If there is will of committee that they would like some further information on this, we can look at that. The big issue for us – and everyone has seen the budget, the revenues versus expenditures – how do we replace the revenues at this juncture? So we’ve laid out this plan. If it’s the will of the House to have this looked at, we’ll look at it, but I suggest that would be for the 2016-17 fiscal year. Thank you.
Is that the door opening to an agreement that they would find a way to do it if committee asked for an economic analysis? Is that the answer from the Minister?
Yes, we’re part of consensus government here. If it’s the will of the Assembly to have work done on this at this juncture, we’ll look at trying to take that direction. Thank you.
I would say stand by and we’ll see where that goes.
The next item is a little further on the NWT Child Benefit. Is the Minister able to tell us today how many people actually receive this? Thank you.
No, Madam Chair. We would have to get that level of detail.
While that detail is being provided, can someone take a look at how long it’s been in place at the current rate? It looked like it’s been adjusted a bit due to inflation, or is it a drawdown? Maybe we can look at how long it’s been in place.
Yes, Madam Chair, we will provide that information. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Nothing further, Mr. Hawkins? We are on page 163, fiscal policy, operations expenditure summary, $34.816 million.
Agreed.
Thank you. Fiscal policy, grants, contributions and transfers, total grants and transfers, $33.2 million.
Agreed.
Thank you. For information, fiscal policy, active positions. Any questions?
Agreed.
Thank you. Liquor Revolving Fund, operations expenditure summary, $63,000. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have been looking at this number ever since we had an opportunity to review these numbers months ago. I still found it odd where we’re forecasting in terms of revenues in the Liquor Revolving Fund, knowing we are going from a private to a consignment store model in Yellowknife and looking at the proportionate amount of margin and extra dollars that this would generate. Yet I don’t see it translated in here because 50 percent of our population and 50 percent of our sales are going to be greatly affected with those two, both in dollars and in margin.
Can the department explain why there’s no change in forecasted revenues in this area? From a business model perspective, there should have been a lift, just a natural life. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at 167. Did I miss a page?
That’s correct, page 167, Liquor Revolving Fund, operations expenditure summary, $63,000. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m looking at the page 167, as the Minister says, and it’s speaking to amortization. There’s an information item at a later date and we get into the details of the Liquor Revolving Fund.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. I’m informed that perhaps the question that you want to ask would be more appropriate for page 176. Anything else from page 167?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 169, office of the chief information officer, operations expenditure summary, $2.837 million.
Agreed.
Thank you. Office of the chief information officer, active positions. Any questions?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. Page 173, office of the comptroller general, operations expenditure summary, $49.424 million.
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. Finance, Liquor Revolving Fund, information item. Any questions on page 176?
My apologies; I missed a page. Office of the comptroller general, grants, contributions and transfers, total contributions, $6.778 million from page 174. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to ask, there’s a great variance in the numbers between 2013-14 actuals and then the main estimates for 2014-15 and then the estimates for 2015-16. We have $6 million and then $11 million and then back to almost $7 million in 2015-16. Why the very large drop from the estimates in 2014-15 to what we’re estimating in 2015-16? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Member will recall last year when she asked us to chew up the budget and she mentioned that there was a difference between the actual expenditures and what we were budgeting, so when we looked at that and we did the budget true-up exercise that I spoke about earlier when I was responding to Member Dolynny’s questions, what we have here today at $6.778 million is what we estimate the actual cost of the Territorial Power Subsidy will be. Thank you.
Thanks to the deputy minister and, yes, I did remember. I just wanted to make sure that anybody who was looking at numbers would understand the rationale. I’m very glad to see that we have a more reasonable number, so to speak. Where has the extra $4 million gone? I’m presuming it went into general revenues, but could I get that clarified? Thank you.
There was about $2.479 million of the Territorial Power Subsidy Program surplus that the department had been relying on for years to fund a whole host of pressures that I had discussed earlier in response to Member Dolynny’s questions that were being used to do that. So anything from employee benefits, unfunded positions, banking fees and even to helping out our CIO’s office with some security. So there is about $2.479 million in reallocations that had happened there.
In addition to that, we just did a reduction of about $1.8 million that we gave back to the government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Ms. Bisaro. You’re finished? Thank you. Mr. Yakeleya.
Sorry, Madam Chair, I thought we were doing 176.
Okay. Office of the comptroller general, grants, contributions and transfers, total contributions $6.778 million.
Agreed.
Office of the comptroller general, active positions, information item. Any questions? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just one question here and it’s the text at the bottom of the page. Differences in the amounts are due to accounting policy differences between basically the methods used by the NWT Liquor Commission and the methods used by the GNWT. That seems a little strange to me.
What page are we on, Madam Chair?
I just called page 175, office of the comptroller general, active positions, information item. Any questions?
Agreed.
Moving on to Finance, Liquor Revolving Fund, information item. Any questions? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the question was probably heard. I would have thought that the methods for the Liquor Commission and the GNWT in terms of accounting would be the same. Perhaps I could get an explanation as to why one of our, sort of, subsidiary organizations doesn’t use the same accounting methods that we do.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Kalgutkar.
Madam Chair, one of things I can think about is the Liquor Commission probably uses a lower threshold for some of its assets. What I will do is I will go back and make sure that their accounting treatment is consistent with that of the GNWT going forward.
Thank you, Mr. Kalgutkar. Ms. Bisaro.
Okay. I’m glad you’ll go check on that, but I guess I struggle to understand how we put a comment like this in our budget and we don’t really know how to explain it. I’ll leave it at that.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate having the ability to come back to this Liquor Revolving Fund. I apologize. Earlier I was ahead of my questions here.
I have to say with a degree of trepidation here, I’m quite confused with this category in terms of how this is being evaluated and the discrepancies, knowing that we’ve gone from a private to a consignment model. I’ve tried to follow the margins, the dollars, the increase in agents’ commissions and, again, in looking at a note regarding the net revenue amounts being mentioned in the notes. Would the department agree to maybe having an interim reporting structure of this Liquor Revolving Fund, let’s say six months into this fiscal year, just so that we can provide some better clarity on the numbers, just because I think there’s best guess being used here? But I’m not comfortable with the process in front of me.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Miltenberger.
