INUVIK
Despite the frugal nature of spending in the territorial budget, the mayor is pleased with a number of initiatives outlined to benefit Inuvik, including a geomatics centre that plays into the continued growth around the fibre optics line.
Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger said the government is also investing in the next steps of dealing with the high cost of living in the region, particularly the high cost of energy.
"We're putting money into taking it to the next step to look at Storm Hills and the wind and viability of putting in wind turbines like at Diavik," he said, adding if the government were to move ahead with this project it could drop the cost of energy by about half in Inuvik.
"We have broad issues going on but the cost of living is going to affect Inuvik as we try to drive down that cost."
Mayor Floyd Roland said he's interested to see where this project may go, especially since the Inuvik to Tuk highway could impact the cost of constructing a wind turbine facility on Storm Hills.
"With the road being put in, it will decrease the distance and cost of putting infrastructure in there," he said.
Miltenberger delivered the 2015-2016 territorial budget on Feb. 5, the final year of the current assembly and Inuvik is poised to benefit. In it, Miltenberger has announced $694,000 to establish the Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics in Inuvik - a three-person office providing geomatics services such as remote sensing and research support.
Post-devolution, the territorial government has taken over land and water resource development and Miltenberger said this new centre will fill in the gaps in remote sensing issues.
"Inuvik is the centre now for remote sensing," he said.
"It'll be a perfect relationship and location because of the remote sensing fibre optic link. Inuvik is going to be a site tied to the Arctic Research Centre and we need to make that investment."
Roland said the investment is indicative of the government focused on future growth around the fibre optic line and expects that the new centre is just the beginning.
"There will be some spinoff and positive effect of the offices being here," he said.
The territorial government is also investing in a $432,000 pilot project in Inuvik and Yellowknife to look at how to better service residents who have complex social needs. Specifically, the project will look at how to better integrate government services across departments.
"It's so you don't have health people (separate) from social services separate from education," Miltenberger said.
"We want to set up these communities so that you treat not only individually but across departments and across agencies and don't look at the client based on one problem at a time."
With the resources already in place, Miltenberger said the work will come with trying to get the departments together to figure out how to make an integrated system work and make it part of the corporate culture of government.
While Roland supports the plan to make it easier for residents to access services in a one-stop shop way, he says he's cautious about how it will unfold.
Roland plans to meet with department ministers during a trip to Yellowknife in March with the hopes of getting updates on a number of projects, including the potential upgrades or replacement of the terminal at Mike Zubko Airport.
"We know they are planning it so I just want to make sure that it happens," he said.
"As our facilities age, I'd like to see money for that to continue with the plan."
He also said he hopes to get infrastructure dollars secured to fix Airport Road. Roland said the road has deteriorated to the point where resurfacing won't fix the problem and significant investment is needed to smooth its surface.
"When you're highlighting your community as a go-to place and you are driving into town in a car or a cab, first impressions can be hard to get over," he said.
The 2015-16 budget projects a $147 million operating surplus for the fiscal year in 2015-16 with revenues reaching $1.83 billion and expenditures at $1.68 billion. Borrowing is projected to be $714 million by the end of March 2016, leaving a mere $86 million in borrowing room under the federally-imposed $800-million limit.
The territorial economy is expected to grow somewhat in 2015 due in part to investment in the territory's fourth diamond mine and the continued construction of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
