Agreed.
Page 185, active position summary. Questions?
Agreed.
Page 186, active position summary. Questions?
Agreed.
Page 189, administrative and supportive services, operations expenditure summary, $82.464 million. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As was eloquently just spoken by some of my colleagues, there are a number of initiatives on the go here in the Northwest Territories within this department. A lot of them have to do with legislative framework, and I just want to mention some of these here.
As I said earlier, we have the Health and Social Services Professions Act. We’ve got changes to the Child and Family Services Act. We’ve got the Mental Health Act, which is pending. We’ve got a Human Tissue Donation Act, which might have some dollars attached to it potentially during this year. We have, potentially, a Pharmacy Act that we haven’t seen yet that might have some dollars attached. We’ve got the Health Information Act with respect to privacy and a plan that might be underway. We know that there are changes to the ground and ambulance and highway plan, and we’ve got French language services that is an action plan that we have.
That’s not the whole list, but it’s a small list. Yet in this category, being a directorate, I’m looking at we’re putting very little provisions in place for a lot of these one-time costs that might be attributed to a lot of these initiatives. To the question, I know there is some growth here, but as I said, the list is fairly extensive. How is the department and how is the Minister going to deal with a lot of these one-time costs up for this upcoming year which clearly will be well beyond the budget that we have before us? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In this area, the areas of significant growth are as a result of the French language services, around $1.1 million, and there’s also some growth around the Information System Services Centre. A lot of those costs in the Information Services Centre, there are about $1.5 million of one-time costs and that’s actually built into the budget.
The other areas that the Member is talking about, we have provisions for the work that’s being done. A lot of the work that’s being done is being done by staff, which is covered by staff dollars. The other one-time costs, some of them may not actually occur in this fiscal year; some may be pushed off to next fiscal year. But with the budget we have in front of you, I believe we are in a position to move forward on the initiatives that were identified. One or two of those initiatives aren’t actually occurring in this fiscal year, but the work to get us to the position where they might be rolled out will be.
Thank you. Mr. Abernethy, did you have anything to add? Committee, I’m just going to call a three-minute break here and I’ll be right back. Thanks.
---SHORT RECESS
Thank you, committee. We’ll resume and I’ll go back to Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Minister’s response. I’m still a little bit concerned with all of these initiatives we have. Although the French language one is dealt with in this activity, as you heard, we have a lot of initiatives that are on the go and we’ll talk about them more in the programs. But because we’re talking about directorate, I’m feeling that the department here is going to be a little shy on delivering at a high level, from what they expect to, without the monies being brought forward.
With that said, the only other question I have on this activity is under the systems support. We see a substantial increase this year, about $2.5 million over last year. If I can just get a little bit more detail. What exactly is the increase for? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The significant increase here is the service centre where the increase is around $2 million. Then there are also some other increases, Microsoft licensing for $1.12 million and licensing and maintenance, the inflation we experience on our health programs. So those are the main areas for increase in that particular line.
I don’t think I have any more questions on this activity. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Next I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.
---Carried
I will rise and report progress. Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Thank you, deputy minister and director. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 188-17(5), NWT Main Estimates 2015-2016, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Do we have a seconder to the motion? Mr. Nadli.
---Carried
Orders of the day for Wednesday, February 18, 2015, at 1:30 p.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
First Reading of Bills
Bill 45, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bill 38, An Act to Amend the Jury Act
Bill 41, An Act to Amend the Partnership Act
Committee Report 10-17(5), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories
Tabled Document 188-17(5), NWT Main Estimates 2015-2016
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 18th, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 5:54 p.m.
