Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to ask ADM Brennan to answer that. Thank you.
Thank you. ADM Brennan.
Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. This $85 million here, first of all, $55 million of this is amortization, so now we are down to $30 million. Basically, what that does is keeping our highways safe: snowplowing, minor surface repairs, blading on the non-chipsealed highways, and some minor repairs like that there. When we get into capital, it's more of the major items. When we start digging up a highway, replacing a culvert, doing extended length of chipseal, that is kind of what that covers there. The O and M budget is meant to keep the highway safe on the everyday; the capital budget is meant to improve it for a longer term. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That makes sense. I always forget amortization is found in the O and M budget, so that is where that $55 million came from. Do we have an estimate of what it costs us to maintain a highway per kilometre? I recognize that is not an easy figure and that it varies depending on the highway and it varies depending on whether it's an ice road, but I am wondering if we, in some of our highways reporting, have a rough estimate of what we spend per year to maintain our highways based on kilometres or some sort of distance metric. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have seen the numbers by highway. We had it broken down. I want to say it's a case-by-case basis. Every highway in the Northwest Territories, all 10 of them, have different costs associated with them and some based on some of these different gradings on the road. Some are lucky enough to have concrete; some of us are stuck with gravel, but they all cost different. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. I am going to switch a bit. I have seen different numbers at different times of what the cost per kilometre is. Is there a cost built into replacement, as well? My understanding of the way roads work is that every 30 or 50 years they have to be replaced, and that is built into the amortization in a sense. We amortize the asset over a fixed number of years, but then we also have to replace it again. Is there anywhere in the budget where we are actually reflecting what it costs to replace a highway, beyond just the O and M? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I remember now why I had seen that number recently. It was because it was sent to committee yesterday, so I am sure the Member has received that yesterday. Perhaps he didn't. I don't know. I am not going to speak for that, but the numbers are in there. We can send them again if Members need to re-see that. In terms of some of the costs for rebuilding, it would vary. I will ask ADM Brennan to see if he has got any of the costs associated with building new highways. Because the Northwest Territories is so vast and we are different geographically, we are different that way, so I will get the ADM. Thank you.
Thank you. ADM Brennan.
Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. In terms of replacing of the highways, we are under a constant reconstruction of our highway system, so that is one of the things that the department has always asked federal funding for, was to continue to reconstruct or maybe maintain the highway system. Currently, we spend about $38 million a year, $22 million federal, $16 million of money under our chipseal bridges and culverts budget, in what we consider to be rebuilding our highways, and that, that money, tends to roll year over year. We try to have long-term agreements with Canada. Right now, we are using our building Canada plan funding, which expires in 2023-2024, at $22.5 million per year plus our $16 million per year. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. Mr. Norn.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Noting the time, I ask that you rise and report progress.
There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress. Thank you to the witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act; Committee Report 8-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Motion 5-19(2), Referral of Point of Privilege Raised by Member for Monfwi on March 10, 2020; Committee Report 9-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2019 Territorial General Election; Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co-Investment Fund; Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022 and would like to report progress, with one motion carried, and, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.
Seconder? Member for Nunakput. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Orders of the day for Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers' Statements
Members' Statements
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Returns to Oral Questions
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Commissioner's Address
Petitions
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Motions
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act
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Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Act
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Bill 13, An Act to Amend the Interpretation Act
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Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Securities Act
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Committee Report 8-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Motion 5-19(2): Referral of Point of Privilege Raised by Member for Monfwi on March 10, 2020
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Committee Report 9-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2019 Territorial General Election
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Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co‐Investment Fund
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Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 286-19(20), Main Estimates 2021-2022
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
