Minister for Environment and Climate Change, do you want to comment?
No comment at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Next, I'll go to Mackenzie Delta. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My question is in terms of water management and stewardship. It's very important for the Indigenous residents of the Northwest Territories to manage water and look after the water. So can you give me some details on where most of these stewardships are taking place. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'll pass to the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Deputy minister Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So definitely a number of activities in this space right across the territory. There's, you know, monitoring of transboundary water bodies. We do that on, you know, the Peel River, the Slave River, the Hay River, the Liard, a number of locations right across the territory. We've also got a community-based monitoring program working with communities to monitor a number of sites across the territory, and we've established, as I mentioned in a previous response, a number of transboundary water agreements and there's monitoring requirements with it. We could follow up with the Member with a -- if his interest is in monitoring locations, we could definitely provide a list of monitoring sites that we undertake across the territory. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That would sufficient, you know, if there's any water management and stewardships programs taking place within -- in the Mackenzie Delta riding area would be -- any other area where it'll have an impact on the communities would be good knowledge to have.
My next question is around climate change, community adaptation. What kind of projects are entailed in this program here? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that's included in risk and opportunities assessment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Mackenzie Delta.
That's all I have for now. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Okay, thank you. Next, I have Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My colleagues have done a fine job on asking most of the questions in this section, but I do have just a couple of high-level.
Just on the funding itself and I believe -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- that the Minister stated that in the climate change accumulative impacts and knowledge, the $8.3 million, $2.6 million of that is for the climate action plan. I guess my first question, and again, how much of that is federally funded and how much of that comes out of our coffers, Madam Chair?
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the entire $2.6 million is GNWT funded. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you. And the total $8.3 million climate change accumulative impacts and knowledge, is that also, then, the entire budget is GNWT funding?
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. No, Madam Chair, there's accumulative impacts monitoring money in there for $3.65 million. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you for that; I appreciate that answer. And you look at contract services, Madam Chair, $3.562 million in there, I'm not sure what level of detail the department has here with them today, but I'm just curious as to how much of those contracted services are done in the NWT versus consulting firms or firms outside the NWT. Thank you.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we don't -- I don't have that level of detail with me here today. I'm happy to follow up and provide that with the Member. But all of the spending does follow the business incentive plan policy. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you. Yeah, and I appreciate that, and I know the department does follow the business incentive policy; however, the business has to be here and be able to do this kind of work in order for them to qualify for that and if we don't have that expertise in our territory, obviously are we going outside to get it, and if we are, how much of that money we're spending outside. So I appreciate the Minister's response and look forward to getting that update at a later date. Other than that, Madam Chair, I have no further questions in this section. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister for Environment and Climate Change, would you like to comment?
No further comment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Next, I have Member for Monfwi.
Thank you. For the transboundary waters -- and I know that a lot of good questions was asked by Members. So I just wanted to ask the Minister how many active transwater boundary agreements we have in the NWT that's currently active with our neighboring territory and provinces? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Currently we have Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon. We're currently negotiating with Saskatchewan and in conversations with Nunavut. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you for the info. Water management and stewardship, my colleagues, they talked about it too as well, and we know that climate change, there is a reduction. I believe he said climate change preparedness program was sunsetted. Was that federal government funding? Thank you.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, Madam Chair, that was in Arcan funding for our flood mapping project. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Monfwi.
You know, climate change is not something new. It's been recognized by many of our elders in the past before, and it's been discussed over ten years now by a lot of our elders that are no longer here with us. So they've been talking about it for a long time because they've noticed changes from before where from 20, 30 years ago, it's not the same no more. That's what we heard many times by elders. So with that in mind, I just wanted to ask the Minister if -- I know that climate change preparedness program helped many of the communities, so is there any way that that program will be replaced for -- here, it says adaptation plan, it's low. So it there any way in the budget that this program can -- or is it going to be replaced with any other programs? Thank you.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'll pass to director St. Arnaud, please.
Director St. Arnaud.
Madam Chair, that adaptation plan that you see in the main estimates is only the contributions associated with the risk and opportunities assessment program. But we're currently in negotiations for another flood hazard mapping agreement, and that should be in place for 2025-2026. So in the next main estimates, you'll see it in the revised. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Monfwi.
Here I see water research and monitoring aquatics. Okay, the budget has not changed since 2023-2024 fiscal year, and it says it stays consistent all the way up to the next fiscal year. So I just wanted to ask the Minister if -- because it's -- if traditional knowledge are being used, especially with water research and monitoring and is the government -- Indigenous government or Indigenous organization are consulted as well? Because I know that as an Indigenous person, we heard it many times from my elders and other people talking saying that, you know, this is -- like, they love their land, they love their water, you know, and we heard it many times, even 50 years ago, you know, this is our land so we love our land. So I -- I just -- that's why I wanted to ask the Minister if traditional knowledge or if knowledge keepers are consulted, or are they using that to further their studies. Thank you.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, yes, certainly I think that that's very important as well. We use -- the community-based monitoring involves individuals, local groups, as well as organizations within the communities. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Monfwi.
We know what happened with forest fire 2023 and 2024. So climate change community adaptations, that too -- okay, 2023-2024 was low, and it's stayed consistent all the way. Why -- you know, like, and here we -- the Minister did a statement for ready for wildfires. Why this budget has not changed for the community -- for the community to deal with the climate change and adaptations? Thank you.
