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Speaker: I will now call the House to order. We will proceed with pray= ers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In recognition of World Water Day
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tr= ibute to World Water Day, which of course flows hydrodynamic= ally with my tribute to Canada Water Week earlier this week.
World Water Day reminds us how valu= able our water resources are and the responsibilities that come with being stewards = of this resource. A clean and secure supply of water is essential to our healt= h, our vibrant communities and the environment that supports them.
Water is also central to growing ou= r food and to the operation and growth of our resource sector, such as agriculture, energy, mining and forestry. Some industries, such as agriculture and placer mining, depend entirely on the availability of water.
Access to safe, clean drinking wate= r is essential. Most Yukoners receive their water through a large public drinking water system that is regulated through the Public Health and Safety Act drinking water regulations.
Supply and distribution is undertak=
en by
the
While there is broad agreement that=
changes
affecting
To date, our government has develop=
ed an
innovative tool for disseminating information about
In closing, the Government of Yukon=
is
committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of
In recognition of World Tubercul= osis Day
Hon. Mr. Graham: I rise in the House today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing March 24 as World Tuberculosis Day. The theme this year is “Stop TB in our lifetime.” World TB Day prov= ides the opportunity to raise awareness about this global epidemic and efforts to eliminate the disease.
One-third of the world’s popu= lation is currently infected with the germ that causes TB. On World Tuberculosis D= ay, you can make an individual call to stop TB in your lifetime. There are two types of TB: latent and active. People with active TB have the germ and are sick with the disease. They may infect others. People with latent TB have t= he germ, but it is dormant. Healthy people have about a 10-percent chance of developing active TB during their lifetime. Infected pe= ople who are also immune suppressed have a much higher risk of developing the ac= tive disease.
TB can affect any part of the body =
but most
often it is found in the lungs. When people who have pulmonary TB cough or
sneeze, they can propel the germs into the air and people who share the sam=
e airspace
with them may become infected by inhaling the germs. In 2010, 8.8 million
people worldwide became ill with TB and 1.4 million of them died. In 2011, =
the
Preventive treatment can reduce by = 90 percent the risk of the person developing active TB. Successful preventive = treatment of even one person can lessen the threat of TB for hundreds of people in a community. If we hope to stop TB in our lifetime, we need to ensure that al= l TB cases and their contacts with latent disease receive treatment.
I encourage those who are affected = by TB, whether latent or active, to take steps to protect their family and friends= by accepting the treatment offered to them. Effective preventive therapy can s= top TB in our lifetime.
In recognition of World Water Da= y
Ms. White:= 8195; I rise today on= behalf of the Official Opposition to pay tribute to World Water Day. Water is life= . We are mostly water. Water is something all life has in common. Water is somet= hing wars are fought over and people have died for, a= nd continue to die for.
This is Canada Water Week, supporte=
d by the
Royal Bank of Canada Blue Water Project. Since 2007, RBC has been supporting
organizations worldwide that protect watersheds or ensure access to clean
drinking water. The company is also encouraging the growth of water busines=
ses
in
Individual and residential use acco=
unts for
14 percent of Canada
Canada Water Week is a relatively n=
ew
celebration of water from coast to coast to coast, taking place the third w=
eek
of March to coincide with the special events for the UN World Water Day on
March 22, which was started in 1993. Today’s World Water Day theme is
“Water and Food Security”. On
On the planet, there is a fixed amo=
unt of
water. There is one water. Constantly renewed th=
rough
the hydraulic cycle, this one water may be what we have in common, but there
are different values assigned to it. Between them, Canada Water Week and Wo=
rld
Water Day cover the full breadth of humanity’s very important debate =
over
water. On the one hand, as part of its Blue Water Project, RBC is encouragi=
ng
the growth of water businesses in
Humanity’s current discussion= s about water are about how we value it. Water business is about marketing rules and about putting a price on water. Incentives for water management will flow f= rom the price we put on it, and economic benefits presumably will trickle down.=
In an effort to support business ri= ght now, our federal government can use schedule 2, a loophole in the metal mining effluent regulation of the federal Fisheries Act. It allows metal mi= ning corporations to make use of lakes and rivers as toxic dump sites. Once adde= d to schedule 2, healthy freshwater lakes lose all environmental protections. Ot= hers consider the market framework unsuitable for water management. They say that the potential to profit from water increases with its scarcity, and this is= why the market rules are not well-suited for water conservation, protection and management.
