Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the ENR Minister. There are no clauses in the wildlife business regulations citing confidentiality requirements for outfitter licenses.
Can the Minister explain this rationale and identify where the department is bound by confidentiality on this matter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I have told the Member in the email, it's a privacy issue. We reached out to Justice and we got the information that way. So we can't be sharing that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, has the Department of ENR ever suspended an outfitting license because of inactivity? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For that detail, I'll have to get back to the Member. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain what ENR's rationale is with issuing an outfitters license to a local harvesting committee but not issue the license directly to an Indigenous NWT resident? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's seven licenses and then there's ten. So there's seven licenses we give out, then the local harvesting committee there's ten. So they can reach out to the local harvesting committee and get the license or apply through it that way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit that ENR will examine the wildlife business regulations and provide more clarity around the areas I've identified today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No. Mr. Speaker, we've been looking at this. We look at it all the time. So are we going to spend a lot of time going through the regulations that we've already developed and looked at? No. We have other issues that we got to deal with right now. But thanks to the Member bringing it toward. We have been looking at this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, if there are plans around costs and construction, why haven't they been provided to the Regular MLAs, and can the Minister commit to sharing them with us? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department originally applied for the Frank Channel Bridge, I want to say about $40 million, and now we've gone back to the feds asking for additional 15. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, can we have the cost and detail. Can we have the detail as to the cost of the construction instead of just telling us so then we have a better understanding of what's delaying this Frank Channel Bridge. It's affecting everybody in my region so that's why I just want to have the detail.
But another question that I have, Mr. Speaker, thank you I hope she will answer that too as well. Can the Minister describe the structure, the integrity of the Frank Channel Bridge? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this Frank Channel Bridge is a critical piece of the national highway system, which is maintaining the north/south trade to ensure we have safe, reliable transportation between the communities.
Mr. Speaker, the details on the funding have yet to be determined. I don't know if we, as a government, share all the details on all our costs. It defeats the purpose of having some of the procurement progress on these projects so I don't believe we can share all the details. I can find out and get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I did ask the Minister for an update previously, and I didn't get the answer yet but it would be nice.
Will the Minister commit to provide me with an update on the condition of the Frank Channel Bridge and the financial aspect too? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our bridge, we review them annually. You know, in terms of the condition of it, if we're able to share it absolutely. This is information that the Member should know as it pertains to her riding. So if we're able to share some of the details on the review of the bridge, absolutely. And I forget her other question. But that's I'll answer that one for now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next time the Minister comes to inspect the bridge with their engineer, can they invite the Regular MLAs some of the Regular MLAs and the local leaders as well? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that's a great idea. I mean, we're looking at replacing the bridge and to be able to see the conditions of the existing bridge. I'm not sure when the annual inspections for the bridge are. I want to say in the summer. We go out and inspect the bridges across the Territories to ensure that they're safe. And I think the Frank Channel Bridge, if Members and leaders want to come and inspect with the department, then we can see what we can do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've asked this as a written question before and didn't get an answer, but I think the Minister's going to answer it this time.
My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Everyone has acknowledged that there is a municipal infrastructure gap; however, the most recent numbers that are publicly available on the size of that gap are from 2014. My question is, can the Minister provide an updated analysis of the municipal infrastructure gap, and the year in which it was completed, as follows:
What is the current gap by community;
What is the current municipal infrastructure gap by community as it relates to operations and maintenance funding;
What is the current municipal infrastructure gap by community as it applies to water and sewer funding, or as it is now called, environmental funding; and.
What is the current municipal infrastructure gap by community as it applies to capital funding, or as it is now called, CPI and Gas Tax.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Written questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've also asked these ones and didn't get an answer but I'm feeling lucky.
Payments for leased space:
The Government of the Northwest Territories is one of the largest tenants in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister provide lease fees paid by the Government of the Northwest Territories to the following companies, broken down by individual lease and building space, for the last ten years as follows:
All lease payments made to Northview Canadian High Yield Residential Fund (Northview) and its predecessor companies, broken down both by residential leases and commercial leases per year;
All lease payments made to KingSett Capital, which is the coowner of Northview Canadian High Yield Residential Fund, for the last ten years and broken down by residential and commercial leases per year;
The total of future lease commitments to the above companies and the expiration date of each of those leases;
A clear breakdown of how each of the leases were tendered and in what year they went out for public competition, if at all.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Aurora College Annual Report 20212022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Tabling of documents. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a copy of Bill 7, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, from the sixth session of the 15th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. The committee wishes to deal with Bill 62 and Committee Report 3919(2). Mahsi.
Thank you. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We'll take a short recess and resume with the first item.
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I will now call committee back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act. I will ask the Minister of Finance to introduce the bill.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am here to present Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2.
The main purpose of Bill 62 is to make various legislative retroactive housekeeping measures to the territorial income tax legislation to comply with the CanadaNorthwest Territories Tax Collection Agreement. These amendments keep territorial legislation current and harmonized with the federal income tax legislation. Specifically, the proposed changes include:
Remove a reference to a repealed federal provision about an option for trusts to pay tax;
Exclude a reference to the federal COVID19 relief measures for an additional GST/HST payment;
Exclude a reference to the federal temporary wage subsidy under COVID19 relief measures;
Include special federal rules for determining the Northwest Territories Child Benefit as part of COVID19 relief measures;
Include a reference to the federal special rule for the disability supports deduction as part of COVID19 relief measures;
Align the Northwest Territories Act with the federal administrative rules in compliance with the CanadaNorthwest Territories Tax Collection Agreement;
Include a reference to federal rules on evidence for notices sent to persons in compliance with the CanadaNorthwest Territories Tax Collection Agreement;
Include a reference to federal provisions relating to certain allowed or disallowed deductions in the calculation of the federal foreign tax credit; and,
Remove ambiguity in certain terms relating to tax on split income for multijurisdictional tax filers.
Bill 62 also includes an amendment to allow the Canada Revenue Agency to share Northwest Territoriesspecific taxpayer data with Finance Canada. Sharing this data with Finance Canada assists in designing tax policy, and it benefits the GNWT as it allows Finance Canada to provide a more detailed analysis of the implications of federal tax measures on the territorial tax system. The Canada Revenue Agency has a number of stringent security agreements in place to safeguard Northwest Territories taxpayer data from being used inappropriately. That concludes my opening remarks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Yes, Madam Chair.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Thank you. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, on my right I have Kelly Bluck, who is director of fiscal policy within the Department of Finance, and on my left I have Christina Duffy, who is legislative director.
Thank you, and welcome. I will now turn to the chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, the committee that reviewed the bill, for any opening comments on Bill 62. MLA Johnson.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 2nd, 2022, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review.
On January 18th, 2023, the standing committee held a public hearing and completed its clause by clause review with the Minister of Finance I believe. The committee received no submissions on this bill. I thank the committee for reviewing this legislation. Individual Members may have additional comments. Thank you.
Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 62. Member for Frame Lake.
