I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 322-18(3), Main Estimates, 2019-2020, with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will consider the document after a brief recess.
---SHORT RECESS
I will now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 322-18(3), Main Estimates 2019-2020, beginning with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. I will turn to the Minister for opening remarks. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the 2019-2020 Main Estimates for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Overall, the department's main estimates propose an increase of $3,236,000 from the 2018-2019 Main Estimates, which is a 3 percent increase.
The 2019-2020 Main Estimates reflect:
an increase of $111,000 to support the need for increased grants in lieu of property taxes payments to community governments; and
an increase of $1,400,000 for community governments to support their operational needs and the delivery of water and sewer services, which continues our support to community governments, which has seen an increased investment of more than $6.7 million during the life of the 18th Legislative Assembly.
Municipal and Community Affairs will continue to work with key stakeholders such as the NWT Association of Communities on the development of a plan that will help to address the municipal funding gap. As part of this plan, we are reminded that this Assembly has also previously approved an annual increase to Community Public Infrastructure Funding of $1.8 million to provide enhanced support for community infrastructure priorities.
Additionally, the 2019-2020 Main Estimates also reflect:
an increase of $350,000 to support non-government organizations to stabilize operations or develop their capacity to manage programs and services;
an increase of $1,348,000 to implement the NWT's 911 Service;
an increase of $334,000 to ensure efficient delivery of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan; and
an increase of $389,000 to support the Deline Self-Government Agreement.
The department's proposed spending in 2019-2020 continues to support the priorities of the 18th Legislative Assembly.
Under the community wellness and safety priority, Municipal and Community Affairs has refined its implementation plan for a territorial 911 service. Our investment in this budget will result in this service coming online by the summer of 2019.
Through an increase in funding for community governments, we are continuing to provide support for municipal core needs. This funding advances the governance priority by helping to build a stronger relationship with community governments.
In support of the cost of living priority area, we will continue to support community governments as they apply for and take advantage of the suite of federal infrastructure funding programs available to them.
That concludes my opening remarks, Mr. Chair. I would be happy to answer Members' questions. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Moses. I understand that you have witnesses to bring into the Chamber. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, you may take your seat at the witness table. Minister, please introduce your witnesses for the record.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my left, I have Eleanor Young, deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, and on my immediate right is Gary Schauerte, who is the director of corporate affairs. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Municipal and Community Affairs begins on page 323 of the budget document. The departmental total is on page 327, but, as is our usual practice, we will defer consideration of the total until after we consider each activity. There are seven activities, followed by two information items. The first activity, community governance, begins on page 330. Does committee have comments or questions on page 330? Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My first question is: is the department still focusing its efforts on a pilot project with Fort Providence, Tulita, and Ulukhaktok, and how is the work proceeding? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we are looking at continuing to do that work. For maybe further detail, I will go to my deputy minister for where we are in that area, Ms. Young, please. Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we are working with the Department of Lands to set up the processes for the different steps that will have to take place. We are transferring the land based on the type of tenure, type of ownership, that exists in each of those communities, and then we are working with each community to implement the pilot to transfer the land and assets that are municipal over to the community governments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I have previously mentioned, I am concerned about transferring assets to communities without them also getting the necessary funds for operation and maintenance. What is the department doing about this process? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are doing an asset management plan with each of the communities. It is something that we have been focusing on moving forward. It is not only the concerns of the communities that the Member has brought up, but it is something that we will have to have discussions with administration, as well as mayor and council, leadership, obviously, making sure that we are both working together to address the issue. We are going through an assets management plan for our communities and assure the Member that we are going to work with that. There is a responsibility on both sides. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My next question: how is the department planning to secure any additional funds needed for surveys or land assessment? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. For surveys, we work with the Department of Lands, first off, so that we can try to identify where the Department of Lands has surveys happening so that we can try to be cost-effective with the delivery of surveys. Then the actual cost for the surveys is part of what the community funds out of either their capital or their O and M, depending on where they have the flexibility to do so. It's eligible under either expense. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Are the funds needed associated with these initiatives being factored into the calculations of the municipal funding gap? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think we just had a little bit of a discussion, as well as the Minister's statement that I just put out today, which the Member was aware of. This is going to be a discussion that we're going to have with the NWT Association of Communities this weekend, and also look in terms of how do we address these, some of the shortfalls, but also what our core needs are for the communities. I know I've had these discussions with committee previously, and it's going to be something that we will have a discussion about and focus on this weekend, in a very honest and open discussion with our other elected officials. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand that there is the Minister's statement and that, but these are some of the questions that have been asked of me by my constituents to ask, so I'm just making sure I'm going through my list here. I thank the Minister for that. In correspondence with the Standing Committee on Government Operations, the department noted that Municipal and Community Affairs will need to identify a long-term process to transfer assets and lands. What is involved in this work and what is the time frame for completion? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. What we have done to date is we do have a list of assets that community governments currently operate, but which they don't have tenure for. Those are the assets that we're talking about, the ones that they currently already operate. So things like the funding for those assets is already built into the formula. What we've done is created a master list of which assets need to be transferred to the community government and what type of land they currently sit on. As mentioned earlier, we have a pilot with three communities to nail down the process by which that land transfer can take place in each community, what steps will need to be done, and then, once we complete the pilot, we'll be able to move on to other communities for implementation. At this point, until we work through the pilot and determine how long it takes to work through a process in a single community, we don't have an estimated timeline. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Young. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. What other progress has the department made with respect to addressing the issue of derelict properties in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's always been an ongoing issue, I think, in every community, and that's something that we need to work with our local governments on addressing. Obviously, we want to play a strong role in that. Any administration or municipal government that does feel that they need support and work on our behalf, I encourage them to come and speak with us to address those needs in terms of derelict properties and areas in their communities. I know, since I've been in the position, we have made some adjustments for some small communities to address these needs. Like I said, I encourage leadership and membership to contact our office, and we'd be more than willing and happy to work with them. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Hopefully this will be my last question for this topic. In regard to community planning, am I correct in understanding that community planning has a responsibility for assisting communities with civic addressing? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, that can be part of the community planning exercise. We find it is easiest to do it at the time we're updating a plan, because then the cost of doing the civic addressing can be built into the community plan. We have a number of different funding sources that can pay for community planning, and that's why we suggest that the two be combined. We have a guidebook for how that can proceed, so any community that is ready to take that on, I believe we have about nine in process currently to update their community plan, we can update their addressing at the same time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Young. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've heard that civic addressing is not necessary for the implementation of 911, but I still think it's important to be included in the 911 implementation plan, for those municipalities that want it. Are you guys working with them or encouraging them to include this? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, this is something that we are working on. Obviously, we want to make sure that anyone who accesses 911, we have their address in place. We are working with communities currently to address these needs. As 911 is, hopefully, going to come through, we are making sure that our residents are more than, I wouldn't say happy, but that their concerns will be met. That is something that we are working on right now, yes. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Next on the list, we have Mr. Simpson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see this is the governance section. Is this where I would find funds that would support a community such as a hamlet or a municipality in their negotiation of an IBA? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We provide different services. In terms of IBAs, that's more associated with the Executive, the EIA. We provide different services, so that wouldn't fall under this one. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Mr. Simpson.
Thank you. So I guess municipalities and hamlets aren't eligible to enter into an IBA? Is that what I'm understanding? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Minister Moses.
