Question.
Question has been called. Motion is carried.
---Carried
Committee Report 21-17(5) is received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following the document, entitled the “GNWT Response to Committee Report 17-17(5), Report on the Review of Bill 44: An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories China Strategy and Action Plan,” “26th Annual Report 2014-2015 Victims Assistance Committee of the Northwest Territories,” and “Annual Report on the Activities of the Rental Office: April 1, 2014 to March 21, 2015.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
:
2014-2015 STATUS OF WOMEN COUNCIL
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “2014-2015 Status of Women Council of the NWT Annual Report.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents, entitled “2014-2015 61st Annual Report: Northwest Territories Liquor Commission” and “2014-2015 61st Annual Report: Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board and Liquor Enforcement.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission Annual Report 2014.” Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two documents I want to table. It’s “$20 Million Carbon XPrize: Pulling Money Out of Thick Air” and it’s XPrize wants technology to convert carbon emissions into viable resources.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a copy of the resolutions adopted at the 148th annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association this fall, including Resolution 49, Recognizing the Health Benefits of a Strong Predictable Price on Carbon Emissions; Resolution 82, Committing the Canadian Medical Association to Divesting Itself of Investments in Fossil Fuels; and Resolution 83, Calling on the Canadian Medical Association to Explore Investments in Renewable Energy Solutions.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, October 2, 2015, I will move that Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2, be read for the first time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 221-17(5), Sessional Statement; and Tabled Document 281-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates, 2016-2017, with Mr. Bouchard in the chair.
Thank you. I call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee, Ms. Bisaro?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to continue with Tabled Document 281-17(5), NWT Capital Estimates, 2016-2017, with general comments and then the departments of Education, Culture and Employment; Environment and Natural Resources; Industry, Tourism and Investment; and Justice, time permitting. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’ll continue after a short break.
---SHORT RECESS
Welcome back, committee. I will call committee back to order. As I indicated earlier, we are going to continue with the Capital Estimates, 2016-2017, that’s Tabled Document 281-17(5), and we will ask the Minister of Finance if he has witnesses he would like to bring into the House. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I do have witnesses.
Thank you, Minister. Does committee agree?
Agreed
Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you could escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Mr. Miltenberger, if you would be kind enough to introduce your witnesses into the House.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Russ Neudorf, deputy minister of Transportation; Paul Guy, deputy minister of Public Works and Services; and Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the FMB. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger, Mr. Neudorf, Mr. Guy, Mr. Kalgutkar, welcome back to the House.
Committee, when we last left here we were doing general comments and next on my list I have Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a few quick comments. I’d like to give some more updates as we go along and I’ll go through some of the issues that I think are important and that I’d like to see more information on.
I was dealing with the Hay River Woodland Manor and we know that there’s an expansion being planned, being designed as we speak. Obviously, I think there’s going to be some carry-over from that money because we never broke ground this year, and if I could get an update on how that currently stands and when we expect to put the shovels to the ground for that project.
I know we’re completing the Hay River Health Centre. Obviously, that’s key in that we know that it seems like we’re ahead of schedule and now we’re kind of back on schedule, so maybe just a quick update where that would be at.
My concern, as well, is we talked about capital and we talked about what’s gone on but what might not be in the budget. We know that the medical clinic is going to be renovated for administration and we know there’s going to be shortage of administration. So I’m just wondering if the department has assessed what they want to do going forward for those admin positions. Some of these are going to need leases or we’re going to need a building. Have we got a cost-analysis for some of that stuff?
I assume something that’s not in the budget and we’ve obviously talked about us getting involved in and trying to commit to some dollars to the dredging. We talked about it in the House that it’s a federal responsibility, but we know that it’s been a federal responsibility, as well, and we’ve gone ahead and committed 25 percent to that type of project now. We’re doing that for the Tuk-Inuvik Highway; we’re trying to do that for the Mackenzie Valley Highway; so I mean that’s a federal responsibility and I think we need to commit to some of that money to dredging of the Hay River harbour.
The upgrades to SMCC, South Mackenzie Correctional Centre, obviously I can’t see any major retrofits for that facility and it’s getting to an age where we should be looking at that and getting that information in the budget.
