At this time I’ll ask if the Minister responsible for the Interim Appropriation Act, 2008-2009, will be bringing any witnesses.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Does the committee agree that the Minister brings his witnesses?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms escorted the Minister’s witnesses into the Chamber.
For the record, Mr. Minister, could you introduce your witnesses?
Yes, Mr. Chairman. To my right is Ms. Kathleen LeClair, the secretary to the FMB, and to my left is Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar, the director of budgeting and evaluation.
I’d just like to recognize people in the gallery. I believe they’re here with the Senate committee from Ottawa. I’d like to welcome you to the House. Enjoy our proceedings.
When we left off, we were dealing with item 6 on page 6, Education, Culture and Employment, appropriation authority required: $21,546,000.
Page 6, Education, Culture and Employment, $21,546,000 approved.
Dealing with item 7, Transportation, appropriation authority required: $39,415,000.
I’m sorry, Mr. Chairman. We’re on item 7, Transportation?
Mr. Chairman, I was looking at the monies that were allocated for Highway No. 8, and I notice that there’s a figure in there. The question I had was on the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road Bridge Program. There’s a budget figure there of $4 million. I’m just wondering if I could ask the Minister of Finance if the ice roads out of Inuvik to Aklavik and Tuk are part of this $4 million, or where does that money come from?
This budget item deals with the bridge program that has been partnered with the federal government and G.N.W.T. Department of Transportation and has been in progress for a number of years. It addresses crossings of the creeks and rivers up in the Sahtu area, so it doesn’t include the ice roads up in the Beaufort-Delta.
Thanks for clarifying that. Where would the ice road funding come out of? I’m hoping it’s not Highway No. 8.
This section being “Capital” is actually for construction or infrastructure being put in place — for example, the bridges. The winter road construction would fall under O&M.
Item 7, Transportation, appropriation authority required: $39,415,000.
Transportation, $39,415,000 approved.
Industry, Tourism and Investment, appropriation authority required: $2,318,000.
Industry, Tourism and Investment, $2,318,000 approved.
Environment and Natural Resources, appropriation authority required: $1,765,000.
I see we have an expenditure plan for a lightning location system. At this time of fiscal restraint, I’m wondering if there is justification for that, what exactly it is, do we already have one in place, is this a replacement one, and what is to be gained by this?
I have to go to the Minister Responsible for ENR for detail on that project.
There is an existing system. The objective of this project is to maintain the current capacity of the G.N.W.T. Lightning Location System. To ensure its capacity, regular replacement of sensors and systems is required. For anybody who has been to the fire centre in Fort Smith, they have these sensors set up across the North that allow you to triangulate every lightning strike that hits the Territory to see where there is potential fire and determine how to respond. We provide information to ENR, to Power Corp, to Parks Canada, and in Alberta as well, where we have a Memorandum of Agreement. This is an existing system needing some upgrades, where the sensor cost is $52,000 and, of course, the proprietary software can cost anywhere between $75,000 and $100,000.
Mr. Bromley?
Nothing further, thank you.
I have a question in regard to the jet boat expense scheduled for Norman Wells. I wonder what the urgency is for this addition. I don’t believe it was in the ’07 – ‘08 main estimates. There is a jet boat for Behchoko that I gather was in the main estimates last year, but the one for Norman Wells was not. If I can get an explanation as to the urgency of this particular expenditure or if it’s a safety issue. I don’t see prior expenditures, so it doesn’t seem to be a contract issue.
A number of these travel projects would fall under the department’s small capital allocations which would be bulked into a larger number but has come through in this as well for the detail. Environment and Natural Resources does patrol for illegal hunting, looking for potential spills in areas where work is occurring. They do have some older equipment that needs to be replaced from time to time. For specific details on this project, or this asset, I ask that we go to the Minister responsible, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Chairman, the intent of this project or capital is to replace the boat that is currently 13 years old with a 50-horsepower outboard. The preferred craft for this low-draft and silty water is a jet boat. This will be a 20-foot jet boat that will allow us to increase our capacity and range of enforcement and have that added safety on the water. The other thing I’m informed is that any repairs, given the age, almost exceed the cost of the current asset, so it’s not worth fixing.
