The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has provided funding to staff of the new youth centre until the end of March 2019. How can MACA work with other departments to help the youth centre in Fort Providence?
I guess, right off the bat, I can encourage the Member, encourage the coordinator, anyone who is working on developing programs and services for the youth centre in Fort Providence, to reach out to our regional staff in our Fort Smith office to discuss the options. Our staff will be more than pleased to work with the coordinator, as well as the youth, to develop what kind of programs they would like to see offered in the youth centre and work on developing an application process. I do encourage the Member, as well as the coordinator, to take that as the first step and move on from there.
Municipal and Community Affairs coordinates a number of funding programs that the Minister had made reference to for youth-focused initiatives. What options exist to help the new youth centre in Fort Providence, the operation over the next year and beyond?
We do have a Youth Centres Initiative where youth centres can actually apply for funding up to a maximum of $25,000. As Members know, we have youth centres throughout the Northwest Territories, as well as friendship centres, that can access this funding. It is on a first-come, first-served basis, and we do have a lot of youth centres, so sometimes they don't get that full $25,000. We try to distribute it the best way that we can. We also have a Youth Contributions Program, as well as the NWT Youth Corps Program, that they can look at accessing with the youth centre. The youth in general can look at accessing other programs that we have in departments, but right now, first off, there is just the Youth Centres Initiative.
Like I said, all of that information on programs that we offer through MACA under the youth portfolio, the details are on the website. I encourage anyone who is looking at programs for our youth to visit our website and see what kind of programs we do offer.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not all youth have access to computers and likely some of them are unable to understand the layers of information that are unloaded on the MACA website. What are the process and deadlines for applications to these funds, if any, and will the Minister commit his interest to ensure that he works with the community to ensure that the operation of the youth centre continues? Mahsi.
As we come to a new fiscal year, coming up April 1st, that is when the applications start arriving to our regional offices. Our regional staff do a good job of getting that information out to all of our partners that work with youth.
In terms of making sure that our youth centres continue to get the funding and support that they need, as I mentioned, we do have a Youth Centres Initiative that we work with our youth centre coordinators, as well as our rec leaders and people in the communities, to make sure that these programs are available for our youth.
Once again, if the funding is already exhausted for this fiscal year, come April 1st, I encourage the Member and the coordinators right across the territory to look at the funding options that we do provide through MACA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I would like to ask the Minister: what was the issue that we had with the meters on the units that were built before Christmas in Aklavik and Fort McPherson? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do understand that the buildings that were in Fort McPherson, as well as Aklavik, when we did those multi-family buildings, are designed to have individual meters on each of the units. In this case, the units that we did have only had one meter.
It was brought forward to us when we went on the tour with the Member to Aklavik and opened up, I'll put a plug in here, our Northern Pathways to Housing, and we did hear those concerns. We are looking at addressing them, and the Member said it in his statement, the sooner that we can do it, then the sooner that we can get families into those units and address the waiting list for public housing and our families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That leads me to my next question: how long will it take to install meters on each unit, and when can people expect to move in?
As I mentioned, once we did hear the concerns that were brought forward to us by members of the community and the MLA, we started working on them, getting them addressed. We are hoping to have them done by the end of the fiscal year, March 31st. Once they are completed, passed inspections, and everything is good to go, we will start working on getting people into those units as soon as we can.
