Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
Motions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS Section 40.2(1) of the Public Service Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appoint an Equal Pay Commissioner to exercise the powers and perform the duties set out in the act;
AND WHEREAS the appointment of the current Equal Pay Commissioner, Ms. Nitya Iyer expired on June 30, 2016;
AND WHEREAS Ms. Nitya Iyer has expressed an interest in reappointment for a fourth term as equal pay commissioner; and whereas the Board of Management is prepared to recommend her reappointment;
now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Ms. Nitya Iyer be appointed as the Equal Pay Commissioner in accordance with the Public Service Act for the commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Legislative Assembly;
and further that the Speaker be authorized today to communicate the effective date of the appointment to the Commissioner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Motion’s in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried. Motions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Hay River South, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns today, June 9, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Monday, June 13, 2016;
and further, that at any time prior to June 13, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should begin at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Masi. Motions in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
Item 19, first reading of bills. Item 20, second reading of bills. Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, with the Member for Hay River North in the chair.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 15-18(2), Main Estimates, 2016-2017. With that, Mr. Chairman, we would like to continue with the Environment and Natural Resources and possibly get into Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
We will consider the document after a short break. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber? Please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce his witnesses?
HON. WALLY SCHUMANN: On my left I have Susan Craig, director of finance; on my immediate right I have Deputy Minister Ernie Campbell. On my further right, I have Assistant Deputy Minister Erin Kelly.
CHAIRPERSON (Mr. Blake): Thank you, Minister. Committee, as mentioned yesterday by the other chair, please keep the sidebar conversations to a minimum. It is kind of difficult to hear when questions and answers are being asked. Thank you. With that, committee, we will continue with Environment and Natural Resources, forest management, operation expenditure, activity total, $37,922,000. Committee, any further questions? Committee, are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Next, we have Environment and Natural Resources, water resources, operation expenditure summary, activity total, $11,475,000. We will defer page 99 and continue with page 100. Environment and Natural Resources, water resources, grants, contributions and transfers, information item. Any questions? Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here. There was a partnership with Wilfrid Laurier in that we have contributed $200,000 to last year. This year, there is zero in the budget. Can the Minister or staff explain what is happening here? Is their research finished? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
---Laughter
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was the last payment in a series of payments for a ten-year partnership with Wilfrid Laurier. We no longer need to make those payments because we are paid up. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Any further questions? Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Will we continue to work with Wilfrid Laurier in any way, given that this was a ten-year partnership with them? Thanks Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, there is ongoing work that is being undertaken. There are many partnerships that we are working on with Wilfrid Laurier University. They have research at several research stations around the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Any further questions, Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. The Water Strategy Action Plan, there is a reduction there of… I am not going to try to do the math in my head. $116,000 my colleague tells me. What is the reason for that reduction? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is related to the negotiations and implementation of Transboundary Water Management Agreements. There is less consultation than there was before and more implementation. Therefore, funds have been transferred to O and M. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Any further questions, Mr. O’Reilly.
Not on this page. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Any further questions? Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to commend the department for the efforts they have put in previously in negotiating transboundary agreements with other jurisdictions. I just wonder if this is the right area, I believe it is, to ask the department what the current status of negotiations are with other jurisdictions, in particular Yukon, Nunavut, and Saskatchewan? What resources will the government be putting towards that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are in ongoing discussions with Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and Nunavut. We are just at the very beginning of preliminary discussions with Nunavut. We have an existing agreement with the Yukon from 2002 that we are looking to update to be more similar to the agreements we have signed with Alberta and British Columbia. We are hoping we have a draft agreement that we are reviewing with Saskatchewan at this point. With respect to funding, as directed, we will be going forward with the forced growth submission on this go-around. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Any further questions on page 100? Are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Next, we are on water resources, active positions, information item. Any questions on page 101? Committee, are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Now we turn back to page 99. Environment and Natural Resources, water resources, operation expenditure summary, activity total, $11,475,000. Are we agreed? Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I did have a question on the page. I just couldn’t see where it could get raised anywhere else. Water regulatory line, under program detail, there is fairly significant reduction there of $200,000. I think that is money for the department to get engaged or involved in water licensing. I note that the Jade Project is likely to enter into water licensing during this financial year, so I just want to make sure that we actually have the capacity and the capability to continue to engage in that and a number of other water licensing proceedings. Can the team explain the reduction of $200,000? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Return to Ms. Craig.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Within the water resources division, we moved a position from the community stewardship advisor, we decentralized that into the Fort Smith region as… We relocated it to Fort Smith. There was a reduction of funding in water resources. It was increased elsewhere in the department. In water research and study, which I believe the Member was asking about that budget as well, that we had an increase there for the expansion of the hydrometric network. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Craig. Any further questions Mr. O’Reilly?
I am glad that the witness mentioned the hydrometric network. I know that there is quite a bit of discussion behind the scenes to help improve the network. I am just wondering if the Minister would be able to speak to the ability of the department to continue to expand that network over the next couple of years. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There will be five additional sites that will be added to the 90 existing hydrometric sites in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
