Thank you. Minister I'm sorry, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That seems to contrast directly with what I was told in question period today that, you know, it was the RCMP's responsibility to take care of things. So it gets a little bit frustrating at times when the government wants to speaks about breaking down silos when it works for them and at other times when it's not, and they want to wash their hands or not take responsibility for something, all of a sudden it's not theirs. So I guess more of a comment, but I would encourage this department and this deputy minister to put that aside and actually look at what's best for our people. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA, anything? Any other comments/questions under public safety? Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The territories, we've been without a I don't think we have I'm not sure if we ever had a building code. But, you know, we've kind of been running off, I guess, the National Building Code, you know, and adopting parts of it. We've also been, you know, look run other or used other things as well as best building practices in the North and that type of thing.
So have we looked at any or has the department looked at any legislation? Like, I know Nunavut had adopted the NBC, which included, you know, parts of it, or in some yeah, parts of it, guess. Is there is this something the department is looking at? Because I think that when people are up here doing work and I've seen it over the years I guess. And, you know, talking you know, I hear about the Office of the Fire Marshal all the time. I've heard it more so in probably in its last four or five years than I heard it prior to that. We didn't seem to have this type of issue and these type of problems. And it seems like we need to consolidate what we're doing and, you know, maybe creating some legislation, adopting the NBC. And, you know, we've got the other thing is we've got electrical; we've got gas I think under in one department. We've got fire in another. And people just don't know where to go. I know I deal with companies down south and they come up here, and they just have no idea what's going on. They just think we follow Alberta and things like that. So what's the department, I guess, doing going forward looking at maybe a creation of its own legislation? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. So the Fire Prevention Act is currently in place and we are doing a legislative project to review it, including looking at whether or not the GNWT should adopt building inspection. GNWT does adopt the National Building Code of Canada and the National Fire Code of Canada, and that's done through the national or sorry, through the fire prevention regulations. So it does ensure compliance with the NBC and the NFC by owners and contractors during the construction phase.
We do have quite a bit of information on the MACA website around industry guidelines and the plan review process and rules and responsibilities. And, you know, we do have assistant fire marshals in all of our regions. Unfortunately, we've got a couple vacancies right now but those staff, as well as the staff in headquarters, are available to meet with private sector individuals, government individuals, on any questions they may have about the application of the National Building Code. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess that's where the confusion lies, is that, you know, we put the onus on the Office of the Fire Marshal and legislation there. And so, you know, when I look at what the fire marshal does, I thought it was kind of just related to, you know, anything that to do with fire aspect of it. But it goes on it goes on to into getting into the structural design and all that as well, which people are which I know which which companies are kind of having a problem with because what's happening is that, you know, architects, structural engineers who are doing designs, you know, they you know, they've got the the liability is on them. And then it comes to the Office of the Fire Marshal, and then the fire marshal is it's my understanding is scrutinizing that and whether the fire marshal is an architect or a you know, a structural engineer, I don't know. And that's where the problem seems to be right now. And, yeah, so I guess, you know, how are we going to get around that? And the only way I see getting around it is through our own legislation that that makes sure that we you know, that we we have the electrical; we have the gas; we have structural; we have fire. You know, we don't even have a plumbing code here in the Northwest Territories. We do follow you know, people do follow the I think some respect, the National Building Code, but, you know, you go to places and nobody really follows up on it. I think maybe the City of Yellowknife maybe has somebody that does inspections but if you go outside Yellowknife, you're on your own and you can kind of do what you want. So yeah, so I guess what are you going do about that type of confusion? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. Yes, the Member is correct. You know, there is some confusion out there and we recognize that, and we're you know, we are working to, you know, make sure that our assistant fire marshals and our headquarters officials, you know, have the information they need to be able to reach out to contractors and work with them. It is part of our legislative project to ensure roles and responsibilities are clear and that everybody's all the functions are laid out, and it's also clear who is responsible for doing what in the new legislation. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, you know, I see that, you know, the good building practices, you know, we have that. It looks like government follows that. Is that applicable as well to for private infrastructure? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
We'll have to get back to the Member for that. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I'm glad that, you know, that something's happening and, you know, one area that we could probably, you know, do something with and I think this has been alluded to is that the Office of the Fire Marshal, when you look at, you know, how much money we put into it, well, we know it's probably understaffed and that you know, and I know it takes a while to you know, to review documents. So we either got to put more money into it or, you know, farm some of that out, which it sounds like we might be doing because our or building seasons are short. The price of material is going up like crazy, waiting time. It's you know, we don't have time to slow, you know, building down in the Northwest Territories.
