SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
With so much study and so little movement, Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny said airport governance needs a shake up.
Over 20 years, at least seven reviews of operations at the Yellowknife Airport have been completed, with another underway.
"This entity is at financial risk to taxpayers and is not self-financing. In reality, it is bleeding money annually to the tune of over $2 million a year and this shortfall is picked up by the taxpayer," Dolynny told the house on Friday.
"In this age of financial stewardship this is unacceptable, even for a government and especially a government teetering on the edge of a financial cliff."
The airport is operated at a cost of $7 million per year, though it brings in only $5 million in revenue. In order to make up that difference, Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieau said the cost would have to be transferred to ticket prices.
This, Dolynny said, was a scare tactic used to cover poor management.
The airport is operated by the GNWT, unlike many jurisdictions where there is privatization and airport authorities. Beaulieau said other governing models have been identified for the airport and an RFP is due back this month to look into other options.
"There would mainly be three options, alternatives that we would look at," Beaulieau said.
"We would look at a Crown corporation; we're going to look at airport authority and even possibly using a GNWT revolving fund similar to the way we administer petroleum products."
The results from this study will not likely be complete during the sitting of this legislative assembly. Beaulieau said would fall the next group of MLAs.
Income assistance not up to snuff
Two Yellowknife MLAs have brought Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty under fire for the income assistance program.
"The current system of income assistance in the NWT is not working," said Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley on Monday.
"It is complex, intrusive and inefficient and too many dollars are being used up to administer a system that does too little to let people out of poverty."
Bromley pointed to the cost of administering the program - $4 million to pay out $16 million in support payments in 2013 - as hindering the efficacy of the program.
As well, Bromley pointed to a concern that has also been voiced by Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro, that in order to qualify for support payments, residents must cash in RRSPs and be without any other options.
"If an income assistance client finds a part-time job or some other income, it is clawed back removing some of the incentive to work at least," Bromley said.
Bisaro has taken issue with Lafferty's suggestion that an RRSP is a "rainy day fund," and should reasonably be cashed in before income assistance is provided.
Bromley urged the government to look at a guaranteed basic income program, in which those living under the poverty line are given a top-up in order to stay off of social assistance without being fully dependent on the government. The program as used in other regions, he said, also alleviates the heavy administrative burden.
Lafferty pointed to a significant investment would be necessary to implement a guaranteed basic income program.
"Obviously, if we had $20 million or $30 million today this is an area we can possibly explore but we don't have that kind of funding available to us to date," Lafferty said.
He said changes are coming to the income assistance program as of April 1.
Land restrictions challenge the city
Pointing to rocky outcrops, lakes and land withdrawals as constricting the city's ability to grow, Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro called on the government to alleviate land withdrawal woes.
"Yellowknife is reaching the end of available land to use for future development, whether it be for housing recreational use, commercial or industrial use," Bisaro told the house on Tuesday.
"It's gratifying to see my local government planning ahead but frustrating for me that they are not getting great co-operation from the territorial lands department."
The Department of Lands' mandate of only releasing small parcels at a time, rather than large withdrawals, is limiting the city's ability to plan for future growth, Bisaro said. The city has expressed interest in acquiring all Commissioner's land within its boundaries.
Lands Minister Robert C. McLeod said the department prefers to release land piece by piece, though little reasoning was given aside from this process allowing the "public to focus on particular parcels."
Bisaro questioned rationale, saying the land acquisition process is generally between the city and the GNWT.
Since 2006, McLeod said more than seven square kilometres of land have been transferred to the city.
Other applications are currently being processed, including an application for one square kilometre that is in the final stages of being granted.
