Thanks, Mr. Chair. The Minister answered the question about the annual review part but how do we compare against other jurisdictions in terms of our fees and licence payments and so on? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we review them annually. I might ask Mr. Schauerte to expand on how the review takes place. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Schauerte.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our fees are settled in regulation. The fees are based on the cost of doing business. We reference the YERG principle in terms of setting our fees, which reflects what the cost is for our department to conduct this business, to issue the appropriate business licence or document in that regard. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Schauerte. Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the response from the department. The cost recovery is a consideration. Do we look at what other jurisdictions charge for these services as well? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member is correct. We do look at what other jurisdictions charge. Mr. Schauerte pointed out that there is a bit of a cost recovery. If Members are interested, I am sure we can provide a document that compares our fees to other jurisdictions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would be interested in seeing that sort of document. There is obviously no sort of urgency, now we have a number of other things. If the department could provide that, even in conjunction with the next business plan, that would be helpful. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That is all I have.
Thanks, Mr. O’Reilly. Would the Minister like to add anything?
No. Fine, Mr. Chair. We have committed to providing the document, and we will do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Nakimayak.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my question is for the line on School of Community Government. For 2014-15, it shows at $3.29 million. For 2016-17, it shows $2.9 million. Can the Minister identify the cuts from last year to this year? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Nakimayak. We are deferring the page 319 with that line item until the end. Right now we are on 320. Comments or questions as to page 320, the revenue summary? Seeing no more, we can continue on to page 321, the active position summary. Comments or questions? Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell us if all are any vacancies presently with the hundred positions? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We had eight vacancies as of March 31st. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for his answer. When will these positions be filled? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am not sure as to the status of the positions at the moment, whether they are out for competition or not. I will gather that information, and I will share it with the Member personally. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Mr. Chair, no further questions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Any other comments or questions on page 321, the active position summary? Seeing none, we will begin with community governance. It begins on page 323. We will defer that page until we discuss the detail on page 324, community governance, active positions. Questions on page 324? Seeing none, back to page 323, community governance, operations expenditure summary. Questions from committee? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think this might be the right page to ask the question, what progress is being made on the revolving funds for communities to assist residents with energy efficient measures. My understanding is there would be a legislative change required. What is the status of that? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I will ask Ms. Young to respond to that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are just initiating our research across jurisdictions on how this may or may not be done in other jurisdictions. It will likely require an amendment to our municipal legislation to effect such a change.
Thank you, Ms. Young. I will just remind all Members and witnesses to make sure the red light is on before you begin speaking, and just let us know when you are done so that the audio techs can switch the microphones over. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Could the Minister please indicate the timing for producing this report and the next steps? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is no definite date yet. It is kind of a long-term project. I will keep Members up to date as to the work that we do. If we do have any definite timelines, I will definitely share them with the Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that response. Is this an issue that is likely to be addressed in the life of this Assembly? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we will have the research done during the life of this Assembly, and then we will make a determination of whether it is viable and if it is something that will work here in our jurisdiction but the research itself will be done. We will share that with Members and get some feedback from the Members as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just as a point of clarification, I felt that the deputy minister had said that the research was just finishing. If that is the case, then it seems like finishing the research in the life of the Assembly is just about a done deal. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The research may be finishing, but there is still a bit of work that needs to be done. As I said before, once we get that work completed, we will share it with Members, and then we will determine next steps from there with the input from the Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My next questions have to do with community governance. I understand that there were some financial operational reviews conducted in the last fiscal year. I am wondering what the findings are of those reviews and whether there are any other reviews planned for this year. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member is correct. The audits were done. We have a couple of communities that are facing some challenges. I am not sure if it is appropriate to speak to those particular communities in a public forum such as this. If we enter into a briefing with committee, I would be glad to share some of the information, some of the details. Through the accountability framework, we are going to have the capacity now to pick up a lot of these issues soon. That will prevent a lot of our communities, as in the past, from getting into any financial difficulties. We will be able to identify sooner and then work with the communities and get them into a good financial position. If we provide a briefing to the Members or if the Member would like a conversation with myself, I can share some of the particulars. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I welcome both the proactive approach that the Minister is taking to helping communities before they get further into disarray. Certainly, I will talk to my colleagues on government operations to see if they would like a private briefing. My second question is: are there audits contemplated for this year as well? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
