Moving on to page 16, Environment and Natural Resources, capital investment expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized $123,000.
Agreed.
Thank you. Environmental protection, not previously authorized, $125,000. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question with regard to this expenditure. It’s $125,000 for the purchase of equipment for one community with regard to automated beverage containers. Could I get an explanation as to what this project is and why it’s designated for one community only? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for my distraction here. Are we talking automated beverage containers? Okay, it’s for Hay River because Hay River is a major regional centre where a lot of the recycling flows through, and it’s to assist and provide efficiencies both in dealing with the volume and being more accurate in terms of counting the recycled product. Thank you.
I guess I’m wondering why this is for one community only. Is this equipment going to be available in other communities as well? Thank you.
The Member is correct, and I apologize for not speaking to that point. It is a pilot to see if, in fact, the equipment performs to expectations. There are other places like Yellowknife and potentially Inuvik, but for sure Yellowknife that has a large volume as well. It is a pilot in Hay River. Thank you.
Thank you. Moving on with questions I have Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a $125,000 counter of cans and jars, I suppose. It seems like an awfully expensive piece of equipment here to be proliferating, especially to simply count the number of cans being recycled. I know we hired some consultant I have never heard of here to come up with that idea. I don’t know what that cost us, but I’m pretty suspect about this.
I have had occasion to take recyclables out to the recycling location here for return on deposits. I believe most of us do that in our own communities. The folks that are counting those do it lickety-split. With the glance of an eye, they can pick out an errant container that should not be in that category of container.
I’ve also had occasion, as probably several have, to work on fundraising efforts. I believe it’s BHP or one of the mines that provides the opportunity to fundraising groups to receive all their recyclables for several months when they haul them out and do the sorting and whatnot. We found it was very efficient and accurate to simply weigh the bags of containers, once sorted, and very accurate, again, on the number of containers that were in those bags. I would suggest that simply coming up with appropriately sensitive weigh scales would be a lot cheaper and just as accurate in meeting the 99 percent accuracy or whatever is required.
I would ask the Minister, as he goes forward with this, to also test some more practical means of doing the work and maybe ask for some local innovative minds to focus in on coming up with a cheaper method of achieving the same result and giving them a chance to do that. I suppose that’s a comment, but I’d welcome the Minister’s insights into this one.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we proceed with the pilot, we will take into consideration the Member’s comments. We have, in fact, been doing this now for quite a number of years, and I’m assuming… I know that the people that are in this business are looking for ways as we try to do more and more recycling and the volume goes in, and we’re talking millions and millions and millions of containers, of efficient ways to do this. Part of the pilot will be looking at what we’re now doing, which is basically the manual weighing things and that type of stuff, and the efficiency of this particular initiative, keeping in mind, as well, that this money is already there. It’s been raised through the recycling program, but that fund is set up where we just have to get permission to spend that money that’s been raised through this recycling program. But I take the Member’s comments and we will be looking to consider those closely.
I appreciate the Minister’s comments. I disagree, though, that we should be spending the money in this way when I think the Minister is well aware that we need to be recycling more and more things. We’ve had a request and a commitment from the Minister to add all kinds of things to the things and to list of things that we are recycling that have not been done. To my mind, and I know to much of the public, that is the way we should be going with those funds that they have paid for recycling.
Another consideration, which I hear almost weekly, is that we should not be having an environmental tax on milk containers. People should not be paying for the environmental fee on milk containers. We want people to be providing milk to their kids so… A modest amount, probably about this much, but it would amount to a real benefit for our people.
I’d say there are lots of priorities for these dollars that are coming, our public dollars, as they support recycling.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’ll take that more as a comment. Committee, environmental protection, not previously authorized, $125,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Forest management, not previously authorized, $607,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Wildlife, not previously authorized, $292,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Total department, Environment and Natural Resources, not previously authorized, $1.147 million. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Does committee agree that we have concluded consideration of Tabled Document 72-17(4), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014?
Agreed.
Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 72-17(4), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014, be now concluded, and that Tabled document 72-17(4) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’re just going to be circulating that motion. The motion is in order.
Question.
---Carried
Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 72-17(4), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014, and would like to report progress with one motion being adopted, that consideration of Tabled Document 72-17(4) is concluded, and that the House concur in those estimates and that an appropriation bill be based thereon be introduced without delay. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Is there a seconder to the motion? Mr. Beaulieu.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, there will be a meeting of the Standing Committee on Government Operations at the rise of the House today.
Orders of the day for Friday, May 31, 2013, 10:00 a.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
Motion 14-17(4), Performance Audit of the Nutrition North Canada Program
First Reading of Bills
Bill 11, Financial Administration and Public Agency Statutes (Borrowing Provisions) Amendment Act
Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Education Act
Bill 13, An Act to Repeal the Curfew Act
Bill 14, An Act to Repeal the Pawnbrokers and Second-Hand Dealers Act
Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act
Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Justices of the Peace Act
Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act
Bill 18, Apology Act
Bill 19, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2013
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Friday, May 31st, at 10:00 a.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 5:49 p.m.
