Mahsi for that. Any further comments for the general comments section? Seeing no further general comments, we will proceed to a review of the supplementary estimates by department and activity. Committee, please turn to page 3 of the tabled document, Education, Culture and Employment.
Education, Culture and Employment, junior kindergarten to grade 12 school services, not previously authorized, $635,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Mahsi, committee. Education, Culture and Employment, labour development and advanced education, not previously authorized $6,939,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Mahsi, committee. Education, Culture and Employment, total department, operations expenditures, not previously authorized $7,574,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, please turn to pages 4 and 5 of the tabled document. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Environment and Natural Resources, environmental stewardship and climate change, not previously authorized, $150,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Environment and Natural Resources, forest management, not previously authorized $7,518,000. Does committee agree? Mr. Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see there's $5 million extra here for forest fire suppression. Can I just get confirmation what that brings the total forest fire cost to and whether this is the end of it. I know we were fighting fires very late this year. The sup sometimes takes some time so do we believe this is the end of extra money needed for forest fires this season? Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the total amount for this season is coming in at just over $24.7 million. So a little bit more than what is reflected here. That's the total budget including the base funding amounts that were for the department. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Johnson.
That's all.
Mahsi. Environment and Natural Resources, forest management not previously authorized $7,518,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Environment and Natural Resources, water management and monitoring not previously authorized, $325,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Environment and Natural Resources, wildlife and fish, not previously authorized, $1,622,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Mahsi, committee. Environment and Natural Resources, total department, operations expenditures, not previously authorized $10,215,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, please turn to page 6 of the tabled document, Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs.
Executive and Indigenous Affairs, directorate, not previously authorized, $381,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Mahsi, committee. Executive and Indigenous Affairs, total department, operations expenditures, not previously authorized, $381,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, please turn to page 7 of the tabled document, Department of Health and Social Services, health and social services administrative and support services, not previously authorized, $430,000. Does committee agree? Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just have a couple of questions. I'm wondering how quickly the labour market supplement will be provided to existing employees. Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm just trying to confirm with the deputy exactly what day the first payment will be made. I believe it is this month. I just don't know exactly on what day. The deputy minister might know.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We pay it on the regular pay cycle. So the next pay date in November is when we're expecting it to go out. Thank you.
Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not there are any anticipated expansions of the Labour Market Supplement Program? I know that many of us have heard from different constituents who feel that they have been or who have been cut out of the program and who have indicated that they may go to their deputy heads in regards to this. And I'm wondering if the Minister has any indication as to whether or not they've heard from different deputy heads or if there is a plan to expand the eligibility for this program within this fiscal year? Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I do sincerely hope that public servants don't feel left out. I know there are some and many that do. Mr. Chair, the labour market supplement, it is not a bonus. It was not COVID pay. It was not reflective of folks who I know were working on the front lines during COVID and were often working through very difficult circumstances through COVID. The labour market supplement flows from the labour market supplement policy that was developed to give some parameters in what is a very difficult labour market in all industries, in all professions across all of Canada, and to make sure that we had every possible available tool at our disposal to be able to recruit staff and retain staff in certain positions here in the Northwest Territories. So the policy is really focused on positions that are difficult to staff. And to get into the state of having a labour market supplement applicable meant that the department, in this case it was Health and Social Services that came forward, which, you know, really with the headlines that are coming from across Canada, that probably shouldn't be particularly striking that there are some positions within Health and Social Services that are in particular demand and very difficult postCOVID to be staffing. So they came forward first with their evidence and information about which positions would qualify under the policy for a labour market supplement. There was then the discussions that take place with the union to ensure that, you know, again this is a modification over the agreements that would otherwise normally be in place under a collective agreement, and the discussions that were had in the fall were really because both sides were coming to the table recognizing the urgency of the area.
The benefit to staff, Mr. Chair, is really that when there's more staff there on the floor and available, then that increases the number of people that hopefully decreases people being asked to do overtime, decreases hopefully the number of people that are running double shifts. And that should be hopefully a larger scale benefit. But, Mr. Chair, it's it is dependent, if there's going to be another labour market supplement, on another department coming forward and saying that they have that same level and need and meets the policy. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'm glad the Minister brought up additional staff. And it's my understanding that this line item also speaks to the hiring of additional staff. And I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to that item and how many people that might be, and we'll go from there. Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there is, indeed, some amount here for other recruitment and retention strategies. And that was, if you will recall, earlier before the labour impact supplement came out, a variety of strategies put forward by the Department of Health and Social Services and working with Department of Finance and human resources specialists about other options. So, for instance and I think this is what the question is. There's four employee onboarding specialists positions. That is really meant to be an opportunity to help new staff who come in understand relocation, understand getting settled. They are based two in Yellowknife, one in Hay River, one in Behchoko. It was in response to concerns raised within the Department of Health and Social Services that new and incoming staff, particularly those moving from somewhere else to a new community, with all of the demands of the position that they're in and all of the frontline needs that they have, were often not being really well brought into the service, really well brought into their community, and that this was becoming a significant issue on retention. And so it was considered to be an area that could directly benefit keeping folks available and really recruiting people in who could feel welcome and immediately integrate well into the service. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Minister also brought up the huge quantity of overtime that nurses are doing and healthcare professionals are doing and how reducing that really is going to be a mechanism to retain staff so they do have that worklife balance and are able to, you know, really work in safe working environments. And so I'm wondering if a future supplementary appropriation will include bursary programs essentially for education in return for service within the public service so that we can really create our own nursing pool and then create our own pool of people that are doing return for or return of service for education. Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was listening earlier during question period when those questions were put to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I am in no better position to answer them than what she was at that time. So I think I'll just defer to another round of questioning at another time perhaps. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Tomorrow is a new day. Mr. Chair, my next question is one of the things that was pointed out after the labour market supplement was announced within NTHSSA is that the Hay River health authority falls out of that. So should the Hay River health authority move forward? Are we to expect an additional supplementary appropriation, or how will that work? Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, yes, they are, as I understand, still in bargaining. So, again, I do want to be cautious in speaking about anything that's happening in bargaining. I would not want ever to be a sense that we are, you know, trying to assume the outcomes of a process that has a proper process to be followed. Now, I do think it's probably fairly expected, given some of the public statements that were made by the parties, that there is likely to be some amount. Now, as to whether or not it has to come back through an appropriation or not will depend on what the final amounts are. If there is a need to appropriate further dollars for Hay River Health and Social Services Authority through the Department of Health and Social Services, yes, it comes back as a sup. If the amounts given that it's a smaller authority, are of a nature that they can be internalized within the department, then it wouldn't come back as a sup. But that's unfortunately, at this point, I wouldn't I can't I can't finally predict that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no more questions at this time.
