three years, that Public Works and Services goes out and does all of its homework, finds out exactly which buildings need what and then come back for the appropriate dollars to carry out that work. This, to me, is just scraping the surface, Madam Chair. I think there’s a lot more work that needs to be done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Public Works and Services, operations expenditures, total department, $3.692 million.

Agreed.

Thank you. Page 15, Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, directorate, $44,000.

Agreed.

Program delivery support, $715,000.

Agreed.

Health services programs, $336,000.

Agreed.

Community health, $55,000.

Agreed.

Total department, $1.150 million.

Agreed.

Thank you. Page 16, Justice, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, services to government, $217,000.

Agreed.

Legal aid services, $167,000.

Agreed.

Community justice and corrections, $91,000.

Agreed.

Total department, $475,000.

Agreed.

Thank you. NWT Housing Corporation, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, NWT Housing Corporation, $1 million.

Agreed.

Total department, $1 million. Mr. Braden.

Madam Chair, the detail we were provided with here says that the funding is required to ensure the corporation has the capacity needed to deliver new housing units through the three-year Affordable Housing Strategy and improve inspections and maintenance of new and existing housing stock. Could the Minister provide us with more detail on what is comprising this capacity valued at $957,000, Madam Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The request from the Housing Corporation in this area is based on the request for 16 new positions in the area of lands and technical positions. The technical officers, five in the districts; lands officers, five in the districts; headquarters, mechanical and electrical designer, one position; GIS mapping specialist, one position; senior lands development officer, one position; land negotiator, one position; lands administration clerk, one position; and, manager of lands, one position, for a total of six within headquarters.

The total amount on an ongoing basis would be $1.6 million on a full-year basis. The request at this time is for $957,000 for the remainder of this fiscal year.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the information. The bill says that this is a three-year strategy. Are we anticipating then that all of these positions will sunset after three years, Madam Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Madam Chair, at this time, the request is for the position so that the Housing Corporation can deal with a majority of land situations or problems they found in communities. They have a backlog of files, to date, that they need to deal with. For example, there are about 600 parcels out there that the Housing Corporation needs to deal with, never mind the ones going ahead. At this point, it's requested to proceed. They are not term positions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Braden.

So we are taking on what will amount to a $1.6 million commitment in perpetuity here initiated by a three-year housing program and, Madam Chair, a chronic, almost constipated situation at the Housing Corporation with lands. This has been going on for years. The current Ministers needn’t take total responsibility for this because we have heard about this for years now, just how bunged up things are at Housing Corporation with lands issues. I am anxious to find out here, Madam Chair, a three-year Affordable Housing Strategy, we are taking on how many lands officers here, five, six, seven, at least eight. At least half of these positions, Madam Chair, are to do with lands. Now, are all of these extra lands positions only going to be required to satisfy the Affordable Housing Strategy or are we actually finally going to get down and tackle the whole lands problem within the Housing Corporation? As the Minister referenced, Madam Chair, the Minister said something like 600 parcels still have problems. Just how limited or how broad is the scope of the assignment here, Madam Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have to correct a pretty fundamental thing here. I had referenced that these would be going forward. In fact, they are tied to a three-year strategy. So it isn’t ongoing. A big correction there. Looking at our information here it is, in fact, tied to the program. So it would lapse at that time. If there are further programs that bring more dollars to the North, then that would be reviewed and brought back to this forum. So that is the situation that the request is going forward for. So it would be tied to the three-year strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Braden still has the floor, but I have Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Ramsay, and Mr. Pokiak. So anything further, Mr. Braden?

Madam Chair, I’ll give the floor over to my colleagues. I’m sure they’re probably going to ask some of the questions I have on my plate.