Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that's the intent. I mean, we have a 2030 Energy Strategy that we have to meet. We have targets. We have action plans every three years we look at and, you know, determine what do we need to do within some of our energy infrastructure projects. So that is something we are looking at going forward. So I take that as a comment, and I appreciate the Member's concern that we need to be able to move to more greener energy. Thanks.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
I just want to thank Madam Chair, I just want to thank the Minister for her comments. I'm a big supporter of the Taltson expansion in the South Slave because it's good energy and it's going to be shared with also the residents of Yellowknife and other communities, and I look forward to a successful project. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And I appreciate the Member's concern and support as well because that's really important as we push some of our projects going forward, to be able to get the support from the MLAs to help us work with Indigenous groups is key in being able to push these forward. And I do want to make a comment. Perhaps I didn't answer the earlier question but, you know, one of the Members mention that we did an MOU signing with one of the mines. So I mean, that's a great start going forward, to be able to work and capitalize on some of the work that we have for the Taltson. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
No more questions, Madam Chair.
Are there any further questions under infrastructure, energy and strategy initiatives? Seeing none, committee, please turn to or sorry. Infrastructure, energy and strategic initiatives, infrastructure investment, $62,213,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, please turn to page 58, programs and services, with information items on page 59. Minister, did you wish to switch out our witnesses for the next section?
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witness and bring in the new witness. Thank you.
Please introduce your witness.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Still with me today is my deputy minister Steve Loutitt, and Delia Chesworth who is assistant deputy minister for programs and services for this section. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Okay. So Members, Infrastructure, programs and services, infrastructure investments $50,057,000. Are there any questions, comments? Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I see that there's, under the technology service centre, there's a replacement of our capital service network and storage infrastructure. Would someone be able to tell me the estimated cost of that replacement?
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm going to have Delia speak to the technology service centre in the evergreen. So thank you.
Thank you. ADM Chesworth.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The work that is being done to evergreen the technology service centre is to replace infrastructure on a cyclical basis. Approximately onesixth of our infrastructure is replaced on an annual basis with capital improvements to that infrastructure.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I'm looking at page 58, and I see information technology projects is $2.5 million. So can I just clarify that we spend $2.5 million a year evergreening our current TSC servers, networks, and storage infrastructure? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we're going to have to get back to the Member on that. I would hate to be quoted on an exact number without further looking into the details on that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I guess, well I would like to know how much we actually spend on our server infrastructure. I believe it's something actually higher than $2.5 million, and if not, tens of millions to replace it. But the whole point of this was leading to a question of I was wondering if the GNWT has looked into any cloudbased computing. I know that the federal government now has a cloudfirst policy after the Treasury Board did an analysis and said that, you know, getting rid of their physical servers and switching to a cloudbased model would save them tens of millions of dollars. A lot of governments are going in this direction. It's a lot cheaper. I know there is security concerns, and you have to find a company that servers are in Canada. But I'm just wondering if any analysis is done on the millions of dollars we spend a year on physical servers to make a switch over to cloud. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm going to ask Ms. Chesworth if she can respond. Thanks.
Thank you. ADM Chesworth.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, we do continue to look at new technologies continuously, including the cloud, to see what option it is we have. We do need to work in very close concert with our colleagues in the Department of Finance and the Office of the CIO there, due to the security requirements. So it's a partnership that we work handinhand with the Department of Finance. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, and I have raised this with the office of the chief information officer, and I know they're looking into it. And if the lines get blurred, I know as Health goes out and obtains new software, it may or may not be served on our physical servers, or it may be the lines get blurred yet we spend tens of millions of dollars in this area. I guess my next question is considering the money that Infrastructure spends every year on what I consider IT, or what is actually labelled IT, has there been further consideration about whether this should be rolled into Finance? It seems that the overlap between ISSS and the chief information officer just gets more and more every single year and, yeah, I'm wondering if those conversations are happening, whether the TSC is best suited with ISSS? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, it's a discussion that the wholeofgovernment would take, would have that discussion and make those decisions. It's not, you know, up to me as Minister of Infrastructure who's responsible for technology shared services and Minister of Finance. But, I mean, it's a wholeofgovernment approach. It would need to be we'd need to have further discussions. So no, I don't think Minister of Finance would like anything further added to her portfolio. I can't speak for her but I would expect not. So, you know, we're not at that discussion yet. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you. And I guess I'll just one last question about the $2.5 million under information technology projects here. So is the current split of when I see something in Finance and when I see something in Infrastructure just a hardwaresoftware split? Is it all of does Infrastructure ever have software show up in this IT budget line or would this well, yeah, I guess the Minister's going to get back to me whether this is all evergreening or current physical infrastructure. But is that the general split, that you guys get the hardware and they get the software? Is that what's happening with this money? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Madam Chair, I think the Member answered his own question. Yes, we do look after the hardware. So it would be yes. Thanks.
Thank you. Are there any further questions, comments, under programs and services? Seeing none, Infrastructure, programs and services, infrastructure investments, $50,057,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, Members. Please return now to the departmental summary found at page 52. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that this commit defer further consideration of the estimates for the Department of Infrastructure at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? Motion is carried. Thank you, committee.
Carried
Is the committee prepared to move on to the next department?
Agreed
Thank you, committee, and thank you to the Minister. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
Committee, we will now consider the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Committee, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is included in the capital estimates as an information item, and the totals are not voteable. We will continue to review these estimates as we have for the previous considered departments; however, we will not vote on the totals. If Members have comments or questions, they can be raised at the appropriate time. Does the Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation wish to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Yes, I do.
Thank you. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witness to the Chamber.
Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to introduce or welcome president Young and also vicepresident Jim Martin. Thank you.
