Michael Miltenberger

We’ll confirm the particulars as it accounts for the 11 positions, the five new ones. I think there is some ongoing discussion here as to whether we were, in fact, transferring some positions and Education is keeping some as opposed to adding new ones. I’ll commit to the Member and to the Chair that we’ll have that information before the committee by Monday.

Mr. Chairman, the positions that are laid out here are to address some of the costs of the transfer and also recognizing, as I indicated, that in the prior three years there has been some other forced growth pressures that resulted in the need for some continued resources with Education. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. This document outlines an increase of $100,000 for operations expenditures and an increase of $1.706 million for capital investment expenditures in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The total supplementary request is $1.806 million.

The major items of the supplementary estimates include:

$600,000 for the Department of Transportation to purchase highway equipment required due to the repatriation of highway maintenance services in the Fort Resolution area;

$500,000 for the Department of...

Yes, the intent is to have the basis of good blue-chip information where we can take a look community by community at the impacts and be able to share concerns and information with the communities and the businesses in the communities so that we can see what’s happening both with the costs and other impacts that may be there.

My understanding is that this is intended to be a mobile unit that can be moved so that we can see how it works in different locations with maybe different sources of biomass -- for example, fast growing willows versus poplar or other types of trees -- and to give us a way to get a better understanding of that whole area of the biomass cycle.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011. This document outlines an increase of $17.471 million in operations expenditures for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

The supplementary estimates include the necessary transfer of the appropriations from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to the NWT Housing Corporation as a contribution from the Department of Finance for the Public Housing Rental Subsidy Program and its associated administrative costs.

The other major items in the supplementary estimates include:

$7.5...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the Member for Kam Lake tells me what his favourite restaurant is, we can have that dinner, but I would suggest based on the things I’m anticipating, he’s going to be breaking new ground.

The issue of board reform, hesitant as I am to use that word in this Assembly, is probably something that is going to carry on to the life of the next government.

One of the main points of the consolidated clinic here in Yellowknife was to deal with the 14 or 18 percent of missed appointments that are, as the Member has indicated, costly and very inefficient.

Bulk purchasing, the...

We’ve listened closely to the Member’s concerns and cautions and accept them in the spirit in which they were intended.

I appreciate the Member’s comments and we do over time look at base budgets. We don’t just keep them pegged at last century’s costs or that type of thing. When we look, the Health budget has grown since 1999. It’s doubled. With the THSSI money from the feds, part of which was dedicated to medical travel, there is going to be a bump-up in this coming fiscal year.

In keeping with the Member’s comments, recognizing that the cost drivers are going to be there, some of the biggest being on an upward climb. For example, just the cost of fuel. Then the demand.

I appreciate the Member’s comments and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have Ms. Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance; and Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the FMB.