Many peoples consider water as pric= eless — invaluable. They think of water in nature’s framework that considers broader ecosystem needs that can’t be measured in an econom= ic ledger or as part of the gross domestic product statement.
As we consider this discussion in t=
he
On this World Water Day we celebrat= e and pay tribute to the Yukon River Inter-tribal Watershed Council.
In recognition of
Hon.
Mr. Nixon: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the Ho=
use to
pay tribute to the
The continued success of this expo =
is a
tribute to YCOD itself and to the individuals living with disabilities in t=
he
We are fortunate to have a very voc=
al
community that lets us know what we can all do together to make this a bett=
er
community. Similarly, people with disabilities are getting educated; they a=
re
working; they are dealing with family issues,; a=
nd
they are enjoying living in this community, all while coping with a disabil=
ity.
They don’t ask for handouts or special favours=
span>;
they simply want to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.=
p>
Please join me and other MLAs at th=
e event
this Saturday, March 24 at the Canada Games Centre where more than 20 exhib=
itors
will be present to answer your questions and share information related to d=
isability
issues such as accessibility, transportation, workplace and education, just=
to
name a few. You will be able to try your hand at
wheelchair basketball and to use those same hands to learn a few phrases in
sign language. It’s a whole new world out there and we should be very
proud of that. In recognition of World Water Da=
y Mr.
Elias:=
8195; I rise today on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to
World Water Day 2012. This year’s Canada Water Week=
theme
is “Discover your water footprint.” Water is an important resou=
rce
required to sustain human life and ecosystems. A water footprint is a means=
of
measuring our direct and indirect water use and in the process, promotes the
protection of fresh water in Climate change is associated with h=
igher
global temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns such as droug=
hts,
tornadoes, cyclones and floods. By impacting the availability and distribut=
ion
of rainfall, snowmelt, river flows and groundwater, climate-related disaste=
rs
can disrupt water supplies, cause deterioration of water quality, destroy
agricultural sources and cripple infrastructure. Less than one percent of the Earth&=
#8217;s
water is suitable for drinking and one in eight people do not have clean
drinking water and 40 percent of those live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unsafe
drinking water causes water-borne diseases, and without access to clean wat=
er,
world health is in jeopardy. In We must protect safe and reliable c=
ommunity
water supplies. We must encourage sustainable use of water resources to ens=
ure
human and ecosystem needs are met. We must be responsible water stewards to
ensure safe and secure water supplies for all Canadians. We must strive for
healthy rivers, living lakes and protected watersheds. Not only is water essential to our =
very
lives, it is essential for future generations. Nature, wildlife and ecosyst=
ems
also depend on a sustainable, clean water supply. We would like to acknowle=
dge
and thank all Yukoners who are responsible citizens and respectful of our w=
ater
systems and advocate management of our water. On a personal note, Mr. Speaker, I
can’t associate water without thinking of my respected late elder John
Joe Kyikavichik, who passed on last year. During the very first Peel River Wa=
tershed
Advisory planning meeting in =
Dawson
City — I believe it was six years ago — he made a water speech =
that
was absolutely incredible. He talked about the need for water from the smal=
lest
bumblebee to the biggest blue whale. I will never forget that speech and the
influence it had on the planning process. I will leave it with that, Mr.
Speaker. Thank you. Speaker: Introduction of visitors. INTRODUCTION OF VISITO=
RS Hon. Mr. Pasloski:=
Mr. Speaker, I =
rise
today, with your indulgence, to introduce the Applause Hon.
Mr. Applause Hon.
