Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for question period has expired; however, I’ll allow the Member a final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To be frank, the Minister shouldn’t be worried about a little whining on this side of the House. The fact is the Minister should be more worried about the fact that they have $23 million outstanding and, he’s got it right, the declining funds should be motivation enough. The fact is if you start implementing a credit bureau process, you start implementing a collection process, what better motivation will it be to go and pay your past due arrears? Mr. Speaker, that’s the issue. Would the Minister immediately enact a policy and stop talking about we’ll think about, we’ll look at it, maybe? Because that doesn’t show leadership. Would the Minister do this? Thank you.
We do have a process in place. It may not be the one that the Member likes, but there is a process in place, it’s a work in progress.
I’ve been quite encouraged by the number of people that are coming forward to work out repayment plans, because they understand that they need to deal with their arrears, it affects their ability to access Housing Corporation programs and we are looking at reporting to a collection agency and people are getting evicted and terminated for not dealing with their arrears. So we do have a process in place, it’s been in place for a while. It’s one that does have some challenges and needs to be improved on and that’s what we’re doing now, because we realize we need to start collecting on a lot of these arrears. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled Conference of Management Authorities (Species at Risk) Annual Report 2009-2010, and Northwest Territories Species at Risk Committee Annual Report 2009-2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Communities and Diamonds: 2009 Annual Report of the Government of the Northwest Territories under the BHP Billiton, Diavik and De Beers Socio-economic Agreements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole on bills and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 66-16(5), NWT Capital Estimates 2011-2012; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future;” Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Bill 8, Social Work Profession Act; Bill 9, An Act to Amend the Tourism Act; and Committee Report 3-16(5), Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act, with Mr. Abernethy in the chair.
Thank you. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. On our agenda today are tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 66, 75, Bills 4, 8, 9 and Committee Report 3-16(5). What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee wishes to continue with Tabled Document 66-16(5), NWT Capital Estimates 2011-2012, and do the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Finance and, time permitting, Bill 8 and Bill 9.
Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
Agreed. Alright, with that we’ll take a short break and we’ll return with Tabled Document 66-16(5), Environment and Natural Resources, Finance and then Bills 8 and 9, time permitting.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to the break we agreed we would be reviewing Tabled Document 66-16(5), NWT Capital Estimates 2011-2012, starting with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Mr. Miltenberger, do you have witnesses you’d like to bring into the Chamber?
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber?
Mr. Miltenberger, could I please get you to introduce your witness for the record?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to my right Mr. Gary Bohnet, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Department of Environment and Natural Resources starts on page 11-1. We will defer the department summary on page 11-2 and go straight to page 11-5, page 11-6 and page 11-7, the wildlife section. We are on Environment and Natural Resources, information item, wildlife, activity summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $250,000.
Agreed.
We will move along to page 11-8, page 11-9 and page 11-10, activity summary, Environment and Natural Resources, forest management, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.403 million. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to forest management, one of the things that the communities I represent is that forestry is a very important element to the community’s ability and sustainability to use wood heat and using wood as a product for building cabins. To use those products, we have wood misers in all the communities I represent. They are fully utilized through different programs to use that type of product and ensuring that there are workshops in the different communities where different people come from southern Canada who are experts in the field of different uses of wood products: the harvesting of wood, the management of wood, the usage of wood for constructing different products. Fort McPherson is part of the workshop where they built a tourism information cabin. They built it in just a matter of a couple of days as part of the workshop. I was impressed with what they were trying to do. It took the community’s efforts, along with funds received from Indian Affairs through the band. This is the type of stuff the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should be doing in our communities, rather than having to use federal money through Indian Affairs to do these types of workshops.
I’d like to ask the department what we’re doing to develop a cottage industry in our communities when it comes to usage of wood products and being able to use the different expertise that is out there to assist us in developing that industry in the communities, generating employment, and being able to use the resources around us such as the forest resources. I’d like to know where the department is going on that and what we are doing to really stimulate that part of our economy.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Not a hundred percent sure how that relates to this particular capital, but I will go to the Minister for a response.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have come out with our Biomass Strategy. We’ve met with committee. It’s in the business plans and we’d be more than prepared and happy to have that full discussion when our business plans are before the House or anytime the committee would wish to ask us to appear.
For the purpose of today’s exercise, while it’s under forest management, our capital plan relates more to the support services for aviation and things like lightening sensors and those types of things.
