Legislative Assembly briefs
GNWT passes $277M capital budget
40 per cent of infrastructure money will go to the Department of Transportation; other major spending goes to replacing health centres, water bomber fleet
Randi Beers
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 10, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Members of the legislative assembly have approved next year's capital budget, with a lion's share of the money going to the Department of Transportation and Department of Health and Social Services.
The Department of Transportation will receive $111 million, or approximately 40 per cent of the total capital budget for a number of projects including an upgrade to for Highway 7 and $90 million Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway project.
Separate from the budget, $40 million was added to 2014-15 expenditures for the highway.
Some MLAs, including Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley and Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro, expressed concern during committee debates this session about the amount of money going to large transportation infrastructure projects next year.
"The focus on this budget, for me, is weighted too heavily on economic development and on large transportation projects," said Bisaro during an October committee debate.
"Like Mr. Bromley, I believe that we put too much money into projects, which presumably are going to assist us with economic development, and we've put not enough money into infrastructure, which is going to assist our people."
After pleading for improvements to Highway 7 for years, Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche told committee he is "pleased" the roadway will receive government funding next year. The NWT section of the Liard Highway will be resurfaced and leveled. Chipsealing for Highway 7 was not included in the budget.
The Department of Health and Social Services will receive $84 million, or 30 per cent of the capital budget.
Of that, $72 million is going to large projects such as the replacement of Fort Providence, Norman Wells and Fort Resolution's health centres, the H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital in Hay River as well as the Stanton Territorial Hospital renewal project in Yellowknife.
Other budget highlights include $27 million for eight Fire Boss Air tankers to combat forest fires and $2.5 million for park upgrades across the territory.
Although a possible investment of "hundreds of millions" in renewable energy was a hot topic this sitting, Finance
Minister Michael Miltenberger has said these plans are contingent on the federal government raising the NWT's debt
ceiling from $800 million to $1.8 billion.
Miltenberger addresses his 'cherubic friend'
A routine exchange between Hay River North MLA Robert Bouchard and Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger ended with a rather bizarre response from the minister last week.
In answer to Bouchard's Nov. 4 request for the minister to confirm his department is committed to reducing the cost of living for Northerners, Miltenberger addressed Bouchard as "my cherubic friend, with his Movember face, slowly getting grizzled."
"Yes, all the things we are doing are focused on energy efficiency, cost of living, reducing our footprint, cutting our carbon emissions and sustainability," he continued.
Bouchard did not respond to the creative description, although he did acknowledge in his Nov. 3 member's statement he's growing a moustache for November in order to raise awareness about men's health.
The gist of Bouchard's line of questioning was centred around whether the finance department has plans to reallocate any funding in this year's infrastructure budget after a two-day energy roundtable wrapped up in Yellowknife last week.
The $120,000 energy discussion is the second of its kind in two years. The government invited thinkers from around the world to discuss the future of energy generation in the territory.
Miltenberger has said earlier this session that the current way the Northwest Territories Power Corporation collects and redistributes power is "unsustainable" and that his department is ready to invest "hundreds of millions" to upgrade the energy grid.
In response to Bouchard's questions, the minister said his department continues to wait for an approval to raise the territory's debt ceiling to $1.8 billion from the current $800 million, a move that will allow for major energy investment in the coming years.
Hay River, hub of the North
Hay River North MLA Robert Bouchard's member's statement Nov. 5 boiled down to an advertisement to his hometown, but it turned out to be an affective one.
In his two-and-a-half minute statement, Bouchard extolled Hay River as "the best place in the Northwest Territories." He listed Hay River's virtues, such as Hay River Hay Days, polar pond hockey, fireman's ball and its Santa Claus Parade, repeatedly referring to it as 'the hub of the North."
"Hay River has the nicest golf course that turns into the nicest Nordic facility, the home of Brendan Green, the Olympian," he said.
"Hay River is a very accessible community by road and it has several airline options to travel north and south. Hay River, the hub of the North."
He ended his statement by saying Hay River is a great place to be from and that he's proud to be a Hay River MLA.
"That's a hard act to follow," remarked Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli after Bouchard had finished his statement.
A short time later, members collapsed into laughter as Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley jokingly asked the premier to decentralize his position to Hay River, causing the speaker to call order in the assembly.
"Just kidding, Mr. Speaker … don't answer that question," laughed Bromley.
