Agreed.
Agreed. We shall move on to the next activity, starting on page 129 to page 133. Please reference the page you have questions directed to. Questions? Seeing none, I will call page 129, office of priorities and planning, operations expenditure summary, $880,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. We shall go back to page 107, departmental total for Executive and Indigenous Affairs, $21,393,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you, Premier. Thanks to your witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
I'm ahead. Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs is concluded?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you, Premier, and thanks to your witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
Thank you, committee. Committee, we have agreed to continue with the Department of Lands. I will turn to the Minister responsible for the Department of Lands. Mr. Sebert, do you wish to make opening comments?
Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Sebert.
Mr. Chair, I am pleased to present the 2018-2019 Main Estimates for the Department of Lands. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $1,447,000, or 5 per cent over the 2017-2018 Main Estimates.
Highlights of the proposed estimates include initiative funding of $1,451,000; forced growth totalling $480,000, sunsets of $215,000, and a reduction of $116,000. Our estimates include one-time funding of $558,000 in 2018-2019 to lay the groundwork to develop an approach to manage untenured and unauthorized occupancy of public lands. This funding includes two one-year term positions.
Our estimates include funding to address the long-standing issue of equity leases.
Our estimates include ongoing funding of $250,000 to support the building of land use planning capacity and will also fund one new senior land use planner position.
The main estimates include $150,000 in 2018-2019 to support the GNWT Agriculture Strategy Implementation initiative being led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
These estimates also include forced growth of $360,000 for TSC chargebacks and $120,000 for software, licensing, maintenance, and support costs.
The Department of Lands will be moving forward with full implementation of the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics in Inuvik, 2018-2019.
We have one sunset of $250,000 for a business consultant. This position was approved for a three-year term beginning in 2015-2016 to support the establishment of the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics.
The department's spending in 2018-2019 continues to support the mandate of the 18th Legislative Assembly. We continue to assess our resources to ensure we are effectively managing programs and services, and that our approach to management and administration of public lands reflects the interests of the people of the Northwest Territories.
This concludes my opening remarks. I look forward to Members' comments and questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Sebert. Minister, do you wish to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Yes, I do.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce his witnesses for the record.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, to my right is Willard Hagen, deputy minister. To my left Brenda Hilderman, director of Finance and Administration. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. I will now ask committee to turn to your main estimates document, Department of Lands, which begins on page 309. Department of Lands, total department $27,673,000, which we will defer. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, we'll now go to page 313, corporate management, operations expense expenditure summary, $3,170,000. Any questions? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my question is about page 313. The chargeback number has gone up by about $150,000 a year, and I'm wondering what change occurred to account for this change in chargebacks? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Perhaps I could defer that question to Ms. Hilderman.
Thank you, Mr. Sebert. Ms. Hilderman.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The chargeback base funding increases in 2018-2019 by $225,000. We have been short-funded since transfer date on our TSE chargebacks and this is to right-fund our base. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Hilderman. Ms. Green. None. Okay. If no further questions, committee, we'll go to corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $3,170,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. Next we have informatics shared service centre, operations expenditure summary, $6,754,000. Does committee agree? Any questions. Yes, Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, can I confirm with the Minister that this is the right segment of the budget in which to ask the question about the agriculture strategy implementation? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.
Thank you. I understand most of the amount for that strategy is in planning and coordination.
Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will hold my question until we get to the relevant section. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Next we have Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm looking at the business plan that is now a public document, and I see that the geomatics portion of this activity area decreases from about $3,063,000 to $2.7 million, so can someone tell me what is happening in here? Are we cutting money in here so we can fund the Western Arctic Geomatics Centre, or what is happening, Mr. Chair? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister Sebert.
I'm going to ask Ms. Hilderman to assist with the response to that question. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Hilderman.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The change in the base funding for geomatics from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019 is $362,000. That is a reduction of one geomatics officer in the amount of $112,000, which was the very last of our phase 2 reduction proposals. A sunset of a business consultant for the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics, it was only originally approved for a three-year period, and this is the end of the three-year term. That is $209,000 sunset; $50,000 is for the agriculture strategy initiative for geospatial data and products for mapping. An increase of $59,000 forced growth for software, licensing, maintenance, and support. Then a transfer of $150,000 for aerial photography from informatics to operations division, Commissioner lands administration, and then a net change of zero for the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics. It was scheduled for a reduction in 2018-2019 from our phase 2 reduction proposals, and we are pleased to say that that funding has been approved ongoing in 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Hilderman. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is a helpful, sort of, overview of money moving around there and so on. I guess I want to ask the Minister: are we cutting the staff position that is probably located in Yellowknife and just kind of using that funding, then, to build up the Western Arctic Geoscience Centre in Inuvik?
Look, I have always been on record as supporting that centre in Inuvik and capitalizing on the investment that this government has made in the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line, but if we are just shuffling money around here to build up that office, that is, you know, a result of Cabinet's fiscal reduction strategy. I am not sure that is the way I wanted this to proceed, but maybe if the Minister can help me understand this. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Sebert.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. As has been mentioned, the budget includes a reinstatement for the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics to fund the three positions there. I understand that that is unchanged. Of course, that reverses the phase 2 reduction proposal that was to take effect in 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, minister Sebert. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I don't think that was in answer to the question I asked. The position in Yellowknife, is it being cut to help fund the position in Inuvik? Thanks Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister Sebert.
No, that is not the case. Perhaps Mr. Hagen could add something.
Thank you, Minister Sebert. Mr. Hagen.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The geomatics officer you are pointing to was the last of our reductions from last year, and it has had no impact on bringing back the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics that you all were in favour of. It has not impacted that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Hagen. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do not think I am going to get an answer, but, look, I support the centre in Inuvik. I have always said that. Just, to me, it looks like we are shuffling around money to support that initiative. I support the initiative, but shuffling around money to do it, that is probably not a good way to do. I will just leave it at that. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
