Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, the MLA is correct. We are seeing an increase in seniors who are applying for this, and so this is a forced growth figure. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. No further questions. Next, we have Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, I was going to elaborate or mention clarity. As the Honourable Premier mentioned already, in our settled claim area of the Sahtu during the process of settlement, the cabin owners were allowed to select that area and make it a part of an arrangement to the land claims settlement, so there is that allowance available to unsettled areas. I just bring that out for information. It might add some clarity so we can move on. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. I take that as comment. Any further questions? To regional operations, operations expenditure summary, $88,999,000. Does the commit agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. Go back to where we were before. School of Community Government, operations expenditure summary, $2,860,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. That brings us next to page 360, sport, recreation and youth, operations expenditures summary, $5,342,000. Does committee agree? Question. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In the budget line we see multisport games funding going from $500 to $250,000. Can the Minister explain this cut? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Committee, that is from page 359 to 363, just for your information. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is a multisport games reduction in the budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I should add that these reductions were previously approved in the last fiscal year's budget to go over three years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Just to clarify, since the other side there says we approved it, so what we are saying is we can approve next year's budget already. Can we get that clarified? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. During the process of the 2017-2018 budget, this was brought to our attention. It was brought to our attention on many departments that were actually looking at providing the cuts over a number of years. This was presented to all MLAs, and the budget was passed at that time with the understanding that this was going to happen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for the interesting answer. I guess I am just going to go right to it. Is the Government of Northwest Territories getting out of multisport games by cutting this money? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Definitely not. It is not the intention for the Government of the Northwest Territories to be getting out of multisport games. We respect the games. We respect the sport and recreation associations and the services that they provide to the residents of the Northwest Territories. We are committed to maintaining the multisport games. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess we have a difference of opinion of what we call respect, but I'll just say that there. When we talked to the partners or the organizations, when we sit there and they see this money being cut, they ask this question. Has the department gone to the Sport North, Aboriginal Sport Circle, and explained why they are doing this cut? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do not believe that we have done that to date, but I can commit that we will go to the organizations and explain it to them. We are meeting with them anyway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that commitment. I wish we had done it the year before, and for the record, I didn't support the budget, and this is one of the reasons I didn't support it last time. Are we saying that, in next year's budget, the other $250,000 is going to be removed? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, as presented in the previous year's financial mains, the next year there will be another cut, and that will be the final year of cuts to the multisport games. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane, Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell us where the money is going to go for multisport games, then, if it is not going to be in this budget here? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is committed to maintaining the multisport games. We will provide funding for the games either through internal funding and/or through lottery funding which was done throughout the years. It was never only funded through the internal funding or through this funding. I believe this was brought forward in 2009. Previous to that, it was funded through the lotteries, and many years we have had to dip into both. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer and being able to get that information out there. Will the Minister and the department be working with the five groups that actually access the lottery funds now and explain to them this is what the reality is going to happen in the future? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
As stated earlier, yes, I had made a commitment. We will work actually with the five groups. We are working with them currently anyway, and so we will have a sit down with them and explain how this will impact and how we will cover the multisport games in the future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the Minister making that commitment. Since 2009 to this year, is the Minister saying that multisport games have been funded by this multisport games funding and lotteries? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Not every year. In some years, since 2009, we have funded it just through this funding. Since 2009, we have used both this funding pot and also the lottery funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that. So can the Minister tell us how many years that the lotteries has been used to pay for multisport games, including the money that has been allocated from this department? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Just a correction, it is page 359 to page 365, not 363. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We did have a graph developed. At this moment, we cannot find it. We can provide it to the standing committee, though. In my recollection, there was a minimum of three to four years, and it was about $2 million that was taken from the lottery funds, as per my recollection, but we will actually commit to providing that graph to standing committee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that. Will this document be public? Can we make this document public? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we will make that public, and I will go further and commit to actually sharing that with the five regional sports and recreation organizations as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am just going on for the record, again, saying that this is probably one of the silliest cuts I have seen, and I do not support this. However, I am going to have to have an internal struggle with the budget. I have had the conversation with some people here about whether I am going to support it or not, but right now, this is an internal struggle I have. I honestly believe that these games belong to the Northwest Territories, and the Government of the Northwest Territories should be putting money into it and not taking it out of lotteries. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. I will take that as a comment. Any further questions, committee? Seeing none, I call the page, support for recreation and youth, operations expenditure summary, $5,342,000. Does committee agree?