Some of the Members have already talked about our communities asking for more infrastructure. Hay River is one of those bigger communities that has a deficit in infrastructure and it needs additional funding for that and those levels have been consistent for many years. We need to increase those capital infrastructure dollars so that those communities that are really behind the eight ball on some of that infrastructure need to, you know, finish some of that stuff up, catch up.
Again, some transportation stuff, we see the Transportation Strategy there. Regarding the Build Canada Fund, we’ve seen some of that planning going forward and the concern would be that we haven’t paid too much attention to the main highway, Highway No. 1, coming into the territory. We’ve talked about Highway No. 1 out toward Simpson but we haven’t talked about keeping the current roads up to speed. Highway No. 1 hasn’t been one that has been talked about, I think. We’d started a program for widening it. That looks really good and is very effective for the trucking industry. We all know where the majority of our trucking industry comes from. It would be nice if we upgraded more of that road to that standard.
Another area is, obviously, schools are important. We’ve just renovated Diamond Jenness, but there are two schools we have in the regular system that need some upgrades. They’re starting to get to an age where they’re going to need upgrades.
The other one is the French school. I know we have some discussion and we have some court cases going back and forth and we know there’s going to be demand there. In either Yellowknife or Hay River, is there anything in our budgets for capital on that? Instead of planning for some of that stuff, we’re waiting for the courts to just tell us we’re going to have to stroke a cheque to fix this problem. Over that short period of time, we wouldn’t really want to. Why wouldn’t we put this into a budget? Why wouldn’t we start planning for it? Why wouldn’t we put it into the four- or five-year plan, because we know that we’re going to be responsible for some of it.
Another step that I’m glad to see is the parks upgrades. We’re seeing more and more parks upgrades and we’ve been getting nothing but compliments about our parks. We’ve had some people in the South Slave and in the Dehcho and the people who are just pleased to see those kinds of facilities and it’s good to see some of that stuff.
The last thing being, you know, some of the health facilities in Yellowknife, we’re upgrading them. Stanton Hospital is going to become a priority here real quick and I think we need a better understanding how that’s going to work, how that’s going to roll out over the next 30 years. That’s going to happen, the old facility versus a new facility. What are we doing with that old facility? Is it going to become an empty building that we’re going to have to start to fill? Are we going to look to replace off-site services that we currently have in Yellowknife and put them into the old hospital? Some of that stuff that’s more practical for our government, we should be using that as opposed to just leaving it and letting the market decide what’s going to happen. Our concern from the regional perspective is just like when we built the big tower downtown recently and we called that the devolution building for a while. There are issues that the regions are concerned with, that there’s more and more coming into Yellowknife and that if we built the facilities to that standard and put in a lot of vacancies there, then that’s just promoting it. The GNWT and operations will continue to find space and lease more space in Yellowknife and I’m concerned that that will defer and break down some of the issues that we’ve been trying to get decentralized.
So, Mr. Chair, those are my main comments. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. We’ll allow the Minister to reply. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll respond to some of them and then I’ll ask Mr. Guy to respond to the Woodland Manor and update requested on the health centre and Mr. Neudorf to touch on dredging.
The municipal funding, as we put it out yesterday, has been kept at $28 million, in spite of our attempts to do passive restraints but it’s important to protect that funding.
The issue of building Highway No. 1 to the border and the need to increase widening, I’ll note that as well.
I’ll ask, once again, Mr. Guy to touch on the other schools that possibly need upgrades. The French schools, we’re not in a position to do what the Member has suggested at this point. We have to, in fact, take a wait-and-see attitude.
I appreciate the comments on the parks and I’m sure the Minister of ITI will appreciate those comments. We, after our briefing last night, have the offer and the request for a further sit down with Members, so we we’ll be happy to do that when the Members have that time.