I just want to move over to ground ambulance, and I just want to know I see the number's kind of been the same there for a while in the budget. And what discussion, if any, I guess, is taking place with the communities, I guess, on the major highway systems, like the Town of Hay River I don't know who else? I guess City of Yellowknife and, you know, Providence, how it fits our communities that can provide that type of service? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
Thank you. For that detail about community engagement, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. Unfortunately, for the last year or so, there has not been a lot of discussion, just given the circumstances and inability to meet in person.
There is a ground ambulance highway rescue committee of government representatives that do meet with community or did meet in the past, hope to again in the future, with communities to try to find some solutions to the current situation.
Right now there's five communities that are receiving funding out of the funding in the main estimates, and those are the five community governments who currently deliver services outside of municipal boundaries, have an ambulance service outside municipal boundaries. But we do hope to start discussions with them again to look at how we can improve the system that we do have in place. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, one of the big issues I guess when you look at the, say, highway Highway 1 and then where it connects with Highway 3 coming into Yellowknife is that there's a lot of traffic on that highway and, you know, there's accidents that occur. I know there's been, you know, fuel trucks that have went over here in the last that last little while and, you know you know, there's been other accidents as well.
One of the things that would really help, I guess, in you know, and provide for a quicker service is cell service along that route. Is there any indication when that might happen, or is there any talk with other departments when we could see cell service, you know, all the way from when you enter the Northwest Territories right to Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
Thank you. I think the Member should be asking that question to Finance about cell service and that. It's not something that Municipal and Community Affairs looks after. So I know the Member is trying to do ground ambulance and cell service, but I mean that's the Department of Finance. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Are there any further questions under public safety? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So on the 911 program, what is the extra $540,000 actually for in 20222023? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
For that, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. That funding is for relief positions as well as costs related to things like standby, shift premiums, overtime, for the existing 911 staff as well as the additional relief staff positions. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So I guess I don't see it anywhere in here, unless I missed it somewhere, but what are the annual like, how much do we take in on an annual basis with 911 from the fees that are collected? Say over the last couple of years, what's the ballpark figure? That's, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. The fees are approximately $900,000. It might be $930,000 annually for the 911 levy. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Wow, we can't continue to run this at a deficit. I don't have the tell the Minister that. But, you know, the way that this was set up and I was in the last Assembly so was the Minister was that we would run this for a few years, put a cap on the fees, but now is the time to look at this and, you know, I think we're going to need to increase the fees. That was always the objective of this. The taxpayers should not be covering the cost of 911. It was to be a user pay system. And so when is that going to happen? And thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of MACA.
Thank you. I'll start, and then I'll turn to the deputy minister. Yeah, I agree with the Member. We have to find the money. Basically, it's a million within that takes away from our other program areas and that there. But when we will be coming back to committee with a proposal on that, I'll turn that to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy minister Gareau.
Thank you. Work is underway right now to look at different options to increase the levy. The levy is in place until November 2022. But work is underway looking at different options as well as better understanding some of the cost drivers of the program, and our intent would be to develop a proposal for review during the business planning process. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks, Madam Chair. So does a fee increase require CRTC approval? Thanks.
Thank you. Member for or Minister of MACA.
We'll have to get back to the Member with that answer. Thank you.
