The first question was kind of a two-fold question, so I maybe answered the first one but not the second one. On the second one, in terms of the on-the-land funding, on-the-land funding is a partnership between the Department of Health and Social Services authorities and the various Indigenous groups to provide on-the-land funding, and these programs that are available to everybody.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
I have no more questions.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. Please provide a list of all contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Taltson Hydro Expansion, including studies on submarine transmission lines, from September 1, 2015, to present, and:
Indicate the date of the contract signing, date of completion or anticipated completion, whether the contract was sole-sourced, the value of the contract, the general purpose or scope of the work, whether there were any financial or scope amendments and a summary of same, and the name and location of the contractor;
In providing the list of contracts, indicate whether any of the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy and received such consideration in the evaluation of bids or proposals; and
What future actions are planned to maximize northern employment, training, and business opportunities in future contracts related to the Taltson Hydro Expansion?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2020-2021"; "Statistics Act Annual Report 2019-2020"; and "Final Report SROI: Integrated Case Management, February 2020." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 251-19(2): Border Security"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 275-19(2): NWT Addictions Treatment Facilities." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Norn.
Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 130-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess.
---SHORT RECESS
I am now calling committee back to order. Minister of Finance, do you have witnesses?
Yes, I do.
Sergeant-at-Arms, can you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber? I think we're on page 12. Minister, will you please introduce your witnesses?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, we have Mr. Terence Courtoreille, who is the director of Management Board Secretariat, and Jamie Koe, who is the assistant deputy minister for Finance.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Welcome, Mr. Courtoreille and Mr. Koe. We are going to continue on page 12, and we are going to go to detail. On page 12, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Industry, Tourism and Investment, capital investment expenditures, economic diversification and business support for $9,616,000, not previously authorized. Do we have any questions, comments for section? Seeing none, I will move on to tourism and parks, not previously authorized, $3,831,000, and that continues onto page 13. Any questions? Comments? Seeing none, I will go to total department, not previously authorized, $13,447,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. I am going to go right to detail for this Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Infrastructure, capital investment expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, $36,398,000. Questions? Comments? Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at some of these line items. I probably will have questions for any time I see "various" on it because it's good to know, a good breakdown. Again, jobs are hard to come by. Contracts are hard to come by, especially in the small communities, and it will be just nice to know some of the breakdowns of this because it does mean a lot, have an impact on jobs for this fiscal year. Just get the Minister to give us a breakdown, what the various items mean? Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance, the ones that have various beside them.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, Madam Chair. I do note a list of them, and I anticipate that the ones that are along roadways, for instance, Highway No. 8 reconstruction, various meaning along the roadway. I'm not sure that we'd be in a position, at this point, to breakdown. I'm just double checking what I do have in front of me. I don't think we're in a position, Madam Chair, to breakdown each and every location at which, for example, culvert replacement would have occurred or which bridge anywhere in the Northwest Territories might necessarily would have been worked on. It certainly can be provided. Madam Chair, I think I would have to provide a more detailed breakdown and commit to provide that more detailed breakdown at another time.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Maybe I could probably just make it a little more simplified again. What I'm trying to get is: to make sure that small communities, and there's more of an equal opportunity there for small communities. If you get a breakdown of, say, Yellowknife and larger centres, how much they get, and what did the rest of the small communities get is what I'd like to ask. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Certainly, if it's broken down in that way, that's not a problem. I anticipate, though, the needs assessment is not so much in order to give money to the communities so much as it's to ensure that assets are being maintained to a certain level. It matters not to me how the Member wants to take the information. We'll get the information to the Member, and he can use it in however he sees fit.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm okay with that, just as long as we get something. Just so we know, it will give us a good snapshot of where these allocations are going, and I think the people know. Marsi cho.
You have no further questions? Thank you. Any other further question, comments, for page 14 under asset management, not previously authorized? Asset management, not previously authorized, $36,398,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Now, we'll move onto corporate management, not previously authorized, $12,365,000. Questions? Comments? Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can the Minister tell us how much of this spending is going to be spent in the North and/or with Indigenous northern companies? Is that something that's known at this point?
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, these are carryover amounts. They'd already been committed as part of the project, so it would really be a breakdown of the entirety of the project, which is not necessarily information I have right in front of me here in terms of each and every contract that's been awarded under the project or that might yet be awarded under the project. Although, we can certainly provide a more detailed breakdown of those projects. Both of these are fairly long-term projects and I expect will be part of capital planning process that's getting started next month. That information should be readily available.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, I appreciate the Minister pulling this information together. We learned sometime recently that 10 percent of the Slave Geological Province contracts have actually gone to northern contractors. I'm interested to know what it looks like for the Mount Gaudet access road and for the Mackenzie Valley Highway environmental assessment. I would appreciate receiving that information. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Did you have any other questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. This page, there is an amount of over $10 million for Mackenzie Valley Highway environmental assessment. When I look at the review board public registry for the environmental assessment of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the last document posted there is November 28, 2018. Can someone tell me what's happened for the last two years with this environmental assessment and why GNWT doesn't seem to be doing anything? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Some of the negotiation processes that went on were with the Indigenous governments along the highway. For instance, an MOU was signed between SSI chairperson and the Minister of Infrastructure back on April 10, 2019, so that was a fairly significant step that took some time to get to. With that underway, now those organizations need to undertake the work there contained therein. With that, at this point, that then allowed them to move forward and take the next steps required to continue the environmental assessment process. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
