Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a response to another question earlier this week regarding that committee, it has been quite some time since that committee has been in operation. We have started down a course for the Human Resource Service Centre modules that is going on. Approximately 140 employees have been affected by this change. We have been working with them through this. We want to get through that stage first. As I have committed to Members in this House, I will be coming forward with a plan in the fall around the affirmative action side and, at that point, will be...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, as this came forward we were informed that through the Enterprise community with the increased traffic load with the heavy trucks they needed to be able to set up a marshalling area for all the equipment. That is something that was not part of their normal plan. So this came forward as a request to cover those costs for that development. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Madam Chairperson, the Government of the Northwest Territories went under a major review of the job classifications so a job evaluation process was initiated back in 1998. In March of 2000, a grievance was filed by the UNW on behalf of about 42 nurses that were grieving that their job descriptions did not accurately reflect the duties that they were required to perform. With the work that we had started on that basis, we did a re-evaluation of their jobs and coming forward with the results of that and making the adjustments in the pay scale system, this is the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When we enter into the area of communities that have a private sector, we do not bulk purchase or purchase futures, is one way of looking at it. It’s pay as you go. When you get that monthly bill from the supplier, we would pay the invoices. So in the larger communities, where there is a private sector, it’s a pay-as-you-go area. We realize the cost to the government. One of the areas we have had to look at and plan to bring together is a broad energy strategy that will take in the concerns raised around this area when it comes to the supply of power, as well as...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d have to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs if he has that detail.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. As the process would work, when a department comes forward for a supplementary request from FMB, if we feel there is enough information to approve, we would do that; if not, we would send them back or decline and request more information. In this particular case, the Minister did some work within the department and had a review done and the substantiation is what they brought forward. If the Minister is prepared to supply that information, then I guess we can go to Minister Miltenberger for that information.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as we approve the budgets and the budget lines and the departments request an increase for a specific forced growth issue such as fuel, and if the price, for whatever reason, comes in lower than was anticipated, then there would be a surplus in that budget and it would come back to general revenue. That would be the practice. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, when the Village of Fort Simpson went to renew its water licence, the water board instructed that they buy a back-up generator for that operation. That wasn’t accounted for when they had put their plans together. This is a result of having to meet the requirement for the water licence. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. There has been some discussion back and forth about their deficit situation and the Department of Health and Social Services did have a number of meetings with the Dogrib Community Services Board and, as a result of looking into it in more detail, this is the information that the Department of Health and Social Services has come forward with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The request for the $2.2 million is to cover the 2004-05 year. As I stated earlier, when departments came in with the last budget request, we denied forced growth in these areas until we could substantiate if the prices would stay as high as they were going and that’s why we see this coming forward. Thank you.