Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Broadly speaking, there is sort of an internal review of SEED taking place, where we will look at the question of market disruption, which again seems to have higher and lower popularity depending on the size of one community, but I do not have my SEED materials or this sort of material in front of me on the mains review. Let me send this over to Deputy Minister Strand to see if she is in a position to respond to that here. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister Strand.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Minister said, we are launching a SEED review. Within the coming weeks, there will be a survey that gets put out for public feedback on a few items, the equity component and also the market disruption. We hope that there is good uptake on that because these are important questions. Also, within GNWT, ITI will look at more of our administrative and reporting parts of that, but hopefully, we will get good uptake. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I get an update on whether there are any plans to extend BDIC loan deferrals? I understand that that will end this fiscal. I know that there have been requests to continue that program of deferring loan payments until after the pandemic. Can I have an update whether the Minister is doing that or willing to? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a BDIC-specific item, and I know that that was one of the questions they looked at when they gathered together in January. I had emphasized to them the fact that people will need the answer to that in advance of the fiscal year. I would like to just confirm where they landed on that, and I will commit to getting back to the Member. I think I will have that answer by our next sitting dates. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. One of my concerns is that I know BDIC has some legislative, kind of, parameters that they have to operate in, and they have a certain fund to make sure that all of their loans are intact. I believe, if they get too much into deferrals or grants, they run up against those. Does the Minister have any figures of what it costs to defer loans or if, actually, they run into the parameters we're willing to fund them? I think this is probably pretty cheap money to defer payments, and it's a good return on investment. Is there a cost to those loan deferrals? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I do have all those numbers. I have reviewed them. I just don't necessarily have them in the mains document. Again, we have had some conversations. There are challenges with ongoing loan deferrals, certainly with loan forgiveness. I know there is going to be some effort to find ways to support businesses, perhaps on a one-by-one basis, depending. Again, let me commit to getting back to the Member, and again, I am conscious that we are coming up at the end of the fiscal year. I will commit to getting back to the Member fairly quickly so that we are in a position to advise all BDIC clients as to where we're at well in advance of the end of the fiscal. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a comment that I would be supportive. The BDIC can't necessarily take on that money, but the GNWT can. If there is some way to make sure those loan deferrals happen, it has to happen through the GNWT, and I am happy to see that. I am very eagerly awaiting the film policy, and I have spoken previously about some sort of film producers' incentive policy. My concerns right now with the film industry rebate program is that I'm not sure it's necessarily convincing anyone to come here. It's a good program, and it does encourage a little bit of northern labour. The fact that it's kind of after-the-fact makes it a little cheaper to make a film in the NWT. With $100,000, it's not all that much cheaper. We kind of got an answer to this before, but are there any plans to have a film producers' incentive program or to rework this program? If so, how much money could we expect to see? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There is obviously not money in the mains right now for the idea that the Member is suggesting. The film strategy, if it hasn't reached committee, is on its way across the hall. Once it has gone through that process, looking forward to an opportunity to receive feedback on it and to get it out to the public and to stakeholders. The subsidy program is one part of a program for supporting film producers. ECE has funding for arts. We have other funding for small- and medium-sized businesses. This isn't a one-stop shop for film. They have other ways to access our supports. There are also staff within ITI dedicated to supporting potential producers or others who want to come north and do work here in the North supported by some of the quite fantastic film sector workers that we have in the North. It's more than just one thing, and it's more than just one funding. We have had some great success here before COVID, and I am sure we will get back to it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Seeing that there are no further questions, please turn to page 210. Industry, Tourism and Investment, economic diversification business support, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $18,195,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will take a five-minute break.
---SHORT RECESS
Committee, we are going to continue on with minerals and petroleum resources, beginning on page 214, with information items up to 217. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I notice that, under contributions, the Indigenous mineral development support program looks like it has a sunset of funding, and so I am just wondering if the Minister can tell us if that is found in another section or what has gone on there.
Thank you. Minister of ITI.
Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. There has been a sunset of funding there, which certainly doesn't suggest that there is not going to be an opportunity to renew that funding. That is right now under a program review, so it's our hope that we will be in a position to come back and request the renewal of the funding once that program review is done. In the meantime, Madam Chair, there is certainly an intention to continue to work towards mineral regional development strategies wherever possible. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am seeing that this was contributions in support of Indigenous organizations to prepare and participate in mineral development in their area. I know that the Minister said that this is under program review, but was there no other way that this contribution could have continued in this year in another format while the program was being reviewed, to continue to invest in mineral development? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the extent that it appears as a line item, this particular line item program was sunsetting this year, and so that is why it does then continue to sunset. A lot of what it was being used for in the past was to support Indigenous governments or Indigenous organizations or community organizations to attend functions like roundup or PDAC, national-level conferences, which this year are not happening, so it was not an urgent item to need to have funded or renewed for this year. Again, it gives us that opportunity to conclude the review. There is some funding that can be often found from within when there are items that come up through the year, and we will certainly be continuing to look at it. Again, I know I have spoken about my commitment to this area, so we will be continuing to look at that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I have similar questions about the MPR various contributions line item, which is contributions for the geological survey scientific research and mineral resources, so I am wondering if the Minister can speak to that. I do recognize that it has been two years now that that has been gone from the budget, but it did used to be a $626,000 investment in resource development. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Perhaps I will suggest that Deputy Minister Strand can provide some analysis to that, please.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, this work hasn't stopped. We only put it in once we have the actuals because every year is different. The NTGS in 2020, of course in COVID, were not able to bring in other researchers and do joint programs, so unfortunately, there was not that funding spent last year. It is back and active for this year and will continue. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I really appreciate that information. My next question is kind of a stretch, but I think it has relevance here. My next question is actually in regard to the surface rights board, which I know is a Lands line item; it is not an ITI line item. It is $303,000 that I learned that a constituent of mine and myself almost made NWT history in almost using it, and I think that that is something that could have been mitigated by improving and formalizing a process, an internal and external process, between Lands and ITI. Right now, somebody can come to ITI, and they get a subsurface land rights; and they go to Lands, and they get surface land rights. If those two licences conflict with one another, then they go on the use of surface rights board, which, thankfully in the Northwest Territories, has not needed to be used. However, there is no part in the process where ITI communicates with Lands, or if it is in the process, it is not consistently used. I am wondering if the Minister will commit to formalizing an internal and external communication process to better educate clients on how those two licences work together. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Madam Chair, I was wondering what the examination question was going to be here. I can certainly make a commitment that we can put something together that explains how the two work and where the line between the two is, but I am also going to take away the fact that, if there are occasions where these two programs are not communicating effectively, that is a bigger conversation that I will also take away. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I really appreciate that because, while it's not a line item here, I think it's an opportunity for us to mitigate some costs down the road in some other line items. I appreciate that. Thank you.
Thank you. No further questions? Okay. Are there any further questions under minerals and petroleum resources? Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Do we have a date for when we expect online maps to be implemented?
Thank you. Minister.
Madam Chair, let me see if there is an update. I know that was somewhat dependent on work being done with mineral resources regulations, but let me see if I have an update through Deputy Minister Strand, please.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. That project, called MAARS, was deferred and does start April 1st. We have staffing in place in preparation for that, and we're working closely with ISSS to map out the business procedures that need to be engaged. The work is starting. Don't have a fully designed plan yet, but we are aiming to have the bulk of the work done within the duration of the funding, which is for three years. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I get an update of what the MAARS system costs? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not sure if Deputy Minister Strand or if Director Salvador would be a better place to answer that. Let me start with Deputy Minister Strand, please.
Deputy Minister.
