Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And I apologize if this has already been asked. Just in the conservation planning piece, and noting that we are seeing money kind of returning but I'm assuming, again, probably the 20212022 had to do with COVID, are we looking to create newer or more protected areas? Is that what this work is being done for? Are we looking to see new parks coming in the future such as Thaidene Nene? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
So that there is part of our Healthy Lands, Healthy People part two. So there is other protected areas that we're talking about. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can the Minister or the department give me an idea of which areas those are in. Is that something that there's maybe one in one area, or is it sort of spread across the territory? I guess I'm just trying to get a feel for how much is happening in this area. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So a lot of those that are in there are carryovers from the previous version. So Dinaga Wek'ehodi, some of the areas in the Deh Cho for example. There are through the PFP conversations, there are conversations about areas of interest that we're committing to engage and talk to folks about. And the creation of Indigenous protected and conserved areas, which are not the same as protected areas and other conservation type designations but they're not all protected areas. Many are Indigenous protected and conserved areas that Indigenous governments are interested in. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So then the deputy minister did answer a bit of my next question, but just to confirm then. If they're in an Indigenous protected area, that still allows for Indigenous people to explore and look for mineral development in those areas as well or whatever economic future they would like to see; is that correct, Madam Chair?
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you. And perhaps I should have just done one of those. They all seem to be nodding so I think I'm right in that one. So, again, I'll just reiterate what my colleague said around more money in this area would be great. I know we have lots of conversations going on between committee and Cabinet around this. But, yes, anything where we can put more money into the hands of people to go out and be on the land in whatever form or shape they want to be, I think that's great. So more of a comment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Are there any further comments, questions under policy and strategic planning? Seeing none, please turn to page 87. Environment and Climate Change, policy and strategic planning, operation expenditure summary, 20232024 Main Estimates, $13,058,000. Does committee agree? Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'd like to switch. Bring in Dr. Brett Elkin. Or sorry, Blair Chapman.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witness from the Chamber and bring in the new witness.
Thank you. Minister, will you please introduce your witness for the record.
Thank you. Blair Chapman. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. All right, so committee, we will now look at regional operations beginning on page 92, with information items on page 93. Questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So is this just kind of moving over the regional operations that used to be in the Department of Lands and creating a division, or whatever, within the new department; no other changes, is that's what's happening here? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister because there's a little bit more to the answer. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Dr. Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So I mentioned a little bit earlier that Lands and ENR dealt with regional funds differently. This right now is regional operations, and it will have the ENR regional operations in it. But the way that ENR did their main estimates before the regional piece was part of, for example water, or part of wildlife, and we need to do the work through optimization to pull out the funding that is going specifically to the regions and put it in here. So this will ultimately become regional operations for the whole new department but right now for this main estimates, it's the Lands funding and we need to do the work through optimization to add in the ENR regional ops funding, which currently is in the individual sections that we've already been going through. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay. Thanks, Madam Chair. So that shuffling around of money, is that going to be done then through a supplementary appropriation, or do we get like one of these interactivity fund transfer letters? How is this going to be done as the department and the staff work through this optimization process. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
So it'll be through internal transfers. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks. And are those you know, we get these letters about interfund transfers from some Ministers usually kind of on the capital side, if I remember this correctly. So is there any kind of heads up to Regular MLAs about when it's on the O and M side, and how does the Minister tend to communicate that to the Regular MLAs? And I'm not saying every time you shift a dollar around, but having some kind of plan or, you know, when you figured it out, some communications with us, I think that would be helpful. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
So right now the process would be through the business plans, realizing that this is probably the last time that we're dealing with the budget this Assembly. But it's usually done through the business plan process and then mains. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks for that. Can I go get some kind of a commitment, though, from the Minister that when the department has figured this stuff out, this optimization stuff, you got some better org chart, you got figured out how you're going to realign some of this stuff, that there could be something wrapped up and sent to the Regular MLAs so we know what happened? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
So the process right now is we are looking at just transferring the money into that from the internal transfers. So as we move, we're transferring the money. So we can do a committee briefing should the Member wish. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks, Madam Chair. I think we'll have to put that one in the hopper.
So I understand, like lands has lands use inspectors; water has some water inspectors. Is everybody going to be like one happy family now and crossappointed, or how is all of this inspection stuff going to happen? Thanks, Madam Chair. And be coordinated. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There's ongoing discussions. There will be crossappointment most likely with the water resource officers, the lands inspectors, and environmental protection officers. But one of the concerns that has been brought forward by those folks is that we don't want super inspectors or those that also have wildlife forest management, other appointments. We want to make sure that the people are doing things that are related to the jobs that they're doing now. So we are still looking at that, and for sure there will be appointments that make sense for the inspectors and the water resource officers and the lands inspectors will be working very closely together. As for the additional appointments, we'll look at those on a casebycase basis depending on interest and also needs in the regions. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks. Yeah, it would probably be covered in the briefing I guess, but I'm interested in that area.
So I look at the, you know, budget line here on page 92, land regional operations, and there is a little bit of a decline there. It's increased from what was spent in 20212022. But I'm also cognisant that, you know, at least one diamond mine's going to start closing down. We've got another one that is in closure, Snap Lake. There's a lot at stake for our government because if anything goes off the rails, we're totally liable for that. I just want to get on the record that the Minister believes that we have sufficient resources to properly inspect these diamond mines as they're starting to close so that we don't incur any liabilities? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Yes, we do.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Well, I didn't expect such a short answer. Okay, great. I don't think I have anything further. Thanks, Madam Chair.
