Debates of March 29, 2004 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it’s important that we do improve the enhancement of the building, but I think we have to start promoting the policies that this government carries by way of the affirmative action policy and other policies in government. I think we look at the numbers in the different government departments and I think we’re not immune to it. I think as the Legislative Assembly we do have to do more to attract people to the Legislative Assembly, but also take into account that we have to reflect the people that we do serve. I think it’s important that’s something that we build on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Menicoche. Thank you. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to comment and ask a question about the policy of the Board of Management, which of course the Speaker is reporting on behalf of, and it concerns something that I’ve had some feedback on from constituents. It’s about the housing allowance policy that is in place to provide those MLAs who don’t live in Yellowknife adequate resources to set up in effect what amounts to a second household for them. Understandably there are costs incurred for them and the Assembly quite rightly has a responsibility to provide that. The cost of rental housing in this city has been a frequent topic of mine and others. In relation to the policy that we have here though, some of the feedback that I’ve been getting is that the policy seems to be overly generous and that the ability of an MLA, even the ability of an MLA to simply say it’s costing more and get more from their employer, there’s a sense of imbalance. It’s too easy a road, if you will, to simply say it’s costing more and they get more of an allowance.

I think at least some of this kind of opinion, Mr. Chairman, is based on a lack of information or maybe some perceptions about the policy. So I wanted to ask for the public record here if we could get an explanation of how those Yellowknife living allowances are set. How often are they reviewed? What kind of scrutiny goes into making this decision? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to thank the Member for that question because I think it’s probably out there on everybody’s mind. I think that’s the cost of doing business in the city of Yellowknife. The cost, as we all know, to live in Yellowknife is quite high, and probably one of the biggest cost drivers we’ve seen in Yellowknife is the cost of real estate and trying to find a place to live. I think it’s important as Members who come to Yellowknife from outside the capital that there is a cost associated with having Yellowknife as the capital of the Northwest Territories. I think that because Yellowknife is the capital and having Members come from outside Yellowknife to carry out their duties, we’re finding much more of their time is consumed in Yellowknife as a Member with regard to committee responsibilities and when the House is sitting four times a year. I think we as a government have to realize that these things are put in place by way of a public review process which is an independent body established to look at Members’ compensation. The increases are based on the actual costs of a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife based on the actual going rate during the review period which happens once a year. That’s why we’re seeing the increases. It does not go in the pockets of the Members. I think that’s one thing people out there in the public are misunderstanding with regard to how that comes about. That is the actual physical cost for a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife at any given year, which now has taken us up to where we are today.

So I think because of the inflation factor and also the responsibility of the compensation and review committee that was just established through this Legislative Assembly, they will do a review every four years in which they review the compensation of all Members of the Legislative Assembly. That includes the capital living allowance. We are looking at having that established within the next two years. Hopefully by December or January, we will be bringing forward terms of reference for such a committee to look at things such as the capital living allowance and compensation for Members. It is based on the actual cost of a two-bedroom furnished apartment in Yellowknife, which is done annually.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Braden.

Thank you for that information. Mr. Speaker, this annual review of the cost of a furnished two-bedroom apartment, how is that review done? Is it done independently of people in the Legislative Assembly here? Who is commissioned for that work? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Speaker.

It’s conducted by the Clerk’s office by the Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Braden.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to get on public record how we go about setting that up. At least with that information, perhaps it will clarify things. I think we do take reasonable steps to set that allowance. The other area I wanted to go into was the cultural enhancement strategy. I was at the public Board of Management meeting a couple of weeks ago when this strategy was put before the board. My perception of the meeting, Mr. Chairman, was a strategy which was commissioned by the last Assembly and just now completed, was accepted by the Board of Management. The Speaker has used the word adopted, that a strategy has been adopted. To my perception, Mr. Chairman, that means all Members have been able to have a look at this and we’ve been able to talk about it and decide whether it’s appropriate to adopt it as a plan.

