Michael Miltenberger

It reflects that fact that last year we had more capital projects on the go in Finance and this year we have dialed it back to the $210,000 that is here before the House for the two modules that we’ve talked about. I can also get the specifics of last year’s capital, if the Member wishes, and provide that to committee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ll agree with the Member; he’s not totally negative. But the reality is, we are going into our fourth capital plan. We are going to be, in a few months, back before the Assembly with our final O and M budget. A lot of the concerns here today, even though we’re here to talk capital, are much broader, focused on the programs and services.

The government runs… It’s a business, a complex business, on the clear guidelines and principles that govern all public government institutions: accounting, reporting and public accounts and transparency. We have a very intense system...

Every Assembly builds off of the work of the previous Assembly, and this is my fifth Assembly, as it is for you, Madam Chair, and this is a theme that is consistent through every government and Assembly I’ve been part of, and here we are today, the circumstance has changed and there are many things that we don’t control, but we are struggling to manage the money, manage our expenditures versus the revenues, the cost of living issues, the population issues, the quality of life issues. If you look at it just at the period of time we’re now in, we tend to get depressed that there’s not enough...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have with me the deputy minister of Finance, Mr. Mike Aumond. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the Member for his comments. I’ve been now in this Chamber with the Member, this is going on our eighth year and I just made note of one of his comments that I put quotation marks around. I never thought I’d hear him say this in the House, and maybe he’ll say I’ve taken it out of context, but I was quite struck by his comment about how we have to be conservative. That’s not something I would normally tie to the Member.

The question I would ask, and we have to ask, is: How do we build the territory, and what investments do we make, and what are...

On a go forward basis, the Member is correct, when you do a renovation as opposed to a new build, there has to be these extra, very critical steps taken to protect the quality of the air, infection control and those types of things. I know this personally, as well, because we just went through that situation at the health centre in Fort Smith. It requires that extra special step which will be done. We will ensure that, of course, we will use all the resources available, including all the human resources available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was going to raise the same concern, because I could have the appropriate deputies here to have that fulsome discussion. But in regard to the question, there was no lapsed funding that we can detail to the penny where the funds were spent. Things, start-up costs, there were big-ticket items like the payment for the gravel are two that come to mind. I’d also point out that the first year was the toughest when it came to the amount of culverts and bridges and terrain to cross. So that big piece has been done and on a go forward basis it’s considerably less onerous when...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There has been no final determination as to what is going to transpire or even if there is going to be any layoffs. There are some things being considered as part of the P3 process and what services and what requirements will be in the final agreed to RFP. So when we have that certainly, we will be sharing it with all affected parties as well as all the MLAs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The one variable that is yet to be finalized, and the Premier mentioned in some of the debate in the House this morning, and that is the conclusion to our request for an increase to our borrowing limit. When you look at the status quo, the debt ceiling, we’ve been working to keep a minimum of $100 million cushion between us and the $800 million borrowing limit. We are now slightly under that $100 million as a result of the latest decision to cushion and absorb the cost of the rate rider for low water on the Snare. For short-term borrowing, we think we can manage within...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present for the committee’s consideration the 2015-16 Capital Estimates of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The estimates represent $249 million in appropriations for government and $28 million for community infrastructure investments in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

These estimates do not include appropriations for housing infrastructure proposed by the NWT Housing Corporation in 2015-16, totaling $36 million. The appropriation for these investments will be sought during the committee’s review of the 2015-16 Main Estimates. The NWT Housing...