Mr. Speaker: I would like to introduce Tracy-Anne McP=
hee,
Yukon Ombudsman and Information and Privacy Commissioner. We’re pleas=
ed
to have her join us today for the tabling of her reports. We also appreciate
her commitment and her dedication to the offices she holds. Applause Speaker: Tabling reports and documents. TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS Speaker: =
194; Under tabling returns and documents, the Chair has for tablin=
g the 2011
Annual Report of the Ombudsman and the 2011 Annual Report of the
Information and Privacy Commissioner. Are there any further returns or do=
cuments
for tabling? Are there reports from committees?<=
/span> Are there any petitions? Are there any bills to be introduce=
d? INTRODUCTION OF BILLS<=
o:p> Bill No. 39: Introduction and First Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I move that Bill No. 39, entitled <=
i>Business
Law Amendment Act, be now introduced and read a first time. Speaker:
It has been moved by the Minister of Community Services that Bill No=
. 39,
entitled Business Law Amendment Act, be now introduced and read a fi=
rst
time. Motion
for introduction and first reading of Bill No. 39 agreed to Bill No. 40: Introduction and Fi=
rst Hon. Mr. Pasloski: =
I move that Bill No. 40, entitled <=
i>Act
to Amend the Financial Administration Act, be now introduced and read a
first time. Speaker: It has been moved by the H=
on. Premier
that Bill No. 40, entitled Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act=
,
be now introduced and read a first time. Motion
for introduction and first reading of Bill No. 40 agreed to Bill No. 38: Introduction and Fi=
rst Hon. Mr. Graham: =
span> I move that Bill No. 38, entitled <=
i>Act
to Amend the Child Care Act, be now introduced and read a first time. Speaker: It has been moved by the =
Minister
of Health and Social Services that Bill No. 38, entitled Act to Amend the
Child Care Act, be now introduced and read a=
first
time. Motion
for introduction and first reading of Bill No. 38 agreed to Bill No. 36: Introduction and Fi=
rst Hon.
Mr. Speaker: It has been moved by the minister responsible for the Yukon L=
iquor
Corporation that Bill No. 36, entitled Act to Amend the Liquor Act, =
be
now introduced and read a first time. Motion for introduction and first
reading of Bill No. 36 agreed to Speaker: Are there any further bills to be introduced? Are there any notices of motion? NOTICES OF MOTION Mr. Tredger: I give notice o=
f the
following motion: THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon to develop a comprehensive water strategy based on the vision of the
Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, which is, “to be able to
drink water directly from the Yukon River” and, toward the fulfillmen=
t of
this vision, commit to: (1) prioritizin=
g
watershed sustainability; (2) creating a
full inventory of (3) gathering=
span>
baseline data of (4) including=
span>
elders’ knowledge and traditional law; and (5) creating clear
and enforceable standards for drinking water and to govern industrial use.<=
o:p> Speaker: If there are no further notices of motion, is there a stateme=
nt by
a minister? This brings us to Question Period.<=
/span> QUESTION PERIOD Question re:
FASD supportive housing Ms.
Stick: Mr. Speaker, last December the NDP =
expressed
concern that the government had announced an expansion project for Options =
for The Minister of Health and Social S=
ervices
assured us that a Management Board submission would proceed and that several
conditions would be met prior to any funding taking place. Can the Minister=
of
Health and Social Services provide us with an update about the Management B=
oard
submission, including what conditions were met by OFI, and how? Hon.
Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, at this time =
there
are still a few issues with respect to Options for However, this government did make a
commitment in the last election that we would be going ahead to increase th=
e supply
of supported living units for adults with FASD, and we intend to fulfill th=
at
commitment. As the member opposite has probably already noticed, there is m=
oney
in our budget for housing for FASD clients, and we will be going ahead with
that. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I would like to=
thank
the minister for his answer. I just would like to confirm with him that the
allocated $2,950,000 that was in the capital plan projects will remain in t=
he
budget for that project. Hon.
Mr. Graham: The Management Board did approve fu=
nding
for $2 million from the Yukon Housing Corporation to provide a mortgage to =
OFI
once they have their issues cleared up. There will also be some money coming
through from CMHC’s affordable housing
initiative — again, once the issues with OFI are cleared up. <=
/p>
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Our territory is
fortunate to have many compassionate and skilled front-line workers and
volunteers. The experience and expertise of organizations like the Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon, Yukon Association for Community Living,
People First Society and Challenge should be included in the conceiving and
designing of housing options for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder or with mental disabilities. We want to be assured that the Mini=
ster of
Health and Social Services has consulted and worked with all agencies. My question: how is the minister in=
cluding
the expertise of these groups in all long-term capital planning for housing=
options
for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or with mental
disabilities? Hon.
