Caroline Wawzonek
Deputy Premier
Statements in Debates
Thank you, Madam Chair. So we're hoping on there being just over a million dollars this year, and then increasing next year to over a $1.5 or $1.6, again depending on and subject to the amount of production that is available. Those revenues then offset the costs of running the plant. Certainly if production is higher, then there is more revenue that offsets further. And really can be hopefully a snowball approach, Madam Chair. There's more production, more fish for sale, more revenues, more fishers interested, the cost will the price of fish will go up as we're able to provide that supply to...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is an amount that's more in line with what historical amounts for a supplementary reserve would have been, although I think even then still perhaps a bit enhanced. The $65 million was a number that we added or increased supplementary reserve to during COVID when it was apparent that, and very obvious, all governments were facing significant and unexpected needs that were arising over the course of that period of time. Obviously with the end of COVID, it was hoped that we would not continue to require that level of increase to the supplementary reserve...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we are not expecting this to be an ongoing thing. This is really part of the transition now that there is well, hopefully soon to be the operational fish plant in Hay River, and over the next three years it will be transitioning to be a locally operated hopefully locally operated fish plant. But for now, we need to get it open and running. So unfortunately with the production in fish having gone down over the last five and so years, as a result of which there's a bit of a gap particularly in this first year in terms of what we're expecting in revenues...
Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, we have no, not this one, Madam Chair. Just one moment, or actually perhaps I will see if deputy minister or Mr. Courtoreille has it up in front of them.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the last four years have had nothing but unexpected emergencies so I'm a bit hesitant to make that promise. That said, that is exactly why we are going to try and hire more individuals, so they don't wind up in this situation as they were at that time back a year or so ago where the disproportionate number of vacancy rates led to the need to reduce services.
Avoiding a need to reduce services is, I know, a priority and so there's been a lot of money, as you would have seen, coming through both in terms the main estimates and supplementary estimates to...
I do, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't know that I have that here right now. I can certainly make an inquiry as to whether or not. But I yes, I think there's I think we probably have an estimate. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This program is now a policy of the GNWT, Mr. Speaker. Really, the conversation here began because we're cognizant that this is a community these are communities that have been under an evacuation now two years in a row. But in any event, that it's going to be available going forward.
As far as a difference between isolated versus non-isolated, again, Mr. Speaker, the emergency management process involves ensuring the availability of transport to any resident who is under an evacuation order. So just as there was busses available to support people who needed it coming...
Thank you, Madam Chair. So the price of fuel that was in the rate is $1. It is now market price, of course much higher at $1.50, which is roughly a 40 percent increase. And power generation for communities is exempt from the carbon tax application. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so just briefly, firstly, this is all available online if anyone wants to have a look at it if they're in a capacity to do that. But in short, anyone over the age of 17 who's been subject to an evacuation order of seven days or more and who has had some sort of income disruption or income loss as a result of that, they can apply. You don't have to have been evacuated. We certainly want to encourage people when they're under an evacuation order to please evacuate. It's not there for anything less than necessity. But also didn't want to exclude the fact that...