Thank you, Member. Department of Environment and Climate Change, environmental management, monitoring and climate change, infrastructure investments, $315,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Please turn now to page 27 for regional operations with information items on page 28. Department of Environment and Climate Change, regional operations, infrastructure investments, $225,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. You can now turn to page 28 for wildlife and forest management with information items on page 29 to 32. Department of Environment and Climate Change, wildlife and forest management, infrastructure investments, $20,538,000. Does committee agree? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I just have a couple questions about this section. But I figured I should start off by thanking Dr. Kelly for her service during this absolutely insane wildfire season, so thank you very much.
My first question is in regards to the fact that these capital estimates are generally developed by departments well in advance, and I think they're done in, like, April or May if I'm right. I might be wrong on that one. But they're done they're not done in the middle of summer. And so I'm wondering if based on our wildfire season if the department sees any of this changing because there's a lot here that refers to helibased locations and whatnot. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, no, the current capital estimates are still the current capital estimates. So there's no change to what's before the House now with respect to or as a result of this wildfire season. You know, again, as I'd indicated, if there was to be changes coming, that would be in a future capital plan. But the yeah, I mean, the materials and the information that's before you here, there is already or quite a bit of investment into the area. So nothing contemplated to change in these capital plans. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm also seeing in this capital acquisition plan points for or calls for things like dual seat firebosses, which is an aircraft. It calls for fire engine types, and looking at the summer we just had and the incredible support that we had from other places both nationally and internationally, I'm wondering if these are items that the GNWT also loans out or rents out to other places down south, or if we also send our crews south as well, looking at the support that we had here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
The short answer is yes, Madam Chair. I think there's a fairly good network around Canada between different jurisdictions, depending on the needs of any particular wildfire season or at any particular point within the wildfire season. Thank you.
Thank you. Department of Environment and Climate Change, wildlife and forest management, infrastructure investments, $20,538,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Members, please return now to the departmental summary found on page 23.
Department of Environment and Climate Change, 20242025 Capital Estimates, $21,078,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Environment and Climate Change is now complete?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Committee, we will now be considering the Department of Finance. Did you wish to change your witnesses?
Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witness from the Chamber. All right. Welcome back, Ms. Melanson. We will now consider the Department of Finance which begins on page 33. We will defer the department totals and review the estimates by activity summary beginning on page 34 with Management Board Secretariat with information items on page 35. Are there any questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So is there anyone else bringing money into this fibre link to Tuk? Is there any other outside funding? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, Madam Chair, the federal government is a fairly significant partner in this project. I believe that we are still sitting at approximately 75/25 percent on this, but let me just pause to the deputy minister to see if I'm correct. I'm correct with that.
Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks. If I remember correctly, though, I think I've seen this now over two or three different capital budgets. Has this work actually started and when is it going to finish? Thanks.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, Madam Chair, we are the contemplation is that this would follow the transportation utility of the Tuk Highway. So, but, which took, you know, some time to finish that, and now to be ready for it, I gather we are now at a point where they are doing the environmental assessments and we'll be prepared to submit that to then have the project move forward. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay. So the work hasn't actually started, I think is what I heard. Who's going to own this thing at the end of the day? Thanks.
Thank you. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It's an extension of the Mackenzie Valley fibre line. So it will be a GNWT asset. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, but this is part of the overall P3 approach on this thing. So NorthwesTel's building the thing for us or something and going to operate it for 30 years or whatever, and then we're left with it afterwards, is that how this works? And maybe I'm, you know but I'll yeah, I'd like to hear what the Minister has to say. Thanks.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the one this part is owned by the GNWT and not being constructed by NorthwesTel. So it's separate from the other portion of the Mackenzie Valley fibre line. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks. I'm actually glad to hear that. So is this actually going to be taking fibre into people's houses or, you know, the edge of their lots, or is this just into some place in the middle of the community? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the Member's asking if there's a point of presence, and that is that's what there will be. There will be a point of presence into the community. Fibre into the home is provided by a certain internet service provider which would be, for example NorthwesTel, but there are other internet service providers and particularly in the Beaufort Delta area. But once they have the point of presence, they can then take that fibre into a home. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks. I guess maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but has that party been identified, and are we facilitating that in any way? Thanks.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. What I was hoping to find quickly is that I know that NorthwesTel was under an obligation to the CRTC in order to provide fibre to the home and have been providing updates of the progress on that project now for some time. I don't on my fingertips know where whether they are under the same obligation for this stretch. I anticipate that they may be. I'll commit to find that, Madam Chair. I don't I don't see it here on the list of communities that NorthwesTel is obligated under. So they may not oh no, Madam Chair, I take that back. They are on the list of upcoming communities that NorthwesTel has on their every community project, which I think would support greater connectivity. The details of that would be with NorthwesTel, not mine though. Thank you.
Member for Frame Lake.
Yeah, okay. Yeah, I'm kind of just in this because I don't think the promise of the Mackenzie Valley fibre link really panned out because, you know, when it was sold to MLAs, and I wasn't here, the idea was that this was going to lead to a faster, more affordable, more accessible internet. I don't think it's actually done that in some cases for some of the communities along the route. So it sounds like this Tuk is going to be done a little bit differently, or is some magic pot of money that's going to make this happen, is that the case? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there would be no fibre to the home in any of the communities along the Mackenzie Valley fibre line but for the existence of the Mackenzie Valley fibre line. And then Tuktoyaktuk will be in the same position, that once the fibre does reach the community, the what again, I can't speak for CRTC, nor for Northwestel, but my understanding of the expectation between those two parties is that this is a service that NorthwesTel is responsible for, that they've committed to 50/10 for all communities and, indeed, have, I think, delivered a majority of the communities at this point, particularly along the fibre line but also in some of the South Slave communities.
So I can certainly get that and have an update for Members from Northwestel and ask them to provide that directly as to what they've done but, again, without the fibre line to begin with they wouldn't have been able to accomplish what they have. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Yeah, thanks. I would appreciate the update. Look, I get that this is kind of the backbone thing, but when the project was sold, it was that people were going to get faster, cheaper internet in their homes, and I don't think that that's actually happened in some of the communities. So anything we can do to help make that happen, great. Because it I don't think it's really panned out the way that it was sold, so. And I'll just leave it at that. Thanks, Madam Chair.
