Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Government House Leader. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?
---Carried
Bill 1 has had first reading. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration of Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021; Tabled Document 43-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2020-2021.
I call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), 2020-2021 Main Estimates, to include the NWT housing portion, and to address the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess.
---SHORT RECESS
I will call the committee back to order. We have agreed to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021, and we are continuing on with the NWT Housing Corporation from yesterday. I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses back into the Chamber. Minister, if you could introduce your witnesses for the record.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the right of me, I have Mr. Carpenter, and to the left, I have Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Minister. We will start where we left off. We are going over programs and district operations, beginning on page 372 with information items on pages 374 to 376. Questions? Are there any questions for the program and district operations? Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the South Slave district, how many technical advisors do we have there? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have one in Fort Smith and two in Hay River.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Is there any consideration to add any positions in Hay River? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would have to do an assessment of the volume of work that is done in that district, and I would have to verify if there is a need for another position. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
That's all, thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Mine is along the same sort of lines. Can someone tell me where all the technical advisors are located and whether there have been any changes in positions proposed in this year that's coming up? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Currently, we do have technical advisors in each of the regional offices, and going forward, looking at the changes that we may have, I'd have to look at the employment numbers that I have. I want to make sure that they're all staffed, but we normally would have two in each district. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Have there been any changes proposed? I'm looking at the active positions on page 375. It doesn't look like there are any changes in staff from last year to the proposed year. Are there any changes in technical advisor positions? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is right; there are no changes in the number of technical advisors that we do have, but going forward and looking at the amount of infrastructure that we might be working with and looking at the renovation of the homes that we do have, the public housing units, I will be looking at that and reviewing to see if there is a need for additional employees required. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I think page 374 outlines contributions in a number of areas. Is this money, then, that flows from the Housing Corporation to the local housing organizations, the LHOs? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to be correct. The Member mentioned local housing authorities or the district offices? Can he please clarify? Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Can the Minister tell me: where does this money flow through to? Because it's listed here as contributions. Is this to third parties? Is it to the district offices? Is it to the LHOs, the local housing authorities? Where does the money flow to? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Member. I just needed to understand that question. The money flows through the district offices. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. If it flows to the district offices, is it coming from the Housing Corporation, and then it's given to the district offices? It just seems like kind of a weird way to set this up. Usually, the contribution pages in the other departmental budgets are where our government is providing money to a third party, but this is to the district offices. Is that correct? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that is correct. We also provide funding, too, to the local housing authorities. The Housing Corporation is, I want to say, a unique set-up. We do have the local housing authorities, we do have the boards, we do have the district offices, and we also have headquarters and the office of the executive. The money that is flowed through is for the district operations. I really want to be clear that we have the district operations, and we also have the administration of the public housing units. I hope that clarifies; I hope the answer was fine. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I think I'm just getting more and more confused. On 373, I see allocations to a number of district offices, and then there is sort of a programs development and implementation, then a vice-president's office. Why is this listed as contributions on this page? Does any of this money actually flow through to third parties, like entities outside of the Housing Corporation? Thanks, Madam Chair. Sorry. Habitat for Humanity is obviously a third-party organization. Does any of this other money flow through to third-party organizations, or is it all administered by the district offices? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know it might seem kind of confusing to understand. The way that I understand it and the way that I work with the budget that we have is that we have a lot of housing programs that are very unique. We have housing support initiatives that do include the third parties, as well, that we're looking at, at the community level, where the community and bands, charter communities, Indigenous groups, or stakeholders are wanting to go forward and deliver programs. For an example, I just want to say very quickly, if we needed stairs and ramps and doors replaced, I'm looking at a third-party opportunities; I would look at the bands and the stakeholders in the smaller areas, that we would work in conjunction and provide funding at a proposal setting. At a proposal setting, if the project costs $50,000, I would like to work with that third party where they would program-deliver within that community. I will have Jim elaborate on this a little bit more, for more clarification. Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry, Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. The way that the budget is structured under the program and district operations activity here is that the programs that are being administered by the district offices are classified according to how the budgets are allocated to the districts. Within the districts, we would have the grants and contributions budget being administered. We would have the contracts services budget, as well, and the other components, as well, being allocated out at the start of the year to each of the district offices. They would, then, administer those various budgets, and as I said, within those budgets is the grants and contributions allocations. They work with third parties, clients, organizations, to administer those programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Martin. Member for Frame Lake.