Perhaps I have missed something, but I have not seen this document circulated either amongst ourselves or publicly and I would just like to ask what steps have been taken by the board to put some light on this strategy and help MLAs and the public at large have a sense of what’s going into this building, which is the people’s building, Mr. Chairman. This is a significant part of the message that we send. I would like to know a bit more about how it is we are adopting this strategy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the cultural enhancement policy was implemented from the 14th Legislative Assembly. They put it out to contract. I believe it cost $40,000. I think one thing we have to realize from the cultural enhancement policy that has been adopted is that it is a guide for us to follow. For us to implement everything in there, we need $1 million. We all know we don’t have $1 million to implement the whole strategy. Since we have $20,000 earmarked in the budget, I don’t think we are going to be really doing much besides looking at the thing. I think we have to realize this document is a guide. It’s not written in stone where we have to follow everything that’s in that document. If the Member feels comfortable, at the appropriate time I can table the document in the Legislative Assembly so it will become a public document, so people can look at it. It was the work of the 14th Assembly and I believe the other Members of the 14th Assembly had an opportunity to work with the consultant on preparing that draft. If it’s the wish of the Members, I will table it in the House in the next day or so.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will look forward to that. Tabling it is a very good gesture. It extends to the public a message that we welcome their input into it as well. I would leave with one final comment. If a proposal comes before the Board of Management that we are going to pay for parking out of money that is earmarked for cultural enhancement, then I will steadfastly oppose it. If we are going to be serious about parking and we are going to be serious about culture, then we can find that there is a distinction between the two of them. That I am sure will come along in future. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden.

Detail.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to the Member’s question, at the end of the day, it’s going to be what makes sense. We, as government, do not have a say on controls or bylaws of the City of Yellowknife. If we are infringing on those bylaws, then we are forced to do something about the problem of having the right-of-way of our narrow roads into the Legislature. We are violating the fire code. I think we do have to do something about it. If we are talking about a cultural enhancement report, that will have to come forward by way of the main budgetary process.

I think it’s a question of timing and what is a priority that is going to drive us from outside such as violation of fire codes. We have to realize we are not immune to fire codes. We do have to abide by them. If we are breaching bylaws with regard to public safety, we have to realize that we have to do something. So because of that situation we find ourselves in, we do have to eventually look at that. I don’t believe we will be able to do that through the cultural enhancement program. The money that is earmarked for the cultural enhancement program is $20,000. I don’t think we are going to build much of a parking lot with $20,000. If the Minister of Finance, with his $3 million surplus, wants to give it to the Legislative Assembly, we will definitely build a parking lot.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Detail.

Page by page. Page 1-9, Office of the Clerk, operations expense, total operations expense, $7.838 million. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. May I have the breakdown for other expenses, please?

Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the $4 million with regard to other expenses covers the cost of travel and transportation, purchased services. The biggest expenditure you see there is contractual services, $1.6 million. Most of that is for contracts in the Legislative Assembly itself. We have a janitorial service contract, catering contracts, security contracts, contracts with regard to communications in this building by way of the sound system. So those are the contracts that are in place in the Legislative Assembly for those types of activities. The bulk of that is in other expenses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the answer, but $1.6 million out of $4.3 million leaves me with almost $3 million. Can I get the dollars attached to the travel and transportation, materials and supplies and any other big ticket items under that? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chair, a rough breakdown, I mentioned travel and transportation, $154,000; materials and supplies, $200,000; purchased services, $325,000; utilities, $265,000; contract services, $1.676 million; fees and payments, $110,000; other expenses is $1.620 million, which I believe is the interest payments made on the lease of this building, and there is $1,000 for computer network and services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One final follow-up. On those other expenses for $1.620 million, Mr. Speaker mentioned that most of it is on the interest lease. Could I ask how much of that is the interest lease? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker.

I will ask the director of corporate services, Mr. Moreside, to clarify that. Mr. Moreside.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Moreside.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The interest on the Legislative Assembly building lease for this 2004-2005 fiscal year will be $1,301,650.

Thank you, Mr. Moreside. Ms. Lee. Thank you. Page 1-9, office of the Clerk, operations expense, total operations expense, $7.838 million.

Agreed.

Page 1-11, office of the Speaker, operations expense, total operations expense, $146,000. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to follow up with my commitment to do this. Other expenses for $55,000, could I have the breakdown, please? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under other expenses the cost breakdown is for travel and transportation, $15,000; materials and supplies, $8,000; purchased services, $18,000; contract services, $11,000; fees and payments, $3,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Page 1-11, office of the Speaker, operations expense, total operations expense, $146,000.

Agreed.

Page 1-13, expenditures on behalf of Members, operations expense, total operations expense, $5.315 million. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like the breakdown for other expenses, please. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under other expenses, travel and transportation, $261,000; materials and supplies, $110,000; purchased services, $156,000; contract services, $1.054 million; fees and payments, $1.773 million; other expenses, $8,000; computer and network services, $40,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When there is somebody speaking can I ask committee Members to listen, I appreciate that. Thank you. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just would like some more information on this item. This is not including the separate budgets that MLAs get for their constituency work. Is that right? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, Mr. Chair, those costs are in this budget item. Those costs are covered through this budgeted amount.