Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Would the Minister like the last 40 seconds to respond?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I have said, I have made the case quite clear and I stand by it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
No, that is good for me. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Next, Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is on page 229, the CAP program, as well. My suggestion to both departments on the Small Community Program with ECE and this new department here is to reflect the guideline modifications so that you can maximize the expenditure by having joint administration. That is my suggestion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As we have said, we are working with the Department of Education and Culture on how we can maximize the opportunities, using that fund to help complement the Community Access Program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. McNeely. Nothing further from Mr. McNeely. I see no further comments or questions. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my concern is that we are looking at mega projects versus small community-based projects, and so besides this $1 million for small communities as compared to all these other major projects, has the department looked at putting a better percentage to small projects that will benefit the whole territories instead of the major projects? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
To answer that question, that is the reason we are in the capital planning process, so I believe that is why we are here today. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you for the non-answer, Minister. I appreciate that. The problem is, again, reality is, we live in the territories, we have small communities, not all big centres are not doing all major projects; however, if we would invest a little bit more money in this in the smaller communities we would see a better impact on the other departments such as Health and ECE through income support. So, again, since we are all here to work on this, as the Minister has said, will the Minister and the department start looking at this and putting a better percentage to these access roads, these kinds of programs that will benefit the whole territories instead of major projects? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So everyone is focusing on the Community Access Program, but when you look at the broader as a whole, transportation, what have we been doing, you look at the BCP money that we spread out across the Northwest Territories. It is spread out amongst the regions, amongst the communities, and in the particular Member's riding we have just done community access roads Jean Marie and Nahanni Butte. So those are the types of programs where some of this capital money goes, and it is spread across the Northwest Territories, not just some mega projects. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. You used an acronym BCP, I believe. Would you please clarify for committee what that means?
Building Canada Plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. Could you tell me where on this page the BCP is on? Because I mean I am not sure that we are talking about the same program. If it is on this page I apologize. I do not know where it is, so can the Minister please verify that it is on this page or in this section? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was answering the question as to how the department is looking at spending money in the communities versus mega projects and I referred to the Building Canada Plan, but that money comes in the capital projects. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I thought I missed something, so I greatly appreciate it. I was not trying to be -- I will just leave it at that. So I understand we have the Building Canada Fund, I totally understand that, but what I am looking at is this Community Access Program, where if we increased it we would be able to give these smaller communities a better opportunity to develop the roads, or the access roads, or access to the recreational opportunities in the smaller communities. So I have heard the Minister, and again he is going to come back and say we are in fiscal restraint and this is where we are. So I would hope that the Minister and the department would actually listen to the small communities and try to increase this pot of money so that we can have some work in our communities and better facilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Would the Minister like to respond?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to make it quite clear to the Members that I am not against this program. I love this program. We have distributed all the money for the last two years that I have been here, but right now with the present situation we have there is no extra money. If the opportunity comes in the life of this 18th Legislative Assembly to put more money into this program, I will gladly have a look at it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson, anything further?
No, I thank the Minister for his answer. We are going to probably disagree on it. I appreciate that they are going to look at it. Too bad it is not going to be in this budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Anything further? Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity corporate management under the Department of Infrastructure, Main Estimates 2017-2018, on page 229 at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. As a technicality, I have to call the page before a motion is made. One moment. So I will call the page. Infrastructure, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, total activity, $10,023,000. Does committee agree? Mr. Vanthuyne.
Once again, Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity corporate management under the Department of Infrastructure, Main Estimates 2017-2018, on page 229 at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. There is a motion on the floor and the motion is being distributed. The motion is in order.
Question
Question has been called. All those in favour. All those opposed. The motion is carried.
---Carried
We will defer consideration of this activity. Moving on to infrastructure programs and services beginning on page 233. Do we have comments or questions from committee on page 232 to 237? I remind committee to let us know what page you are talking about so everyone can follow along. Comments, questions, programs and services. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just on page 234, I am glad to see the amount for the wind monitoring at Aurora Research Institute has gone up $50,000. When can the department estimate, you know, that they will actually proceed in putting a wooden generator up in the Storm Hills area? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're doing some detailed engineering work on that project this coming year, but this initiative is going to be tied to our federal initiative and see what the federal government gives us. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Blake.
That's all I had for now. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Comments or questions. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm looking at page 234, and there's a number of energy programs and policy development that are not being renewed this year; Community LED Swap-out Program, Community Government Solar, Condo Corporation Biomass, Energy Information and Awareness, I could go on. Can someone from the department explain why these programs are being cut or sunsetted? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Guy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So a number of those projects are either sunsetting because the work is done or that the funding has been rolled into another program going forward. I have some specific examples here that I think were raised. The Community Corporation Biomass Program. There was $50,000 there and we had initiated that program with Arctic Energy Alliance to see if there were ways for condominium corporations to access biomass funding to do biomass upgrades.
Our understanding from Arctic Energy Alliance is that there was very low uptake on that program, even though they actively promoted it, so that particular line item is sunset. However, the funding criteria has now been expanded under the Commercial Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program so condo corporations in the future can come forward and apply for funding through that program. So that's one example I think that was raised.
The other one I think was raised was the Community LED Swap-out Program. I believe that was the -- bear with me, Mr. Chair. That was the program similar to what was done with the compact fluorescent light bulbs a number of years ago. So this was an initiative to promote deployment and use of LED light bulbs. So the program at the time, this was using that incremental funding that we got through the Low Water to provide Arctic Energy Alliance to do promotional programs. It was to purchase and distribute LED light bulbs to all of the thermal community homeowners and to exchange for incandescent and other energy-efficient light bulbs, and that program has now been completed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Guy. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. So although the programs, some of these may have been completed, I think there's still a big need out there. I know of a condo just literally almost next door to where I live on Forrest Drive that was looking for assistance with putting in a wood-pellet boiler. So it sounds like there's still a need for some of these programs. You know, have we replaced all of the compact fluorescent or old-style light bulbs throughout the Northwest Territories? It just sounds like that there's a number of needs still here to continue these programs.
So can someone from the department confirm that there's still a need for some of these programs and it's just that they're being sunset because we've decided that we don't want to fund them anymore? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister, can we get confirmation? Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there's a number of things going on. We've got the Energy Strategy that's going across the Northwest Territories. As most Members know, we have three communities left, with Hay River, Fort Simpson, and Behchoko to go, that are going to feed into all of this. We're trying to pull a whole bunch of information together.
Actually, I guess another comment on the Energy Strategy: going around to the communities, there's been a bunch of feedback from Aboriginal groups, community organizations, and individuals on this particular program, on Arctic Energy Alliance. We want, at some point here, to have a review and have a look at how we're going to try to realign some of that stuff with that program. Some of the program is working; some isn't working. As the deputy just said, some of the programs have been completed. So we want to have a look at how we're going to enhance and streamline that to make it a more efficient organization going forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
