Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We'll turn this over to Ms. Wickens. Thanks.
Ms. Wickens.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee was established in 2021, and that was to having each party -- so this was the committee which includes Members of the Legislative Assembly, the Yellowknife City Council, the RCMP, the Yellowknife Dene, and the Department of National Defence. Each party was contributing $50,000 to go towards the capital development fund. That is an area that we currently all share. That is the causeway to the city centre. Unfortunately, each party was to contribute $50,000 to do a monument of sorts in that area. However, this fund actually didn't come to fruition, so the money that's been currently used for that is just to go to general maintenance of the area, which includes snow removal, the flags causeway, and as well as gravel spreading. That's currently right now. We are going to engage conversation again with the committee to see if there is the option of that. Right now, there is no money that is going into that fund.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the clerk responding to what was going to be my next question as to what was going to happen now that that wasn't going to happen. Can someone explain what this monument was for? Is this the one for the missing and murdered Indigenous women? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'll turn this over to Ms. Wickens. Thanks.
Ms. Wickens.
Thank you, Madam Chair. No, the funding was to go towards a large monument or just enhancement of the site itself, but it just never came to fruition.
Thank you. Any further questions under Office of the Clerk? Seeing none, please turn to page 14. Legislative Assembly, Office of the Clerk, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $9,417,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will now turn to the Office of the Speaker, beginning on page 17 with information items up to page 19. Questions? Seeing no questions, please turn to page 18. Legislative Assembly, Office of the Speaker, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $508,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will now go to statutory offices, beginning on page 20, with information items on pages 23 and 24. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I see that there are a few areas of increases, here, and maybe I'll speak with the Ombud office. Can someone explain to me what the increase here is all about? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. The increase is to the Ombud's compensation and benefits of $5,000; also, a new intern position at $58,000. The intern funding will offset costs. Also, an increase to the telecommunication contract of $13,000, with a reduction in materials and supplies of $5,000. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. It sounds good to have an intern working with the Ombud. How about the increase in the Language Commissioner office there? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'd like to thank the Member for asking me this question here. We have an increase to the Commissioner's compensation and benefits of $132,000, also an increase of $53,000 to move the admin from part-time to full-time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair, and you're welcome to the Speaker for asking these questions. I have one more, if I could. There is an increase of the director, Human Rights Commission line of about $200,000, and I'd like to get an explanation there. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The increase of actually $169,000 is an increase to the executive director compensation and benefits of $12,000; also a new position. They have had an unfunded intern on staff for two years who carried a full workload. They requested that this position turn into a full-time human rights officer position, increase of $140,000, also an increase to their travel budget to support a pilot program that they are launching, which will allow two trips per year for the Human Rights Office to visit the five regional centres. The pilot program would have the commission utilize their accumulated contribution to fund the contract community reps in communities outside of Yellowknife, to provide part-time services in restorative human rights education and information to community members. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. No, that all sounds good. Another intern position and increased travel to promote the Human Rights Commission, I'm all happy with that. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Any other questions? Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at the active positions on page 23, and I'm just curious to know about the position that is no longer there in the Sahtu. Has that position been moved to the South Slave? Is that one of those positions, or has it been something different? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'll turn this over to Ms. Wickens. Thank you.
Ms. Wickens.
Thank you, Madam Chair. In the previous fiscal, we were going to establish the Official Languages Office in the Sahtu, and funding came along with that position. However, since the new Languages Commissioner is now located in Fort Smith, that position has been relocated to there.
Thank you. Any further questions under the statutory offices? Seeing none, please turn to page 21. Legislative Assembly, statutory office, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $4,047,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, Members. Please return now to the departmental summary on page 5. Legislative Assembly, operations expenditures, total department, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $24,443,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We have concluded consideration of the Legislative Assembly. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the witnesses appearing before us. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Committee, we will just take a couple of minutes' break just so I can get the next department ready.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021, and Environment and Natural Resources. Does the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources have any opening remarks?
Thanks. I do, Madam Chair. I am here to present the 2021-2022 Main Estimates for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $789,000 or 0.8 percent over the Main Estimates 2020-2021. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objective to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.
Highlights of the proposed estimates for the department include:
New initiative funding of $2.711 million, which includes funding for sustainable livelihoods and funding to implement the NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework and action plan;
Forced growth funding of $127,000 for increases in air tanker contract costs;
An additional $58,000 to administer French language services; and,
Sunsets of $1.802 million in funding for completed initiatives related to environmental assessment requirements for the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, the agriculture strategy, the pan-territorial vision for sustainable development of offshore oil and gas, and planned reduced federal funding for the nature fund agreement and conservation and recovery of the Bathurst and barren-ground caribou herds.
These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by:
Implementing the NWT climate change strategic framework and action plan to ensure our government makes informed decisions and shows leadership for transitioning away from fossil fuels and building resilience to the effects of climate change;
Implementing ENR's sustainable livelihoods action plan, including supporting residents and Indigenous governments and organizations with new and modified harvester support programs to increase food security;
Taking key actions to support the implementation of UNDRIP through the co-management of wildlife, waters and protected areas, and with land-based programming and to ensure Indigenous rights, culture, heritage, language, and traditional knowledge are at the heart of our program and service delivery;
Building on our efforts to support regional decision-making by establishing management boards for territorial protected areas and working with our partners to develop regional forest management plans; and,
Increasing employment in small communities through Territorial protected areas, waste reduction and diversion programs, forestry operations, and research and monitoring programs. These programs already support over 800 full-time, part-time and seasonal or casual jobs in small communities and there are opportunities for growth in the future.
That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Does the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, I do.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses for the record?
Thank you, Madam Chair. At the table is Deputy Minister Erin Kelly, as well as director of finance and capital planning, Jessica St. Arnaud.
Thank you and welcome. The committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Agreed.
Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with corporate management, beginning on page 72, with information items on page 75. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.
