Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have been asked by some Members to respond more specifically to some issues that were raised in some of the opening comments.

One of the issues that Member Bromley raised was the Program Review Office. As I pointed out yesterday, there was a presentation done last March 2010. The committee has yet to respond. The Member indicated there is a huge sense of frustration from Regular Members. We have a letter coming that I am going to be sending to committee to offer a briefing based on some of the comments. As I pointed out yesterday, there was all the work that was...

The debate over the Norman Wells royalties and access to them have been going on for years throughout this process. There was a settlement made out of court with the Sahtu and the Gwich’in in terms of a one-time cash settlement over the issue of access to royalties. As we go forward with the AIP and negotiate a final devolution deal, there’s nothing to preclude us from continuing to raise that issue, hopefully to our satisfaction. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that there is a strong concern from small community MLAs, for example, about employment. We need to look at ways to assist small communities with employment. I think -- and I have had discussions with the Member for Tu Nedhe about some of the possibilities with just using existing resources -- the intention is not to centralize back to Yellowknife; the intention is to look at efficiencies. We have had discussions and a lot of work done, for example, on how many boards and agencies we have. We know that there is an opportunity coming with devolution that there is...

The office building was discussed fully. There was extensive work done. It went on for, actually, a number of years doing all the market analysis. The other work of the Program Review Committee: there were briefings on the work done and the issues raised and the complexity of some of the issues. Some of the other ones had to do with adult education and how it’s funded, how it could be improved, and once again my recollection was that there was no appetite to proceed with anything of that nature that would be controversial and require possible adjustments or changes or cuts. So the work is...

I will commit to confirm that for the Member. Thank you.

It’s my recollection and estimation that there was no appetite by this Assembly at this juncture to talk about a meaningful way about the pupil/teacher ratio and how it’s funded far above the legislative requirement or the opportunities for the reprofiling of money through the inclusive schooling system, for example.

We know that there are still opportunities that the next Assembly is going to have to deal with about board reform. That will be, once again, within the purview of the next Assembly. We know there are going to be decisions that are going to continue to be made about supplementary...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the Main Estimates, 2011-2012, Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The office building for sure has an impact as we think about this budget and the budget that’s going to follow this one in terms of what flexibility and capacity does it give us if we know we’re going to have a $100 million savings. We know that we’re identifying a $100 million savings over the life of the lease. We know that we’re doing work in a number of very critical areas that relate the programs in education and health that are going to be very significant and we identify those as areas for future work or future decisions because we’re not going to be able to make...

We would, of course, see who of the existing staff has the skills and the time to try to accept this added burden that the Member would like us to take on. Thank you.

I’ve given a fairly extensive list of some of the program areas that are being funded and that support is there. We’re working, as well, with communities. At the same time we also know, as we talk about efficiencies and effectiveness, the issue of long-term care facilities and the fact that they can only be sustained in regional centres. That’s a direction that the government is going in because it’s the most efficient and affordable way to deal with the issue. At the same time we’re adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Home Care Program so that in fact we can work better and more...