Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Minister's advocating for an increase to the federal CanNor funding to try to ensure that all 33 communities receive an investment from CanNor's Canada Community Revitalization Fund. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the revitalization fund is a direct application program with the federal government. Municipal and Community Affairs is available to assist communities with their applications and help identify their priorities through the capital budgeting process. It is my understanding is that any community government can apply for this funding.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is always advocating for more funding for municipal governments from the federal with the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So has the Minister received any requests from communities for influxes of funding for the end of the public health emergency to bring communities together through cultural, sport, or any kind of recreation events? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To date, we have not received any requests for additional funding for cultural, sport, or recreational events above and beyond the existing funding pots that we provide right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Does the Minister have an estimate of how much additional expense in responding to COVID19 has fallen on the shoulders of municipalities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT and the federal government have provided NWT communities over $9 million in funding to help community governments with their pandemicrelated costs.
As I said previously in this House, Municipal and Community Affairs will be reviewing the financial impact on community governments of COVID19 response as part of the 20212022 year end fiscal process. So in other words, when they get their audited statements and that, we will be looking at that to see if there hasn't been an impact on communities, and then we will move forward on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I guess that's a question that I'll have to come back around to once MACA has had these audited statements and are able to take a look at them after the end of the fiscal year. But we're two years in now, and so I guess a better question is given the results of the 2020 year end statements MACA would have already seen some changes to that. And so is the GNWT working to address these additional expenses, then, that would not have been part of the original municipal funding formula? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said previously, we've given $9 million to communities with some real good flexibility to it. They have the ability to use that money as they see fit where they need to address their pandemic issues.
Moving forward, we understand that, you know, COVID's going to be a part of the process and we are encouraging municipal governments to start budgeting accordingly. But we're more than willing to sit down and work with them with their budgeting process as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
