Committee agree the Minister brings in his witnesses?
Agreed.
Agreed. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.
For the record, Mr. Minister, can you introduce your witness?
Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witness. Turn to page 5, Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010, Legislative Assembly, capital investment expenditures, Office of the Clerk, not previously authorized, $480,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is one I am happy to see happening. I am wondering will there be savings as a result of this purchase in fuel cost and do we know what those would be.
Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Fuel savings are estimated at 82,800 litres per year and $41,400 per year based on the fuel oil price of a dollar per litre.
I am happy to hear that and I think that, in combination with the additional benefits, obviously, of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, exemplifies the sort of project I am happy to see happening. Just a comment. Thank you.
We estimate a savings of 232 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year and an eight-year payback. Thank you.
Better and better.
Okay. Office of the Clerk, not previously authorized, $480,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $480,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. Next page, page 6, Education, Culture and Employment, capital investment expenditures, advanced education and careers, not previously authorized, $460,000. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to see some investment in our smaller communities in terms of three community learning centres. Costs are partially offset it says by the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Fund. Perhaps the Minister can correct me if I am wrong, but when they came up with these three projects, they had to kind of be spur of the moment. I think this is part of the Stimulus Fund from the federal government.
In terms of lack of facilities in the smaller communities, I have been speaking at length with regard to the library in Fort Simpson. I am just wondering if they are looking for new projects or if this Knowledge Infrastructure Fund project will end this fiscal year or is that something that can be taken up next year and will they consider assisting rebuilding the library in Fort Simpson as a potential project. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This program was over two years looking for the term of shovel-ready projects focussed on assisting post-secondary institutions. So this fund is very specific. The issue the Member has raised about his library is going to be addressed through ECE through other processes and other funding pots. Thank you.
The Minister is absolutely right; there is ongoing work and some of the parameters around some of the stimulus funding has always been shovel ready, which means all the groundwork and all the costing and all the preplanning pretty much had to be done. I look forward to the work that’s going to go in putting a package together, at least assessment-wise, for the Fort Simpson library.
Just in terms of looking forward, will our government be accessing this fund next fiscal year? Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, these projects, from what I understand, are going to carry us over the two-year time frame of this program to get them in the ground and up and running. Thank you.
Education, Culture and Employment, capital investment expenditures, advanced education and careers, not previously authorized, $460,000. Mr. Yakeleya.
Just to follow up on Mr. Menicoche’s questions, the Member for Nahendeh, in terms of projects and getting a response from the Minister. The specific area they are looking at is post-secondary institutions, so would the government be coming to the committee in terms of looking at other projects that would be beneficial in the communities in the Northwest Territories? Some communities do not have learning centres, so would this be forthcoming in a year or so?
Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s our understanding that this program is now considered fully subscribed to and there won’t be any further availability for it to access or advance projects under this time-specific pot of money. Thank you.
Education, Culture and Employment, capital investment expenditures, advanced education and careers, not previously authorized, $460,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. Total department, not previously authorized, $460,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. Moving on to page 7, Environment and Natural Resources, capital investment expenditures, forest management, not previously authorized, $85,000.
Agreed.
Agreed. Total department, not previously authorized, 85,000.
Agreed.
Does committee agree that Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010 is now ready for third reading?
Agreed.
Does committee agree that Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010 is concluded?
Agreed.
Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 19-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010, now be concluded and that Tabled Document 19-16(4) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called.
---Carried
I would like to thank the Minister and thank the witness. Sergeant-at-Arms, will you escort the witness out?
The committee has agreed the next item we will deal with is Tabled Document 18-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 2. I would like to ask the Minister if he has any opening comments. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 (Operations Expenditures), 2009-2010. This document outlines an increase of $17.15 million in operations expenditures for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
The major items in this supplementary request include:
$18.3 million for the additional costs to be incurred as a result of the Collective Agreement between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Union of Northern Workers;
$550,000 for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to provide contribution funding in support of NWT participation in the 2009 Canada Summer Games and the 2010 Arctic Winter Games;
an overall negative adjustment of $1.975 million in operations funding associated with the reprofiling of previously approved cash flows for projects being undertaken in the government’s Energy Priorities Investment Plan;
A negative adjustment of $470,000 in operations funding due to the deferral of initiatives approved to address pressures associated with the Mackenzie Gas Project.
I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary appropriation document. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Are there any comments in regards to the Minister’s remarks? Detail? Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was just going over the details. One of the patterns I am seeing is, for the first time, the return of dollars that aren’t meant for the Mackenzie Gas Project in recognition of its delay. Of course, it has been delayed for quite a number of years. We have been throwing a lot of money at it. I am happy to see that, with the input from Members pointing out this glitch in the system, particularly the Ministers of Municipal and Community Affairs and ITI are responding by returning some of these dollars to the fold for appropriate expenditure at some other time. I just had a general observation that I wanted to make. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Minister, do you want to respond to his comments?