My question is more around the activity description of forest management on page 11-8. I think as a department we seem to put a lot of focus on the managing or the forest response or forest repression aspect of the business. We’re not doing anything to really look at using the forest resources and the trees before we have to respond to a fire. To having more of a management plan with regard to managing the forest products and developing forest inventories, looking at the different forest species. I’d like to ask the department if, as he comes forward to forest management, we could look at more than just how we’re going to respond to forest fires. What are we doing to manage the forest in such a way that we’re benefitting from the forest rather than just spending money on forest repression?
As we look at managing forests we are doing a whole host of things. We are continuing with our inventory that we’re undertaking on Crown lands. We’re working with communities on community forest management plans that are anticipating in the boreal forest area the development of possible biomass facilities that would allow communities to have access to ongoing biomass supplies close to their communities. We’re working, with interest, as we’ve indicated in this House yesterday. For example, Member Groenewegen from Hay River South mentioned about biomass pellet plants. We’re investigating that opportunity. As well, we’re looking at our obligations and requirements under silva culture to make sure that we’re replenishing the forests. We’ve been up the valley working with communities as far north as the Member’s riding, looking at fast growing willows to see the potential there for biomass. We are doing a lot of work. We’ve tied in with Wilfred Laurier University through our science agenda to look at things like permafrost, the changes to the landscape, what’s happening with climate change as the forest moves north, what that’s doing to different species that make up the boreal forest. We are engaged on many fronts on this particular area.
In the previous capital estimates, I believe it was last year, there were dollars that were supposed to be allocated to a fire tower in my riding with regard to the Schiltee fire tower in Fort McPherson or outside of Fort McPherson. The money was reprofiled and expended in the South Slave region. I’d like to ask the department, at that time I had a commitment from the Minister that those dollars were going to be eventually reprofiled and spent on what it was supposed to be spent on in Fort McPherson, or Schiltee Rock as it’s better known. The commitment has already been made in this House, so when can I see those dollars being reprofiled and allocated for what it was originally intended?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Bohnet.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member is correct; there was a commitment from the department to follow up and reallocate those resources to another region last year because of some studies and some foundation work that has to be done. In the next business planning cycle that money will be seen for the Inuvik region and the site that the Member is referring to.
So when can I see it in the... Is the cheque in the mail or when do I get to see it?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the deputy minister indicated, it will be in the next business planning cycle for 2011-2012, I believe. Sorry, 2012-2013. So that will take us into the 17th Assembly. The Member for Mackenzie Delta will be able to be given that assurance hopefully by the Assembly at that time as well.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sorry; can I just confirm that we’re on forest management? Is that correct?
Yes, Mr. Bromley. We’re on page 11-8, page 11-9 and page 11-10.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question on the North Slave regional warehouse upgrade that’s scheduled for 2011-2012. I see in the substantiation that there was some consideration to replacing the building, but it was deemed advisable to remediate it rather than replace it. The remediation costs were somewhat over a million dollars. The budget for the work being done is considerably less than that. I don’t see any planning to deal with the rest. I’m just wondering what the department’s plans are. I think we try now in our infrastructure plans to do things on a comprehensive basis and not leave projects hanging. If I’m reading this correctly, there’s a substantial amount of work that needs to be done to bring this 30-year-old warehouse up to code and up to snuff. I’m just wondering what the plans are for the rest of the remediation costs for this building.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Bohnet.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Those are the costs that will bring it up to standard. When this building was looked at by Public Works and Services, the foundation and the core components of the building were still in very, very good shape. In fact, the building was one of those that was known to be overbuilt at the time, so with these particular renovations and upgrades this building will do us well for at least the next 10 years.
That sounds imminently reasonable to me. I guess perhaps the statement “the total remediation costs for the building was estimated over one million dollars” would more accurately read “the total replacement cost for this building.” I would just ask the Minister if he would check that and confirm that. I’ll leave it at that.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. For confirmation, Mr. Bohnet. Mr. Miltenberger.
Yes, Mr. Chairman, we will confirm remediation versus replacement.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. We’re on page 11-9, activity summary, forest management, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.403 million.
Agreed.
We’ve concluded detail so we will go back to page 11-2 for the department summary. Environment and Natural Resources, department summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.653 million.
Agreed.
