Caroline Wawzonek

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, I will present Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, well, depending on the timing of it, there can certainly be, you know, a cash flow situation that would require a shortterm debt but in general at this point in the fiscal year, we can look back and say that that if there was a projected surplus, then this these amounts come out of whatever that projected surplus would be or eats into that, as you might say, which then, in turn, takes away money that would be available for the capital investments. And in this case, there was a projected surplus and that, between the supplementary appropriations and the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We're just looking to see if we had looked for a revenue number earlier. I just don't know if I had received it in. Let me see if we can find it quickly and if not perhaps provide it we'll have to I don't know that we'll have it here today, Madam Chair. Sorry.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I don't know if we have a total here but perhaps I'll suggest we turn to Ms. Melanson. She might have some further information that she could provide. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: Additional Information for Written Question 6119(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Sole Source Contracting under Procurement Criteria 1.8.2(a); Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Corporate Plan, 20232024; and, Northwest Territories Innovation Action Plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Madam Chair, just of note, we might make a change on the infrastructure sups in terms of the language of using supplementary reserve because I appreciate that that is a confusing way of putting it. But there is a supplementary reserve for operations. It started off at $35,000, but as a result of the appropriations and the supplementary appropriations, including the proposed one at present, we are expecting to be in a deficit of negative $77 million to $422,000.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this should be the sum total of it. At this point, there are no other outstanding claims or matters that are brought to our attention and certainly at some point, as parties would be aware, there are limitation periods that are attached, particularly to this type of matter. I am not anticipating anything further of this nature. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So there's two reallocations taken out from the secondment program and the knowledge economy. The knowledge economy is sunsetting. That work's been complete, and that money is no longer needed there. It's at a different stage now. The secondment program, there was a position that was no longer required and so the secondment agreement was cancelled. So there's surplus money sitting in those two, and it's been reallocated to three things. One, the NWT producer incentive pilot program, which is within the film industry for $100,000; the MRA implementation process for 125...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would love to see the federal government spend its money better and spend its money in the Northwest Territories. That would be a good news story for all. I can say that the universal broadband funds including their rapid universal broadband fund, which I think I've got slightly misstitled, were not necessarily well tuned to some of the needs here in the Northwest Territories. An example being redundancy was not eligible for any funding through those funds. And redundancy in the Northwest Territories, of course when we have one line going into communities...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I agree it doesn't need to take until May.