Instead of waiting a few months with the four-plex in Aklavik, can we simply let more people move and divide the power bill into four instead of letting people wait three to four months? These people could move in right away and share the cost of the power bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Obviously, that is a good solution. I will have to consult with our LHOs as well as our regional office to look at that, and how we can. Obviously, you might have one unit that is using more power and somebody trying to conserve their energy. We are going to have to find a way that suits all people who are in the units. Obviously, the best solution would have a meter on all the units, so that you know what each of the tenants is paying. It would not be fair for somebody who is trying to conserve energy when somebody else is using a lot of energy. That is something that we need to consider moving forward, but it is a very good suggestion. We can take a look at it, and I will make sure that I get back to the Member.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on future units, will the Minister ensure each unit has its own meter so we never have this issue again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Like I said, when we do the multi-family buildings, we want to make sure that meters are put on each of the units. We have to have better communication with our contractors and anyone who does work for the NWT Housing Corporation, we do have to make sure that they understand what our building codes are, national building codes. In terms of multi-family buildings, it needs to be just, and we will make sure that our contractors do understand that moving forward so that this doesn't happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions about Bob's Navy that will be directing to the Vice Admiral of Infrastructure. I'm talking, of course, about the Marine Transportation Services, and I have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. When Cabinet purchased NTCL, they purchased a lot of decommissioned vessels, barges and tugs. It is my understanding that disposal of those units has begun. Is that correct? I'll just start with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the deckhand for asking the question. To address the concerns of both hazardous materials as well as a review of the highest and best use of assets, including decommissioning barges, tugs, and other equipment the Marine Transportation Services identified to clean up scrap metal mostly located in Hay River at this point. That work has already commenced. There was an RFP out in July, and it started in late 2018, and we suspect that that will be completed by the fall of 2019.
Could the Minister elaborate on just what is going to be disposed of? I know there are a couple dozen barges right on the water, and then there are probably a dozen tugs in the NTCL yard itself. Could he elaborate on how much of that is going to disappear from the landscape?
To date, we have approximately removed 500 tonnes, so that is a significant amount. We are looking at possibly committing an additional 500 tonnes, but to date, out of that 500 tonnes is included 10 barges and one tug so far.
Now, I know scrap metal has a value. It is probably not much. Is this costing the government money, or is there some money coming into the government's coffers from this?
Marine Transportation Services is proceeding with the scrap metal cleanup through a cost avoidance plan, and to date we have had proceeds from that sale of $600,000.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and finally, if the Minister could please talk about how this has been used as an opportunity to keep money in the North, and employ Northerners and train Northerners? Could the Minister explain what type of northern content was included in the RFP and what type of northern businesses are being employed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There are a number of questions there, but I'll gladly answer them. First of all, on the northern content, we can be able to supply that information once the scrap metal removal plan is completed. We can commit to doing that. He has asked about whether there are opportunities; we are looking at other opportunities of partnering with Indigenous governments or development corporations to provide business opportunities, training, employment, and those types of things for scrap metal up and down the river system. NTCL has a number of properties up and down the river system that have years and years and decades old of scrap metal that still have to be cleaned up, so we will be looking at those opportunities going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask questions to the Minister of ITI. I would like to ask the Minister if, prior to any mine opening, if they do potential resource revenues, that would be coming from the mine to the two governments? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think, depending on where they are in their cycle, if they are very close to starting up, our analysis unit does some forecasting for royalty revenue for the following year's budget.
I am going to assume that Neptune Resources or NICO mines has had that evaluation done. Can the Minister tell me if the resource revenue is coming from that mine is greater than the cost of the road from the highway to Whati?
I would have to get that level of detail from the department, but to clarify on my other statement, when we're doing forecasting of royalties and revenues from these mining companies, particularly in their very first years of operation, there are tax implications that they have with the federal government that they get to write off a number of these costs. It takes a while to put these mines in a situation where they are profitable versus what they are allowed to write off in their taxes.
I can look at what the detail we have around the NICO mine and see what their projection is for that ongoing. There are three different types of ore bodies there, and those are subjected to change to commodity markets, as well. It makes it a little tougher to probably figure out exactly what this thing is going to generate for revenue in the coming years.
Recognizing that we are in very early stages of any potential for what is happening in the mine that I spoke of earlier at Thor Lake at Nechalacho, I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister would be willing to have the department take a look at the potential resources revenues from that mine?
I could certainly have that discussion with the department. We don't know exactly what they're going to do yet. We know the opportunity they are looking at is a mini micro mine, very, very small-scale, but we can certainly have those discussions and see what the opportunities are for generating some type of resource revenues out of the mini mine that they are proposing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Main Estimates, 2019-2020"; and "Bearnet Communications to the Employees, February 5, 2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 417-18(3): Supporting Small Business in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Friday, February 8, 2019, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that this Assembly call on the Government of the Northwest Territories to agree to enter into binding arbitration before the scheduled strike begins. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
