Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is something that's been troubling our community for quite some time, and the Yellowknife River water pipeline that's been built since '68 has been in dire need of replacement for a number of years. In 2017, when I served this Assembly previously, it was pegged at $34.5 million. Last year, it was $62.7 million. This year it's now $107 million. Our city cannot afford this pipeline. Our residents deserve safe drinking water. Can I ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs how is he supporting the city of Yellowknife in completing this important public project? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Municipal and Community Affairs distributes $110 million for all the municipalities. That includes the CPI funding that they receive. The money that they have, MACA doesn't tell them how to spend their money for their projects. It's how they want to utilize it for some of their infrastructure. We all know infrastructure costs have been going up. And that one has too. It's been all over the news, and they have received, I think, about $28 million of federal funding for some of that project on top of the CPI money that the GNWT provides. They obviously have to do some work on trying to offset the costs of inflation for these projects. But we do not get into the details of how a municipality funds their infrastructure projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, does the department provide 100 percent of the CPI needs for the city of Yellowknife?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding formula is not 100 percent, and it's never been 100 percent. So it's up to municipalities to raise money through revenues in order to provide further infrastructure issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is one we should be spending -- we should be fulfilling our commitments to communities to 100 percent. But this is an extraordinary cost that's well beyond what the city can afford to pay. Every year it gets more expensive. Will the Minister find a way to work with his Cabinet colleagues, with the city of Yellowknife, with the NWTAC, with the federal government, with everyone who has a cheque book, and get the city the money it needs so we can have safe, clean drinking water for half of our residents in this territory? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, I would like to say yes for every community with that same issue throughout the Northwest Territories, but the reality is that I'm sure, he's well aware, we're all fighting for funds over here on this side of the House for every department, and there's a lot of questions for department of health where they need the money, and I'm also asking for some funds also to try to increase funding to communities. But we'll just see how that goes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.
