Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. So, yeah, some of the work for the ITH raising is through the capital. So, I mean, I could say I am confident, but then we're going to have the biggest snowstorm we've ever seen before, and, of course, the prices go up. But at the end of the day, I think what we're trying to do here is have a little bit for each of the roads to get some of the work done. And, unfortunately, as everybody's aware, we have lots of road systems, and we're all struggling in different regions to maintain roads and keep them open. So to be honest, obviously, there's never enough money for the roads, but we're doing the best we can with what we've got. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I will go back to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, yeah, listen, I can imagine, and I appreciate that. And I know -- the Minister knows we've had many conversations around issues around winter roads and around all-season roads as well in my region.
Can the Minister speak a little to the section of the Dempster Highway -- and I realize some of that may be in capital, but I thought some of that was in operations as well -- around some work to be done on that section around Rengling River on the Dempster Highway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I am going to go to the Minister.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. I know some of the section that the Member's speaking of is part of our regular O and M maintenance on the sections to upgrade it, obviously on the NWT side only. But, yeah, I can't really get into details on that right now unless you get that -- so yeah, just -- it's part of our regular O and M for part of that section of the Dempster Highway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further right now.
Thank you. I will go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am hopeful I can ask about the airport revolving fund considering airport operations are under this activity. The YK airport revolving fund is projected to have a surplus of just under $52 million at the end of the year. What are the plans for this surplus? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Sorry, Mr. Chair. I am just jumping to the section for the airport revolving fund. So the surplus is assets -- sorry, I will just get the deputy minister to.
Thank you. I will go to the deputy minister.
So that surplus includes the assets that are included within the airport. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister or staff explain that a little bit more in detail. I am not sure I follow. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the deputy minister.
Thank you. If she can just re-ask her question there. We're into the section of -- like, further back in the budget there. I am just -- or the -- just trying to get to the pages here to answer her question, so if she can just clarify.
I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I will speak slowly and let the Minister and his staff flip pages because I also get into that administrative snafu myself sometimes. The question is this: The Yellowknife airport revolving fund is projected to have a surplus of just under $52 million at the end of year, and what are the plans for that surplus? And I understand the surplus is based on assets so how do you measure a surplus by physical assets, I guess is my question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I am going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I guess part of the confusion was I had to flip to page 289 in your book there. So with the surplus of assets or surplus of the revolving fund, it's used on assets, also used on the runways, the terminal itself, on equipment, all that is included in operating the airport and using the surplus amount. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Okay. So can the Minister please explain to me, then, why -- I believe it was yesterday -- we provided supplementary funding for the revolving fund. Thank you.
Okay. I will go to the Minister.
Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am going to ask the director to explain this, if you don't mind. Thank you.
Okay. I will go to the director.
Yes, thank you for the question. In regards to the reason why we requested a supplementary appropriation for this fiscal year is that due to an accounting change in how we recognize the asset improvement fund revenue. The revenue is -- so due to that change, we are unable to recognize as much revenue in the current fiscal year as we initially estimated. So what it is is that the revenue can only be recognized once those asset additions are pushed into service rather than when they were -- when they received -- when we receive the cash. So that is just an accounting book change.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I am lost. So can the Minister or staff provide like a tangible example of we bought this asset, etcetera, and the accounting book error meant that in fact we were in the red instead of the black; I am kind of lost here. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Minister.
Sorry, can we just clarify the question?
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is there any way that the Minister or staff can explain that in more simple plain English because I am not sure I understand the explanation. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will ask the director to explain this.
Okay. I will go back to the director.
Yeah, for sure. So thank you for the question. The accounting change in this situation, what it resulted in is that let's -- for an example, we are doing improvements to the airport washrooms. Before it was realized that this accounting change needed to occur, when we received the -- when we receive the payments from our clients for the airport improvement fund, we would recognize that immediately as revenue; however, following the accounting change, what we now have to do is if those airport washrooms are not completed by the end of the fiscal year -- so if the opening April -- the project is done in April instead of in -- by March 31st, we cannot recognize that revenue until the project is completed. At that point, if the project costs us $200,000, then we can now recognize $200,000 worth of revenue. So it is an accounting process to match based on the matching principle of when we are allowed to recognize revenue.
Okay. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, that does help. I am just going to move on, and maybe one of my colleagues with more of a bookkeeping background might like to dig into that. But I will ask a different question for right now.
As the 2024-2028 business plan identified the centrality of Yellowknife as a logistical hub for NWT supply chains -- and I am not -- I think this is a question for this Minister, not the other Minister, so just -- just so you know. It's about emergency preparedness and recognizing that the Yellowknife airport is an essential hub in terms of an emergency, a large-scale emergency in the territory, as we've all experienced.
Beyond a listing of essential businesses, suppliers, procurement, etcetera, how does Infrastructure and the Yellowknife airport want to address the concept of being a logistical hub and what work has been done to prepare for the next large-scale emergency? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I am going to go to the Minister.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. And just going back to her previous question, you know, just so -- what we can also do is commit to getting some kind of clear documentation on that process just so she has a better understanding, and it also may help me. But also I guess just to go to her current question, you know, there's lots of working groups out there in regards to all this, you know, pre-planning for the strategic hub of the Yellowknife airport and operations and the clients that use it and being able to operate it, so there is the groups out there working to make sure that those are all in place. There's other departments working with businesses to make sure that there's supply chains available for the carriers to keep supplying communities. So there is -- we're part of a bigger group to make sure that those operations will remain in place during emergencies, so. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And as those bigger groups have plans and finalized items that would then provide for, like, standard operating procedures or approaches, would the Minister be willing to share that material with the committee? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Whatever the Department of Infrastructure is doing at the airport for that topic, I am more than willing to share it with committee. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go back -- I guess that's -- time's up. Did you have a follow-up? Okay. Okay, thank you. I am going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had one question I forgot to ask in my first round. I noticed in the active positions, the Beaufort Delta has lost one. Just curious as to why we went from 48 down to 47.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. There was a position that was there but really not filled, I guess, as a water treatment plant/utilidor corridor operator in Fort McPherson that -- I believe that's what you're talking about. That's the one we lost. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Was there a follow-up question, Inuvik Boot Lake Member? Inuvik Boot Lake.
