Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member has asked for a recorded vote. All those in favour?
Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Moses, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Blake, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Bouchard, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins.
In favour, 18; zero opposed; zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
---Applause
Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.
Mr. Chair, this motion talks about taking $114,000 from this activity and saying we will buy it ourselves within government. Take it from this pot and we’ll take it from the Right from the Start pot. Because of our philosophical and political issues, we say we don’t want to say to the corporate world thank you but we’ll fund it ourselves, we have enough money. Mahsi, but that’s okay. That’s what it’s saying, because of the philosophical issues of how we see the corporate social responsibility what they’re doing and because we need some more discussions as to government has always been receiving corporate donations through many, many forums, the federal government, the provincial governments, all three of our territorial government. Even with the Aboriginal governments, we’ve always had that type of request donations.
Now, this is kicking it up to another level that I don’t want to be involved in for the discussions. I’m not interested. I’m saying mahsi cho, because they always say…[English translation not provided]… I got no money. I want to just say that the branding and the screen time might be an issue, but this motion here is saying it’s rejecting the funds. That’s what it’s saying. Take it out of another one. All the other issues around us, it’s a big story, and I’m not going to accept this or support this motion because it’s going to have some other consequences. My people are hungry for this kind of information, and I’m getting hungry, so I’m going to close it there. I’m going to ask for a recorded vote on this one here.
Question has been called. The Members have asked for a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.
Mr. Bromley.
All those opposed, please stand.
Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Moses.
All those abstaining, please stand.
Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you. One in favour, 14 opposed and one abstention. The motion is defeated.
---Defeated
Committee, we’ll take a short break and continue on.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Committee, we are on page 12 of the Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2014-2015. When we went for the break, we just finished a motion. I’m going to continue on this, and if there are any questions, please let me know.
Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, directorate and administration, not previously authorized, $1.378 million; education and culture, not previously authorized, negative $1.899 million. Total department, not previously authorized, negative $521,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Page 13, Transportation, operations expenditures, corporate services, not previously authorized, $349,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $349,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Page 14, Industry, Tourism and Investment, operations expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized, $120,000; minerals and petroleum resources, not previously authorized, $250,000; energy, not previously authorized, negative $800,000. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To provide for the transitional allowances for eligible devolved employees, could I just have a brief explanation of what that is? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We’ll go to Minister Miltenberger. Actually, we’ll go to Mr. Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As part of the Devolution Agreement and taking on the employees that were transferred over from the federal government, there was, in certain cases, a gap in the amount of pay the government was paying them and the amount of pay the employees were earning with the feds. As part of the agreement, the government agreed to pay a transitional allowance to pick up that difference for a period of, I think, five years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Is this something that is payable to the employee immediately for the year sort of thing or is it paid out over the course of the year? Thanks.
Transitional allowances are paid on the first day of the month following April 1st and then are paid in a lump sum after that. Thank you.
So, could an employee that just stayed for a short time get a whole year’s benefit? Thank you.
I will have to get back to the Member on that. I’m not quite sure I know the answer to that.
Thanks for that. I would also appreciate information on how many, if any, employees did leave within a short time of receiving that allowance. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’ll take that more as a comment, unless the Minister wants to respond. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’ll provide that information for the Member.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Bromley.
Thanks.
Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, operations expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized, $120,000; minerals and petroleum resources, not previously authorized, $250,000; energy, not previously authorized, negative $800,000. Total department, not previously authorized, negative $430,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We’re on page 15, Environment and Natural Resources, operations expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized, $91,000; environment, not previously authorized, $500,000, forest management, not previously authorized. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you. Just a request of the Minister, Mr. Chair, on the evaluation and the success of these energy programs. I would like to know about the Sahtu assessment and how these programs went into our communities. If he could provide me with a written document on these programs that went into the communities, specifically the hot water heater program and any other programs under this initiative that had some impacts in the Sahtu region. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We don’t have region-specific information, but I will provide that information to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Committee, we’re on Environment and Natural Resources. We’ll continue with Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question under the water resources section. There’s a fairly large increase here for the operations of the Taiga Environmental Lab. Could I get an explanation of why the increase? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There’s going to be revenue generated out of this. The four employees that were there weren’t government employees, weren’t federal government employees, if my memory serves me correctly, and we brought them into the fold, but they’ve been operating on an equivalent amount of revenue from third-party sources. I’ll ask Mr. Aumond if he wants to add anything further and, if I’ve strayed, to make sure that we get it right.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there was a private company that used to perform operations at the Taiga lab and they used to employ four individuals, as the Minister has stated. Then they would collect the revenues to offset their costs. The intention now is to not use the private contractor. They were unable to come to an agreement to continue that service. So the department now will operate the lab, like the Minister said. So some increased costs, but it will be totally offset by revenues. So no incremental cost to the government for this expense. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the Minister and staff for that. So this was only a portion of the operation of the lab. So the private sector was offset totally by revenue, if I heard that. So then we have a corresponding… I think it’s 50 percent of the costs of the lab that we are paying for, or is there revenue to offset our portion of costs as well? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The indication we have is that the lab has generated about $600,000 a year in revenue and that’s all we have listed as revenue. I’ll ask Mr. Aumond if he has anything further to add.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Committee, we’re on page 15, Environment and Natural Resources, operations expenditures. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The issue here is a comment that was made by an elder in Fort Good Hope that was hoping that sometime in the future I would make a request here that the department considers looking at setting up a lab in the Sahtu, given the issues that we’re faced with today and the environmental, especially with the water issue just recently with Imperial Oil. So, Imperial Oil seeking a water licence in the amount of reusable water that’s going back into the Mackenzie River and that the elder in Fort Good Hope strongly commented to me how we would like to see a laboratory in the Sahtu. I’m not too sure where that will be brought up or discussed within the plans of the government, but it’s something that he seriously told me to raise with the Assembly and I’m raising it now. So more of a request to the department.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Miltenberger.
