Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to focus a little bit about decentralization and moving jobs to the communities as laid out in the Minister’s budget speech. That’s a key part of devolution. He’s talking about phase 1 and phase 2. Perhaps I’ll just ask on phase 1. What is being planned for phase 1 right now? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Phase 1 was completed last year and we laid it out in the budget last year. Phase 2 speaks to some of the things we are looking at in the more immediate term in terms of devolution and reorganization, the lands, departments being set up in the regional centres and those types of things. Then as we look at our devolution and post-devolution organizational structures and then the longer-term phase 3 is going to be a bit more in-depth as we look at some of the things that are once again impediments to moving positions outside of Yellowknife, which the two main ones would be office space and availability of housing. Then looking at what distinct, discreet functions of government would make sense in an operational sense about where…(inaudible)…located outside of Yellowknife.
I was just wondering: has the department or does government have a rough idea about what regions may be getting jobs? I know that office space is an issue, and housing, but we’ve got a little bit of an infrastructure plan with housing. I’m not too sure about the office, but have they got a sense of what regions will benefit from these 50 positions?
The housing piece, the $22 million that is going to small communities, the actual location has yet to be determined, and of course, we’re doing some of the initial planning subject to approval in this House. The office space requirements, we’re looking at some communities where it seemed to be an issue, and as well, some communities may have other housing challenges, like the small communities, so that’s being looked at as well. We do know through our current process that’s now before this House, there are structural changes coming with the new departments. For example, we talked about, in the budget speech, a Lands department being set up in every regional centre. That’s underway as well.
I guess my experience has been that often when we’ve got lack of housing issues, some of those government department jobs do get sent to bigger, larger centres, and they often stay there only because citing, of course, that there’s no housing.
Is there a strategy in place where the new recruits, or whoever is being hired, are advised that at some future point they will be relocating to the regions and communities?
Where there are no incumbents, that is not an issue of concern. Where we are taking over responsibility with incumbents, there is a two year, I believe it is, guarantee of job certainty in the position in the community where they currently are, which in this case would be Yellowknife. After that, the opportunities for longer-term planning would kick in and potential decentralization opportunities may flow.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad for that answer, but I guess the key thing is that, well, just in the newspaper, as well, is that a lot of our regions and communities, it’s government jobs that is our sector only because of lack of industry at this point in time.
Once again, when will the government be deciding on which region, what kind of breakdown will these 50 jobs be slated for?
There is some certainty in regards to the Lands department and those kind of organizational changes where there’s going to be a Lands department in each regional centre. Those decisions are there. Some of the other components that may be decentralized, we’re still looking at what makes the most sense and what is available in terms of capacity in communities to absorb potential positions, and that will be happening over the next few months.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
