Thank you. I can make that commitment.
Thank you. Are there any further questions on the information items? Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Madam Chair. Page 197, the Northern Wellness Agreement, I know that it gave large sums of funding to First Nations groups to deal with their wellness, their healthy child development, mental wellness, and healthy living. Are we going to see any further funding in this area to help the First Nations groups deal with wellness programs? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We, as a department, fund a lot of different kinds of wellness initiatives like the healthy choices fund, which was just announced today for applications. With respect to this specific federally funded pot of money on wellness, I'll ask the deputy minister if he could provide some more detail. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The agreement that the Member is referring to is a five-year agreement. It started in 2019, it goes to 2024. It's worth a little over $50 million over five years, and indeed, a good portion of this funding does flow to communities and to different regions, through the community wellness initiatives. There is a cluster of different initiatives that we do under this funding that benefit communities. We have an excellent relationship with the federal government and are always looking for opportunities to find new funds through project funding, as the Minister referred to, that we can flow to communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Deh Cho.
Regarding that funding, I was provided a table where it showed funding that went to First Nations. Some of them were getting, like, $190,000 and stuff like that. Is that one-time funding to them to last them five years? Is that the way this is working?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. I'd like the director of finance to answer that, please.
Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Through the Northern Wellness Agreement, there is a large chunk of that funding, I think around $6 million, that is distributed to community organizations. Those community organizations develop community wellness plans, which then allows us to fund them for the five-year period for a certain pot of money for each year for them to carry out their community wellness plan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
I see they got funding, and I've seen the five-year plan. Then that's it, right? They don't get any more funding whatsoever from this pot of money or any other pots of money, for that matter. Is that a correct assumption? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Having money from the Northern Wellness Fund doesn't preclude organizations and governments from applying for things such as on-the-land healing program, the peer support program we just announced, the suicide prevention program we just announced, and the healthy choices fund that we've talked about. If you get the one pot of money, it doesn't mean you can't apply for the other pots of money. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Deh Cho.
Okay. Moving on to another one, it could be similar, but there is the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Program. I'm just wondering if this is where the personal support workers were funded, under this program? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Yes. That's correct. It's under this program.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Is this the personal support workers who are currently working in the health centres and working with the elders in the communities? Is this the same program, the same funding? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. In the case of Fort Providence, this pot of money is providing for an activity aid, a home support worker, a homecare nurse who is an LPN, and a case aid family preservation worker. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Deh Cho.
I'm assuming, since there are no line items for these coming up for 2021-2022, this program is defunct or no longer available? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister.
Thank you. I know it looks that way, but it's not that way. I'll ask Ms. Mathison to fill in the blanks there. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, as of 2019-2020 / 2020-2021, we changed the way we account for these dollars in the budget. We now show that money in the activity of long-term care. When we talked last week about the increases that we saw in the long-term care budget, it was mostly to reflect this funding agreement with the federal government. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
I have no further questions, here. Mahsi.
Thank you. Are there any further questions on the information items? Seeing none, Members, we will now return to the Department summary found on page 169. Health and Social Services, operations expenditure summary, total department, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $596,784,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Mr. Norn.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services at this time. Mahsi cho, Madam Chair.
Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Consideration of the Department of Health and Social Services, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, operating expenditures, total department is deferred. Thank you, Minister, and thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Committee, we're going to take a short recess and resume with the next department.
---SHORT RECESS
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022. Does the Minister of Infrastructure have any opening remarks?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I do. I am here to present the 2021-2022 Main Estimates for the Department of Infrastructure. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $7.4 million, or 2.7 percent, over the Main Estimates, 2020-2021. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Infrastructure while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
forced growth increases of $3.1 million, which includes $1.8 million for increases in electricity rates and $1.2 million for increased costs to maintain Highway No. 8, the Dempster Highway, and $83,000 for increased maintenance and utility costs for ferry utilities;
initiatives funding of $1.3 million, including $1.1 million for new lease costs for the Child and Family Services program, as well as $151,000 for a new occupational health and safety position in Inuvik;
establishment for utility funding of $2.8 million related to the Stanton Territorial Hospital;
a transfer of $3.6 million and related positions to the Department of Finance for costs associated with procurement shared services; and
sunsets of $3.6 million, which consists primarily of time-limited funding including: $659,000 for Highway No. 8 maintenance and $390,000 for a permafrost data management and analytical system. Additionally, there was a sunset of $789,000 to adjust cashflow requirements for the low carbon economy leadership fund as well as an increase of $469,000 reflecting the sunset of term funding to ECE related to temporary accommodations for families attending Aurora College's Inuvik campus.
These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by promoting energy efficiency and sustainability and investing in the infrastructure that connects communities.
To continue working towards our goals outlined in the 2030 Energy Strategy, we will again 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.
The department will continue to invest in the Deferred Maintenance Program by upgrading and preserving our assets. When integrated with other GNWT programs, such as the Capital Asset Retrofit Fund, it has allowed the Department of Infrastructure to make efficient use of $11.8 million dollars of annual funding to significantly improve the overall performance of our assets.
For example, energy conservation and efficiency activities, including biomass boiler installations, LED lighting replacements, and other retrofit activities, have resulted in significant savings that allow additional resources to be redirected to advance other government initiatives.
The Department of Infrastructure also invests $1.5 million annually to continue to deliver the Community Access Program to improve local transportation infrastructure, including access roads, winter roads, ice roads, marine facilities, and trails. These help to increase food security through locally produced, harvested, and affordable food, and can also help towards economic diversification by supporting growth in non-extractive sectors, such as tourism. That concludes my opening remarks. Quyanainni, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Does the Minister of Infrastructure wish to bring in witnesses?
Yes, I do, Madam Chair.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Thank you. The Minister has requested that we move through the main estimates in such a way that will limit the need for new witnesses to move in and out of the Chamber. The order in which we will consider the department activity has slightly changed, so we will not be going in order as the book. I will call the pages and make sure you guys are clear to the department or the section that we are going through. With that, Minister, will you please introduce your witnesses for the record?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have with me today Deputy Minister Steve Loutitt, as well as assistant deputy minister for regional operations, Gary Brennan.
Thank you, and welcome. Thank you. Committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail in the tabled document?
Agreed.
Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary beginning with asset management, starting on page 235, with information items on page 238. Under asset management, are there questions from committee? Member for Yellowknife North.
