Agreed.
Community health programs, not previously authorized, $250,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $11.134 million.
Agreed.
Page 8, Justice, operations expenditures, community justice and corrections, not previously authorized, $161,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $161,000.
Agreed.
Page 9, Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, $381,000.
Agreed.
Income security, not previously authorized, negative $34.213 million
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, negative $33.832 million.
Agreed.
Page 10, Transportation, operations expenditures, road licensing and safety, not previously authorized, $188,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $188,000.
Agreed.
Page 11, Environment and Natural Resources, operations expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized, $305,000.
Agreed.
Environmental protection, not previously authorized, $259,000. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A couple of quick questions here. On this one, I just want to confirm that a wood pellet densification unit is a device for manufacturing wood pellets. Is that correct?
Mr. Miltenberger.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
My second question is: Is there a destination determined yet for this equipment?
My understanding is that this is intended to be a mobile unit that can be moved so that we can see how it works in different locations with maybe different sources of biomass -- for example, fast growing willows versus poplar or other types of trees -- and to give us a way to get a better understanding of that whole area of the biomass cycle.
Environmental protection, not previously authorized, $259,000.
Agreed.
Forest management, special warrant, $4.130 million. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to again express my philosophical different path than the Minister on this. I understand that this special warrant was needed because at the beginning of the forest fire season we had quite a few fires and we overspent our budget almost right off the bat. Again, I have to wonder why we budget a base amount that is fully used just to mobilize our forces to fight one or two fires. It would seem to me that we’d be far better off to go to a bit more realistic estimate of the number, in my perspective. Again I have to ask if we’re budgeting on actuals, although I think I know what answer I can expect here, it is, as has been stated, we budget on actual, then we shouldn’t have to be going for a special warrant this summer. To the Minister, again, is the amount that we budget for forest fires, this base amount that is funded year after year, does it cover more than just the basic mobilization of our forces to fight a large forest fire?
Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I have indicated in committee, the budget that is there for fire suppression, pre-suppression and fire suppression, allows us to get to the early stages of fire season and then we know with certainty that we’ll have to come back if there’s any type of activity that’s going on other than having rain every day.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we were fortunate to have rain every day. I have to just again express my disappointment, although I have to say that this is probably the one area of expense why I could understand why we would have a base amount and then would come back for an appropriation, because it is a very volatile activity and one can never tell from one year to the next how many fires we’re going to have. But I do think that our base amount is not enough. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It’s pretty much a comment.
Again, forest management, special warrant, $4.130 million.
Agreed.
Wildlife, not previously authorized, $622,000.
Agreed.
Total department, special warrant, $4.130 million.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $1.186 million.
Agreed.
Does the committee agree that we have concluded Tabled Document 100-16(5)? Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 100-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 100-16(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.
The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
The next item on the agenda that we agreed to deal with is Tabled Document 101-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. Mr. Minister, do you have any opening comments?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. This document outlines an increase of $100,000 for operations expenditures and an increase of $1.706 million for capital investment expenditures in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The total supplementary request is $1.806 million.
The major items of the supplementary estimates include:
$600,000 for the Department of Transportation to purchase highway equipment required due to the repatriation of highway maintenance services in the Fort Resolution area;
$500,000 for the Department of Health and Social Services for the purchase of two ultrasound units at Inuvik and the H.H. Williams Hospitals;
a $390,000 special warrant was approved on September 27, 2010, for the Department of Transportation community access and road projects identified under the Canada-Northwest Territories Infrastructure Stimulus Fund 2009-2010 - 2010-2011 Agreement.
I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary appropriation document. Thank you.
