Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following nine documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 110-19(2): Addressing Drug Use in Northwest Territories Communities"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 128-19(2): Mental Health and Wellness of Seniors in Long-Term Care"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 141-19(2): Oral Health Report"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 144-19(2): Full-Time Psychologist for Children and Youth for Treatment Centre"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 145-19(2): Traditional Counselling Models"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 150-19(2): Oral Health Care"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 169-19(2): Fort Providence Health Centre"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 175-19(2): Home and Community Care Review"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 203-19(2): COVID-19 and the Timeliness of Updates." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following six documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 12-19(2): Fort Smith Airport Infrastructure"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 23-19(2): Economy of the Northwest Territories"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 116-19(2): Tlicho All-Season Road Contract"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 159-19(2): Yellowknife Motor Vehicle Office Hours"; "Businesses Participating in the TASR Project," additional information for return to written question 5-19(2); and "Slave Geological Province Corridor Contracts List September 1, 2015-March 31, 2020," additional information for return to written question 9-19(2). Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 117-19(2): Response to Affirmative Action Policy"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 171-19(2): Daylight Savings Time"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 190-19(2): Lack of Enforcement in Illegal Drug Trade." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following four documents "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 56-19(2), Cantung Mine Surface Lease"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 70-19(2), Thaidene Nene Status"; "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 90-19(2), Northwest Territories Power Corporation Use of Limiters and Oral Question 211-19(2), Line Repairs and Power Limiters in Nunakput during COVID-19 Pandemic"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 96-19(2), Cameron Hills Oil and Gas Field Environmental Liabilities." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents and additional information "Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Summary of Program Initiatives 2015-2019"; and "Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Action Plan 2019-2022." Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following nine documents "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 34-19(2), Income Security Client Banking Issues;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 62-19(2), Improving Income Assistance Administration;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 97-19(2), Income Assistance;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 111-19(2), Mental Health and Suicide Resources for Students;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 147-19(2), Day Care at Ecole J. H. Sissons;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 156-19(2), Women in Trades;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 170-19(2), Income Assistance;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 177-19(2), Support for Trades Employment;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 207-19(2), Succession Planning for Interpreters Training." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, May 28, 2020, I will move that Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the first time.
All right. I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess.
---SHORT RECESS
I now call committee back to order. Order. We're calling back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020. Does the Minister of Infrastructure have any opening remarks?
I do, and I don't stand up; right? I do. Thank you. I am pleased to present the 2020-2021 Main Estimates for the Department of Infrastructure. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $11.6 million, or 4.4 percent, over the 2019-2020 Main Estimates. These estimates support our fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending while matching the modest expected revenue growth over the coming year.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
forced growth increases of $7.7 million, which primarily consists of $2 million for utility costs at the new Stanton Territorial Hospital and $4.5 million for UNW collective bargaining increases;
$3.9 million for a new lease and operations and maintenance costs associated with the long-term care facility in Yellowknife;
increases of $2.8 million, which includes $2.4 million in funding associated with the Low Carbon Economy Leadership funding agreement with the Government of Canada and $390,000 for a permafrost data management and analytical system for the Dempster and Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highways;
a transfer of $873,000 to the Department of Finance for assets transferred as part of the formation of the Information Systems Shared Services; and
sunsets of $142,000 for reduced operating costs for ferry services on the Dempster Highway, as the recent engine replacements on the Louis Cardinal ferry have resulted in fuel savings; and a sunset of $236,000 for reduced environmental monitoring requirements on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by promoting energy efficiency and sustainability.
To fulfill the goals outlined in the 2030 Energy Strategy, we will provide continued financial support to the Arctic Energy Alliance and introduce larger-scale grants for communities, commercial buildings, and industry that target reduced greenhouse gas emissions. As such, the Department of Infrastructure will provide $2.74 million in core funding to the Arctic Energy Alliance, as well as an additional $797,000 for community energy grants and $2.27 million for Northwest Territories-wide energy programs supplemented through the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund. This brings the total Arctic Energy Alliance contributions to $5.8 million.
This concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Do you wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, I would like to bring my deputy minister, Dr. Joe Dragon, and my director of corporate services, Mr. Gary Brennan.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. I'll just get you to introduce who is who.
On everyone's left, that's Dr. Joe Dragon, and on the right is Mr. Gary Brennan. Thank you.
Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments, but first, I am just going to say, just as we were following the last 10 minutes, one round for questions, two for each section that we go through. Just opening the floor to general comments on the Department of Infrastructure. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We are going through this process now, and the last time we were here, we weren't too concerned about COVID, and now we are. I'm just wondering, with these estimates, how factual are they, and are they going to change significantly or remain the same because of COVID? Thank you, Madam Chair.
