Petroleum Products Revolving Fund, information item. Any questions?
Agreed.
Petroleum Products Revolving Fund, active positions, information item.
Agreed.
Lease commitments, information item. Any questions? Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just looking at the projections for the next couple years here, I see next year we have scheduled only $4,000. The reason is that lease is coming to an end. What are the department’s plans to move forward for the next 20 years? Is it going to work with the community for another lease on possibly a new building?
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister Beaulieu.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is referring to the very first item in Aklavik where there is only a future payment of $4,000. Essentially, that would either go up for renewal or we would go out to try to secure more office space. But likely, at this point, it would be us looking for a renewal on that office space.
I should have identified which community I was talking about. Also, under the same item, under Fort McPherson, that payment, as well, it’s come to its end. What are the plans for that agreement as well?
That item is, again, up for renewal and we are working with the community. My understanding is that there is going to be a new building and we have agreed that we would be moving into the new building.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Lease commitments, information item. Any questions?
Agreed.
Work performed on behalf of others, information item. Any questions?
Agreed.
Members, could you please return to page 417. Public Works and Services, department total, $120.750 million.
Agreed.
Do Members agree that this concludes the consideration of main estimates for the Department of Public Works and Services?
Agreed.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu, and thank you to your officials for joining us here today. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
I would like to ask Speaker Jacobson if he would please provide his opening remarks for consideration of the budget for the Legislative Assembly. Speaker Jacobson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to present the 2015-2016 estimates for the Legislative Assembly. I would like to thank the members of the Board of Management for their assistance and input on this budget.
The Assembly is seeking an expenditure appropriation of $21.175 million. This represents an increase of $2.186 million, or 11.5 percent, from the 2014-2015 Main Estimates of $18.99 million.
While this is a significant increase from the 2014-2015 operations budget, additional funding is something that we need every four years in order to hold the next territorial election and for preparing and moving on to the next Assembly.
I can assure Members that these estimates continue to support the objective of limiting expenditure growth in order to sustain the long-term fiscal framework of our government.
Madam Chair, we have entered the final year of the 17th Assembly and, for my office, this is the last operations budget for this Assembly.
During this Assembly we have appointed and supported the Electoral Boundaries Commission and the Independent Commission to Review Members’ Compensation and Benefits.
In 2013 we celebrated the 20th anniversary of this great building and burned the mortgage papers in recognition of the Assembly assuming ownership.
It has also been a time of change and improvement in how we deliver services to our Members and manage the operations of the Assembly. Authority for the administration of Ministers’ benefits was transferred to the Assembly at the beginning of this Assembly, and we also moved to an in-house security model to ensure consistent and quality services and the safety of all.
We also undertook projects to make our building more accessible, consulting with the NWT Disabilities Council and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
The time has now come to begin preparations for the transition to the 18th Assembly.
This will include providing the funding needed by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to undertake the next territorial General Election. I would note that the budget proposed for the 2015 General Election has increased only slightly from the budget that was approved for the 2011 General Election.
This coming fiscal year we are also planning on improvements to how we accommodate and support several of our statutory offices and the important work that they do.
We are proposing a move to a shared-services model for the Languages Commissioner, Access to Information and Privacy Commissioner and Human Rights Adjudication Panel. This model will see their respective offices existing together in a single storefront location and being supported by dedicated and qualified staff.
In closing, I want to thank all Members, my colleagues on the Board of Management and the Assembly staff for their contributions and their efforts in working towards the efficient operations and delivery of quality services for the Legislative Assembly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This concludes my opening remarks. I am pleased to respond to any questions Members may have.
Thank you, Speaker Jacobson. At this time I’ll ask the Speaker if he would like to bring witnesses into the Chamber.
Yes, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Speaker Jacobson. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses to the table.
Speaker Jacobson, for the record, could you please introduce your witnesses.
To my left I have Mr. Darrin Ouellette, director of corporate services, and to my right I have the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr. Tim Mercer.
Thank you, Speaker Jacobson. General comments. Any general comments on the budget of the Legislative Assembly? Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a general comment and I guess I’d call it a question. What is the change in costs? We’ve switched security over to an internal mechanism as opposed to a contract fee. What was the previous cost and what is the estimated cost now?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Speaker Jacobson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ll ask Mr. Ouellette.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Ouellette.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We changed over in 2012 and at the time the contract services for security were valued at approximately $250,000/$260,000 per year. The move to an in-house model increased slightly because of the costs that were associated with it. They came up to about $300,000 per year.
Thank you, Mr. Ouellette. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you. Is the change in cost just strictly focusing on the benefits, or has there been any change in the format of how security has been provided?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Speaker Jacobson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. No, just the better services, I guess, for our style of security for the Members and I guess for the whole building. I guess it’s more accurate. Having our own security services is a lot better than an outside source.
Thank you, Speaker Jacobson. Nothing further, Mr. Hawkins? Any further general comments? Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just referring to the Speaker’s notes here, I see we are taking advantage of some efficiencies. I’m happy to see our General Election costs are anticipated to be only slightly larger than four years ago.
The 11.5 percent increase is obviously quite a bit compared to the departments, but I know there could be some reasons for that. I see about $860,000 of that is for the office of the Chief Electoral Officer for the election, so that’s 40 percent of that. I’m just wondering if there are any comments on what the rest of that is.
One other thing. I appreciated the Speaker’s comments on the projects to make our building more accessible for people with disabilities and the consultation with the Disabilities Council and Institute for the Blind. How are we doing on that front? Are we there? Is there more work to be done? I’d just like to keep my finger on that pulse, and I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Speaker Jacobson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the first question regarding the electoral officer and an increase of $871,000 budget for the upcoming General Election, the increase is for hiring and training of temporary election staff and the remainder of the increase was the travel, contracting, materials and supplies and expenses. We are just waiting on signage for a few areas in the building, and we’re pretty close to being done for the persons with disabilities.
Is that work anticipated to be completed during the life of this fiscal year, so it doesn’t need to be part of next fiscal year’s project? Thank you.
It would be in this next fiscal year to complete.
Thank you, Speaker Jacobson. Next for general comments I have Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to welcome the Speaker and the delegation here today. I’m encouraged by what I’m hearing from the opening comments by the Speaker that they’re proposing kind of a single window storefront. I also believe there are many synergies in grouping services together into one office.
Can I get a little bit more information as to if we anticipate to see this in the upcoming year? Is there a proposed move? Is there a timeline for this opportunity? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Speaker Jacobson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This year it will be moving all the Commissioners into the Laing Building where the transport drivers have their licensing area. It will be done in August.
I am encouraged to hear that. I think it’s a very good move on behalf of the Legislative Assembly to do that, to provide that single window design.
Do we know what that move will cost the Legislative Assembly to do, or is there a savings by design? Thank you.
Madam Chair, I will let Mr. Ouellette take that question.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Ouellette.
Thank you, Madam Chair. When we look at the three statutory offices that are going to be moving in together there and we look at the budgets that they’ve had over the past fiscal year, there will be some internal reallocation amongst those budgets, but all together there will be about a $20,000 increase in the operating budget collectively for those three offices. Some of the initial output will cost $160,000 to do the office renovations to prepare that space for those three statutory offices, but we anticipate over time there will be some cost savings achieved because it is a government-owned office building and we won’t be paying any lease payments for those.
