Michael Miltenberger

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...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, entitled “Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016;” Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 14-7(5), Expansion of Policing and Nursing Services;” and “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 17-17(5), Interim Measures for the Commercial Harvest of Wild Mushrooms.”

Finally, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice, I wish to table the following document, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 9-17(5), Report on the Review of the 2012-2013...

Thank you. That type of deliberation and review is part of the critical debriefing that’s underway and that I’ve just committed to sharing with committee when it’s done early in the New Year as we look at coming for the winter session. Thank you.

What we have laid out is a good, solid plan on a go-forward basis that we believe is going to show results. We are making a lot of the structural, organizational and procedural changes to do that. We have initiated a much closer working relationship with the private sector to make this a combined and joint effort so it’s not just strictly government.

But I can tell you, from a simple math point of view, if we filled the vacancies that we have, then we would address the issue that the Member is talking about many times over, and if we would recruit all the students that we’re giving SFA to, to...

Thank you. The Member is a fine example of the success of our education system. We’re not excluding the fact that it’s a loss. What we have done is started a program, an initiative that we’ve given ourselves a five-year time horizon, because we recognize that these things take time to sort things out, to turn things around, to do the work that’s necessary, to make the changes that are necessary, to do the things with HR, for example, where we want to be able to go south and enable the folks that go south to take interviews and do job offers on the spot so that we can be way more timely in how...

Thank you. We are at work in terms of a review, cleaning up after fire season, doing the final accounting and then doing the critical debrief is underway. Then early in the new year, we’ll have that work done and we expect to be able to go forward with those findings to committee to have a thorough discussion in anticipation of the upcoming fire season. Thank you.

Thank you. The extra funds are covered through borrowing the money. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize one of the members of the union contingent, as well, Ms. Lauraine Armstrong, a family friend and a berry picking and swimming companion of my wife. Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you. All the communities could take a page from the work that Kakisa did to take matters into their own hands as the fire smarted their community, and as they were encroached on all sides by fire they recognized the value of that exercise. So I think communities can look at doing public spaces and then the encouragement for all individuals to get out there with their own saws and chainsaws, as I did my property, where you thin out the trees, you clear out the underbrush, you limb your trees as high as you can, move your woodpile away from your house and those type of things. All will...