Thank you. Department, not previously authorized, $42,993,000. Are there any questions?
Seeing no further questions, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026. Department of Infrastructure, capital investment expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $42,993,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now consider the Department of Justice on page 17. Corrections, not previously authorized, $752,000. Are there any questions?
Seeing no further questions, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026. Department of Justice, capital investment expenditures, corrections, not previously authorized, $752,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Court services, not previously authorized, $3,477,000. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So listed under here is an amount that's not an offset by a lapsed amount, and it's not -- doesn't appear to be offset by revenues from the Government of Canada. So there's an extra $2.3 million for funding for planning and design activities related to the Yellowknife Courthouse Infrastructure Project. Can the Minister explain what that's about and why that was not foreseen earlier in our main budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister for the question.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this is an amount that is in response to concerns that have been raised by the judiciary. Now, I will answer maybe the last question before the first, which is whether or not it was foreseen. Mr. Chair, obviously -- I shouldn't say obviously, but judiciary has raised concerns about the state of the building and whether or not it was adequate and fit to purpose over the course of some time, and there have been over the course of time different efforts to try to alleviate those concerns.
What has been raised and what is proposed to be done on this present occasion, there's a number of specific risk areas, namely, the spacing and whether or not it provides a sufficient space to, for example, accommodate juries and have a separated space from the common areas when there is a jury that is hearing a jury trial and particularly if they're being -- when they're entering into deliberations. Similarly, a lack of any specialized court space or a lack of any Indigenous appropriate space for efforts being made by the judiciary to better accommodate the residents of the Northwest Territories.
Security concerns, Mr. Chair, and this is in response more recently to the nature and type of criminal matters that are being heard more frequently and whether or not there needs to be an amendment to, for instance, the entryways, in particular, screening, and that is something that is -- we're hoping to be able to address now with this funding.
And last but not least, Mr. Chair, simply the co-location of judicial branch of government with really any other party and particularly those who might be appearing in front of the court, namely, the Department of Justice.
So with that, Mr. Chair, that does require a bit of work and planning, and we are looking at moving the Department of Justice out of what is now the fourth floor of the building that is co-located with the courts, and this is in part meant to start to immediately deal with some of the security issues but then also to line up to dealing with whether -- where and how to move legal division out and to be able to create a space that is more appropriate for the court usage exclusively. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So just to confirm that this is the very beginning stage of this project? Like, the -- these concerns obviously they've just arisen sometime since we passed our last capital budget and now this project is to begin; can the Minister just clarify? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, so I can say over time that there's been, as I said, different questions and initiatives but there has been a more recent outreach from the judiciary, and it was in response to that efforts were made to see what immediate steps could be taken. Again, to build an entirely new facility, which is something that's been asked, is well over the $200 million mark, and so there was an effort made here to say -- to try to respond, as I said, to recent outreach from the judiciary. This amount gets moving in terms of some immediate changes to the entryway which would help control entry and access to the court, the courtrooms and to the courthouse section, as well as for planning of a renovation to particularly deal with the separation of the spaces and the enhancements to the jury room. That project is expected to take a few years. This is really, as the Member said, step one. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No further questions.
Okay, thank you. Are there any further questions from Members? Okay, thank you. Continuing on.
Seeing no further questions, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026. Department of Justice, capital investment expenditures, court services, not previously authorized, $3,477,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Total department, not previously authorized, $4,229,000. Are there any questions? Thank you. Seeing none, thank you.
Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026. Department of Justice, capital investment expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $4,229,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Members, there is a schedule on page 18 that details the impact of capital estimates. This schedule is not a voteable item and is included as information only. Are there any questions?
Seeing no further questions, we will continue on as this is not a voteable item.
Committee, do you agree that you have concluded consideration of Tabled Document 340-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026; does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 340-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 340-20(1) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Tabled Document 340-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2025-2026, will be reported as ready for consideration in a formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.
---Carried
Thank you, Minister, and thank you to your witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses from the chamber. Thank you.
I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress.
There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 340-20(1) and would like to report progress with one motion carried, that consideration of Tabled Document 340-20(1) is concluded in the House, concurred, and those estimates as amended and that an appropriation bill to be based thereon be introduced without delay. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Can I have a seconder? Member from the Deh Cho. All those in favour? To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Can't vote all the time there, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Only can vote once. Motion carried.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member from Kam Lake, that Bill 30, Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization) No. 1, 2025-2026, be read for the third time. And, Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput. The Member for the Deh Cho. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Thebacha.
All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake.
All those abstaining, please stand. All those in favour, 13. Opposed, 3. Zero abstentions. Motion has carried.
---Carried
Orders of the day for Thursday, May 29th, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
Prayer or Reflection
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Motions
Returns to Oral Questions
Oral Question 666-20(1), Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to the Commissioner’s Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, No. 2
Bill 29, First Responders Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk.
This House stands adjourned until Thursday, May 29th, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