I’ll ask Mr. Guy to touch on a number of these other items, Woodland Manor, the hospital, upgrades to SMCC. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. I will now turn it to Mr. Guy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, all the upgrades to Woodland Manor, we’ve received our most recent proposal submission from the proponent on that project on September 18th of this year, so just over a week or so ago. This proposal is now being reviewed to verify it meets program requirements by ourselves and the Department of Health and confirm it’s within the financial limits that we have for the project. If that’s acceptable, then we’ll award the contract. Once that’s done, the project design will proceed over the winter and construction will start early in the spring and complete it throughout the following year. We expect it to be completed and ready for occupancy in early 2017. That’s Woodland Manor.
The next one I have is the Hay River Health Centre. That project is nearing substantial completion. The contractor has submitted a request for substantial completion inspection, which we have done. During that inspection, and this is normal, we’ve identified a number of deficiencies in the work and those are now being corrected by the contractor and we expect to have those resolved very shortly. They’re down to a few remaining items on their list of things to do. Once that’s done, they’ll be granted substantial completion and it will be available for us to take over the keys and for the authority to start their process of moving in.
In terms of South Mackenzie, I’m not sure where that is in the capital planning process or whether it’s been considered for mid-life retrofit, but we do consider it as a core piece of government infrastructure and we are making investments through both our regular maintenance and the Deferred Maintenance Program in that particular facility. We’re also doing an evaluation on it, I believe, to see if it is a potential candidate for a biomass installation.
Thank you, Mr. Guy. I believe I heard the Minister indicate to go to Mr. Neudorf. I will concur. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On dredging, it’s been talked about in the House before. It is a federal responsibility. The Minister has written on several occasions to try to get some attention and had some discussions. Officials…(inaudible)…we continue to meet in various forms with the operators and the federal government regulators to try to get their attention, but unfortunately, we’ve had minimal success. The one suggestion was to get the Hay River harbour authority, get them active and seeing if they could make some requests for funding. That might be helpful. If there ever was a response, then I’m sure the government could consider providing a share of funding, but unfortunately, until we get any type of positive response then there is no opportunity even for cost sharing.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Continuing on with the general comments, I have Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a few comments on the capital, starting with education here. The Moose Kerr School is not going to be on the plans here until 2019, but just from what’s happened here with our capital process with Moose Kerr School, it is up for major retrofit or replacement, and that’s the same case we had here with the Stanton Territorial Hospital. I hope in 2019 that we follow the same practice as we did and replace Moose Kerr School when the time comes. I’m sure we’ll see the cost savings there.
Also under health, the health centre in Tsiigehtchic was built in the mid-‘80s. It still has the same linoleum as it did when they built it, many of the same features. It clearly doesn’t look like very much has been done to that except blocking the unit. The 35 years is almost up, so when the time comes I hope that they do replace that building as well.
Just a couple other things with housing. I’m glad to see we are doing a lot of retrofits within my riding and replacing a few units in Fort McPherson. But as I mentioned quite a few times, we are doing a good job retrofitting and replacing units, but there’s a big demand for housing, and even the Finance Minister has been pleading for people to move back to our territory. But where are many of these people going to live with some people on a waiting list for up to three or four years? Are we going to build tents for them? What’s this government’s plan? I mean, we need to build more units. That’s the bottom line.
The other thing was under airports. For many years the community of Tsiigehtchic has been wanting an airport in the community, especially for freeze-up. We are doing a better service now with the ferry and building ice crossings, but for emergency purposes it would be great to have an airport, plus it creates employment.
Residents in my riding are very happy with the recent Building Canada Plan putting money back into the Dempster Highway, Highway No. 8. As we all know, the community of Aklavik would also like to have their road to Willow River put in place. We’re doing a great job there and I commend the Department of Transportation for providing funds to the community to actually purchase a bridge, and we’re hoping that that bridge can be put in place this winter when the time comes. We can’t wait until April as, you know, new year funding. They have to make sure that the community has those funds in place in February to make the most of our winter season.
I see under Transportation, as well, under the marine division, the Louis Cardinal hull upgrade. Many of my constituents want to know when are we going to receive a new ferry. Even a couple of years back the engineers felt that the hull was due for replacement. I’d like to know when we’re going to get a new ferry.
Those are the comments that I have for now.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. I’ll go to the Minister.
