Thank you, Minister Moses. Committee, I'd just like to remind everybody we're overlooking the Capital Estimates, you know, we're not doing the O and M, but did give the Member that opportunity to get his questions here. But we will stick to our agenda here and overlook our Capital Estimates. Any further questions from committee or, Mr. Testart, sorry?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand the discomfort around this line of questioning, so I will cease for now. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Any further questions? Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate it. Yesterday, the Minister was talking about I think heavy equipment operators' facility thing there and saying that 60 per cent territorial government, 40 per cent federal government. My biggest struggle is why is this program being put in Fort Smith or utilizing the money in Fort Smith, where it cannot sit at the end of the road? Why couldn't it be located in maybe Fort Providence, where there is a lot of highways or Fort Simpson, as there are a lot of highways there available and a lot of industry available? So I'm asking why this was done this way? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. When the announcement for this funding came out, we had about a month, as did other institutions, to try to get the funding, so we had to look and act fast to get a proposal developed and together and out the door and look at where we can provide training and opportunities in the Northwest Territories. The heavy equipment facility in Smith was a prime example which we can support. The Mine Training Society actually just donated a bunch of equipment to the campus there, as well, so it was just a great opportunity for us. There was a lot of federal dollars, and we didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. We had to look at places where we could have addressed those.
The building itself that's in Smith was constructed in 1953, and we wanted to build on that and upgrade it so that the program there was going to be reflective on having a safe environment for students and residents to get the training in. There also was a great opportunity to address the jobs, the indemand jobs, out of our Skills 4 Success Action Plan moving forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my biggest struggle is the vision, where we're looking outside of what we exist presently. Having these facilities in the major centres, which is Hay River, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Yellowknife, are challenging for the smaller communities. Also, you have to look at the industry out there.
We're offering these programs, which is great, but where is industry in this? Have we been talking with them? So I guess I would like to ask the Minister, it's kind of a wish list with this here, is that any future opportunities that the Minister looks at outside so that the smaller communities can be given this opportunity where industry, as well, can be tapped into and existing roads can be done?
Because my struggle is, in Smith, it's great; we're working on this equipment. But it's a sixweek or eightweek course, maybe threemonth course, and then we're out there building roads. Industry is not going to put somebody in with only three months' experience in there. So will the Minister look at this, if money, federal money, comes available next time, that looks outside of the bigger centres and starts looking at the smaller communities and look at industry? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I think that's exactly what we've done through the labour market information report and needs assessment as well as developing that Skills 4 Success Action Plan. We did get a lot of input from industry throughout the Northwest Territories, and, moving forward, we also have the mobility trades trailer in Inuvik that we try to utilize. But I do understand the Member's point and that we need to get some of these training opportunities into the communities, possibly partnering up with industry moving forward.
With this particular project, because it was the length of time, we had to find an area that we could have put in a proposal that would benefit Northerners, benefit industry, and benefit the training opportunities that we could get out of this, so that was one of the projects. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my big thing is that, if we're only going back to status quo, we're not going to move ahead. That's my biggest challenge. Yes, I understand the facility was built in 1953, but we need to be looking outside the box, and here's an opportunity. I would hope the Minister will work with this department to develop something for the future so, when these opportunities do come available, it's outside the major centres and it'll have an impact on the smaller communities. So thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Moses.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Member for his concerns and comments. That's, I think, the main direction for the Skills 4 Success Action Plan is to get out into the small communities. I know we've had Members who have brought those concerns forward of finding unique ways to increase the employment and the training and skill development in our small communities throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Any further questions? Mr. Thompson.
No, thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister again for his work. I understand. I'm just looking for the future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Next we have Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I was happy with the responses that came from the Minister on the community learning centres in Fort Resolution and Ndilo. However, I asked the questions on the wrong category as yesterday we were on schools and not the college. So I just, I guess, wanted to clarify if the responses yesterday would still be applicable, even though they were given in a different category. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Moses.
Yes, they would be. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Committee, any further questions on page 13? I see none. Committee, we're on Education, Culture and Employment, labour development and standards, infrastructure investment, $9,157,000. Are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will now return to the summary on page 9, total capital investment, $23,611,000. Are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Does the Minister have any closing comments?
No. I just want to thank the Members for their questions, and I know there are a lot of concerns and a lot of issues out there in terms of infrastructure needs throughout the Northwest Territories. We try our best to meet them as we move forward.
Sitting as a Regular Member in the 17th, I understand some of the frustrations, but, in our current fiscal situation and with all the competing infrastructure needs, it's always a tough job to see where we put the dollars. But I appreciate the questions and just thank everybody for their support and the questions that they had. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Education is complete?
Agreed.
Thank you. Thank you, committee. SergeantatArms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. Thank you, committee. Committee, that brings us now to Municipal and Community Affairs. Does the Minister have any witnesses that she would like to bring into the Chamber?
Thank you, yes.
SergeantatArms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Thank you, committee. Will the Minister please introduce her witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to introduce Eleanor Young, who is the acting deputy minister for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Committee, we will defer the total estimate, $28,002,000 until after consideration of activity summaries. Starting on page 65, Municipal and Community Affairs, regional operations, infrastructure investments, $28,002,000. Any questions? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it's been many years since the municipalities had an increase in the capital estimates. I know that they sometimes shuffle the money around from one community to another, but the bottom line never changes. So I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any possibility that this number will go up sometime soon. I don't ever remember it being anything other than $28,002,000, so I'll start with that, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll let Ms. Young speak to that, since she has the history on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct. Since capital funding started being provided to communities in 2007, the number has remained at $28 million. Every year, we seek an increase to operations and maintenance and water and sewer funding, but the capital funding has remained constant.
Even though a number of years ago the overall GNWT capital plan went from $150 million down to $75 million, the community government funding was protected at the $28 million when that decrease happened. Where we focused our effort in the interim was on leveraging federal funding, and we've been quite successful in receiving additional federal funding using that $28 million to leverage federal funding for community governments. Members are aware of Small Communities Fund, Building Canada Fund, other programs that we've been able to bring infrastructure funding to communities.
That said, in 2014, we did an infrastructure deficit analysis and have identified an infrastructure funding gap, and we are currently recalculating our numbers and will be bringing forward a plan in 2017 with regard to how to address the remaining infrastructure gap.
Thank you, Ms. Young. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm interested in the criteria for small communities funding. I'm wondering if the Minister could give us the criteria, and as far as population goes, small community funding. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The criteria for the small communities funding is communities that were under 100,000 people, was the federal criteria for that funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is there a minimum number of people in a community in order to access this funding?
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, there is no minimum number of people to access the funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Are there other criteria in the Small Community Fund that would, say, restrict this funding to larger communities in the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No. As I stated, it is federal and the criteria is populations under 100,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
