Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: NWT State of the Conservation Network 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Tabling of documents. Deputy Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to section 106(4) of the Legislative Assembly Executive Council Act, as Deputy Speaker, I wish to table the Report of the Northwest Territories Integrity Commissioner Dismissing the Complaint by Deneze Nakehk'o (Daniel Richards) about the Disclosure of Identifying Information about Him by the Honourable Shane Thompson, MLA for Nahendeh. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 17, Municipal and Community Affairs Statutes Amendments Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Pursuant to rule 8.2(3), Bill 17 is deemed to have first reading and is ready for second reading.
First reading of bills. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Partnership and Business Names Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister for Justice. Pursuant to rule 8.2(3), Bill 18 is deemed to have first reading and is ready for second reading.
I'd like to call committee to order. I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee would like to review the Supplemental Appropriation (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025. And Supplemental Appropriation (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025. Mr. Chair, I believe they're Tabled Documents 278 and 279. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Okay, thank you. We're going to take a short break and then we'll resume.
---SHORT RECESS
Order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Tabled Document 278-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, February 7, 2025.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 278-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025. Does the Minister of Finance have any opening remarks?
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Briefly, Mr. Chair, I am here to present Tabled Document 278-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025. This document proposes a total increase of $3.064 million comprised of the following items:
$2.551 million of funding to complete Phase 1 of the Prohibition Creek Access Road. This funding is partially offset by revenues received from the Government of Canada;
$1.17 million in transfers from the 2024-2025 operations appropriation to this infrastructure appropriation for the purchase of vehicles across multiple departments;
A decrease of $832,000 to reflect the changes in project timelines for the NWT courts modernization project;
A $250,000 transfer from Finance to Heath and Social Services to undertake the MediPatient project; and,
$175,000 funding for the professional licensing project with the National Registry of Physicians. This funding is fully offset by revenues received from the Government of Canada.
That concludes opening remarks. I would be happy to answer questions, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring in witnesses forward?
Yes, please, Mr. Chair.
Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.
Thank you. Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, on my left, deputy minister of finance Bill MacKay; and on my right, Mandi Bolstad, the deputy secretary to the financial management board.
Thank you. I will now open the floor for general comments. Is there any general comments? Seeing no further general comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in tabled documents?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will begin on page 5 with the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Environment and Climate Change, operations expenditures, policies and strategic planning, not previously authorized, $83,000. Are there any questions?
Seeing no further questions. Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Environment and Climate Change, operations expenditures, policy and strategic planning, not previously authorized, $83,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Environment and Climate Change, operations expenditures, total department not previously authorized, $83,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now consider the Department of Finance on page 6. Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Finance, capital investment expenditures, Office of the Chief Information Officer, not previously authorized, negative $1,082,000. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Finance, capital investment expenditures, Office of the Chief Information Officer, not previously authorized, negative $1,082,000. Does the committee agree.
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Finance, capital investment expenditures, total department not previously authorized, negative $1,082,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now consider the Department of Health and Social Services on page 7.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, administrative and support services, not previously authorized, $250,000. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, administrative and support services, not previously authorized, $250,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, health and social services programs, not previously authorized, $607,000. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, health and social services programs, not previously authorized, $607,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, total department not previously authorized, $857,000. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, total department not previously authorized, $857,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now consider the Department of Infrastructure on page 8.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, Department of Infrastructure, capital investment expenditures, assets management, not previously authorized, $3,086,000. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Could the Minister please explain how much of this expenditure for the Prohibition Creek Access Road is offset by the Government of Canada? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this is a 75/25 or 75 percent/25 percent cost share project, so $1.913 million is offset by revenues from the Government of Canada. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.
Thank you. Any further questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we see throughout these appropriations that there's funding in there for vehicles, and I understand that some of this funding has been transferred either from deletions throughout the budget or is offset by some potential from some funding from other sources. I guess my question is just for clarify. Typically when the capital budgets come through, you would think that departments would be budgeting for vehicles and not seeing them come back in an appropriation. I'm wondering if the Minister can kind of give an overview of why vehicles come through an appropriation and not budgeted during capital budget process. Thank you.
