Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for that clarification earlier because I was the chairman for the Impact Review Board, and I've been through that as well, so thank you.
Another question to Mr. Chairman is that now that I guess I want to know how's the department working with the remediation portion? Once they identify this and figure out the costs and that, how's that work going to be let out? Is it going to be done through contracts or can that be done through working with Indigenous governments and that kind of thing? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mahsi, Mr. Edjericon. Minister.
So depending on the projects, we were working with a variety of options. Again, it's very it depends on what project we're talking about and how we're doing with it. We do have or conversations with various organizations and governments moving forward on it. So again, until we have a specific site that you're talking about, we look at the whole gamut moving forward. There's a number of options available to us. But I really need to stress if we can work with Indigenous governments as best we can, we do that there, so. But for further detail, I'll ask the deputy minister to add to this. Thank you.
Mahsi. Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So we use GNWT procurement policies for the GNWT remediation work that is ongoing. So there's the BIP policy. I think we're doing a lot of work these days on the remediation economy with our fellow departments of Finance, ITI, and ECE, looking at opportunities for remediation economy for northern and northern Indigenous businesses. And there's been a bunch of work that's been done through Giant Mine that we're learning from as well related to Indigenous involvement in Indigenous businesses and also northern businesses in that remediation project which is very large. So there's a number of different things that are going on to work with Indigenous governments related to the remediation economy. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Mr. Edjericon.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess during your investigation and trying to determine the type or magnitude of reclamation you guys are looking at, I guess I'm wondering once you guys determine, say at Ptarmigan Mine, if that used to be a gold mine, and I'm assuming that there's probably tailings et cetera and similar to the Giant Mine. I just want at what point do we say that this one here needs to go to an environmental assessment, because to me, when you start reclamation it is a big project, and I just want to put that out there. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mahsi, Mr. Edjericon. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn it to deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy minister.
We would apply for thank you, Mr. Chair. We would apply for maybe I'll just take it back a step further.
So we would do work and we do a human health and environment risk assessment and a remedial action plan that would outline what we would do for the site to get it to the conditions that are agreed upon. And then we would get a land use permit. And during that land use permit, it would be screened. And if it was was necessary, then an EA would be called. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Mr. Edjericon.
That concludes my questions. Thank you.
Mahsi. Any further questions from committee on this section? Whoops, Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong.
I see here in the budget it says the actuals from 395, the main estimates was different and that it went down. So it really so for the main estimates for this upcoming fiscal year's lower. What happened, and why is that?
Mahsi, Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong. Minister.
For that detail, I'll just turn to the deputy minister. Yeah, because there's a number of avenues and other lines there that yeah, I'll just turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It went up $8,000 from the 20212022 revised main estimates to 20222023 Main Estimates, and that's due to collective bargaining. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Weyallon Armstrong.
With respect to this contaminated site, so how many communities are you guys working with at the moment?
Mahsi, Ms. Weyallon Armstrong. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're working with the communities that are located close to the contaminated sites that we're working on. I don't have the exact number in front of me at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Weyallon Armstrong.
That's good. Thank you.
All right, committee, let's see where we're at in here. Mr. Simpson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Now that I know what section we're on. Contaminated sites, I'd just like to ask about strategic oil and gas and what's happening with that and where in the department is it if we're looking at remediation, if the Minister could respond to that. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Simpson. Minister.
Thank you. That's very much a Lands question but I can give you that since I'm wearing my Lands hat there right now. It's still in receivership. It's still in the court system right now. So we're not doing anything with it right now. Do we have a plan in place at any point in time? We are working on our plan presently. So yeah, that's about all I can say right now. Thank you.
Mahsi. Mr. Simpson.
That's all, thank you.
Mahsi. There are no further questions on this section.
Please turn to page 77. Environment and Natural Resources, environmental protection and waste management, operations expenditures summary, 20222023 Main Estimates, $4,333,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Environmental stewardship and climate change, beginning on page 79, with information item on page 82. Questions? Mr. Simpson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On page 81, just looking at adaption plan and climate change community adaption, and we're looking at roughly $378,000 combined there. And I'm just wondering here, because I guess when I look at what we're talking about or what we're trying to achieve with this, you know, we look at you know, it takes into account sharing of information and investing in infrastructure, looking at that, setting building codes to ensure that, you know, buildings are not going to get damaged, addressing possible health effects, supporting regions that are vulnerable to climate change, maintaining our ecosystems, you know, in regions, and also the environment. And, you know, we went through years of forest fires. Now we're going through years of flooding, you know. And, you know, what's next? Will it be tornados? High winds? We don't know. So, you know, we're only looking at, like, at that $378,000. I'm just wondering if that's enough money, or should is the government looking at maybe putting some more money into it considering what's happened over the last few years with flooding and fires. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Mr. Simpson. Minister.
Thank you very much. Right now we feel this is the money that we need to move forward with my deputy minister put her hand up. So I should look at her, and I'd get her to clarify that. Thank you.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So it's important to note that for things like climate change adaptation, this is just for the coordination and planning element. But there's climate change adaptation work that's being done in all of these sections, right, for wildlife, for water, for all of these different things, and also at different departments. So MACA and Infrastructure are also doing adaptation work. The reason this looks a little funny here is because some of the projects that were planned for 20202021 were unable to be completed because of COVID, the project itself. Sometimes it's because the communities were not we were not able to do the work with the communities at that time. We're always looking for funding from the federal government, and they do provide it but not always in this line item. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Mr. Simpson.
No further questions. Thank you.
Any further questions from committee? Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister of the department comment on how the climate workers, I guess for lack of a better word sorry, brain dead how their work interacts with the other departments and how they are working to help, like, inform; they've got the expertise in your department, and I know that needs to be interconnected to others, such as at Infrastructure where maybe they only have one of those types of employees. So yes, how can they can the Minister speak a little bit to that interaction and how they help and if they need more resources in order to help inform other departments? Thank you.
Mahsi, Ms. Nokleby. There's a climate worker's question. Mr. Minister.
Well, I'm going to go to the deputy minister on that one. Thank you.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there are interdepartmental coordinating committees at all levels. So there's a director of climate change, ADM, deputy and ministerial committee of Cabinet. We work very closely with other departments, many other departments. We just, a year ago, got additional positions to help other departments build their capacity, as well as our own, to do some of the climate change work. And then an added element where we work together is that decision items that are going through need to factor in climate change, and our folks at ENR support other departments to do that assessment that's included in that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
