Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are around my Member’s statement in regard to working in conjunction with Government of the Northwest Territories departments and municipal governments to ensure that we are able to take advantage of federal program dollars, but, more importantly, to assist communities where they don’t have capacity by way of having the technical capacity of engineering technicians to basically deal with people that have planning backgrounds, regardless if it’s looking at the scope of work that has to be done, developing the proposals and whatnot.
So I’d like to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs exactly how can communities access these program dollars and get assistance from the GNWT, especially when you talk about positions such as the capital technician positions in the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, to work with communities to assist them whenever we develop these types of proposals to take advantage of federal funding. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is always willing to work with the communities and at the community’s request, we’ll go into the community and work with them in identifying some of their projects, and some of the financing options, and some of the technical options that are available to them. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what is the process for a community to access these individuals, the people in the department, so that they can come into the communities, help them develop these proposals, take a look at the problem, regardless if it’s shoreline erosion or structural challenges that we’re facing, regardless if it’s permafrost or dealing with those systems in our communities. I’d like to ask the Minister what’s the process a community has to access these individuals in the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, the community would make a request to the department and just ask them to come in and work with them. Once they’re there, they’ll assist them in working on a proposal for the community and possibility a scope of work if it’s within their technical expertise. They’d be willing to assist them in financing options and just getting their proposal put together so it’s ready to go if any funding pots become available. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, one thing that we found with a lot of the federal funding is they’re time sensitive in which you, basically, have to have what they call shovel ready projects, and again, because of the short time frame that we’re looking at, that we have to be able to streamline the process so that we’re able to take advantage of these timelines. So I’d just like to ask the Minister again, exactly who is the contact person that these communities should call? Should they call the regional superintendent or call the Minister’s office, call the deputy Minister’s office? Who is the person that’s at the front line that they should first make contact with?
Mr. Speaker, the people would contact the regional superintendents of MACA in the five regions that are out there. They, in turn, will discuss with their staff and see who would be going into the community to assist the community with their proposal. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, I’ve phrased this issue in this House in regard to the Aklavik situation in regard to the shoreline erosion that has basically come to the surface because of the inspection that was done by the community which realized that this project has to get some attention.
So I’d just like to ask the Minister here today if he can have someone go into Aklavik and assist them in regard to trying to pull this thing together. They’ve got numbers out there, they’ve provided some information to the different Ministers, myself, but, again, it’s not good enough. We have to do more to ensure that those reports are pretty detailed and they are able to pass the checkmark of meeting the federal government standards. So I’d just like to ask the Minister, can he give me assurances that we will have people in the community to assist on this particular project?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Member that I will pass that information on to the department and see if we could have somebody go into the community of Aklavik and work with them on their issue of the shoreline erosion. There is some historical data that they could probably use and help them put a proposal together so they have a proposal that’s ready to go, should some more funding become available.
There are always different pots of money out there that we’re always attempting to access with the federal government, so if we have the proposal ready to go, that’s the first step and then should funding become available, we have something to submit immediately. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