Mr. Graham: We have an ongoing dialogue with ma=
ny of
these groups, including the homelessness group here in the city. I am tryin=
g to
meet with them on an ongoing basis. We hope that once the issues with the
Options for Independence Society are cleared up, we will be able to proceed
with the construction of their building. However, they did present a propos=
al
— some time ago, actually — to the Yukon Housing Corporation, w=
hich
was, at that time, accepted as a proposal for this building. Therefore, the=
re
might be some planning that must be done with the board. Basically, the opt=
ion
for the independent plan that was presented was the one that the money has =
been
committed for. Question re: Youth homelessness
Ms.
White:=
8195; I want to share=
with
all present a poster that was on a bus in My question is this: is the Ministe=
r of
Health and Social Services aware of this problem and does he plan
to address it? Hon.
Mr. Graham: I think it almost goes without sayi=
ng
that we are very aware that there is a problem. We have an interim youth
shelter. It’s not in an excellent position, perhaps, and it’s
probably difficult for some youth to go to that shelter, but at the present=
time,
we are contacting the various youth groups in the City of Ms.
White:=
8195; I thank the min=
ister
for the answer; he has almost already answered this, but with all the
experience of all our local youth organizations, with all the data they hav=
e collected
over the years and with their insight into this matter, will the minister, =
as
he just has, commit in this House today, to speak to these organizations and
take an immediate, positive action to find a solution that works for youth
before the snow flies this next winter? Hon.
Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, just earlier this week=
I
gave direction to my department to contact the various youth groups in Question re: Affordable h=
ousing Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Mr. Speaker, th=
ere is
no doubt that we have a housing crisis in the Before I go any further, I would li=
ke to
make sure that the minister is on the same page as Yukoners. Does the minis=
ter
share the view that prices this high and rising this fast do not meet the
housing needs in the Hon.
Mr. Kent: As I mentioned earlier this week on=
the
floor of the Assembly, housing of course was, for me and a number of my
colleagues and I’m sure colleagues across the floor, the number one i=
ssue
that was identified by many Yukoners during the recent election. It’s
something that I think we as a government moved very quickly to address. Two
days after we were sworn into Cabinet, the Premier made an announcement of =
an
RFP for Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; The The housing shortage is made worse =
by high
lot prices and, as the minister opposite is aware, the government has a lot=
to
do with creating these lot prices. For example, the government tried recent=
ly,
and failed, to sell a Whitehorse Copper country residential lot for $200,00=
0.
That same lot was on the market in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Back then, it was on
the list for half as much. The lots offered by this government in Kluane an=
d in
Does the minister think that govern=
ment
increases to lot prices will make the housing crisis better, or does he thi=
nk
that these increases are going to make the situation worse? Hon.
Mr. Cathers: What I would like to get emphasized=
to
the Member for U.S.
That lot will be proceeding very sh= ortly toward the next stages and tenders will be sought for developing that lot, = with the condition that a certain amount of affordable housing has to be develop= ed on-site — a minimum number of units, that is. Again, what I would poi= nt out to the member, in reference to the specific examples of costs he gave, = is that those decisions are made by officials in accordance with current prici= ng policies. Pricing policies and what goes into that are things that my colleagues and I will be looking at, because we consider providing an adequ= ate supply of affordable lots a very important part of ensuring that Yukoners h= ave access to affordable housing opportunities.
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Same answer =
212; a
different minister. Yukoners understand that lot prices have gone up a lot.
After all, they are the ones who are digging deeper and deeper into their
pockets to actually pay for these higher prices. What they can’t
understand is why the government is effectively controlling the fair market
value in lot prices in this territory. In
Speaker: Order please. The Minister of Community S= ervices.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, as I articulated on the floor of the Legislature yesterday and in days past as well, this governmen= t is very much committed to making affordable land readily available, and we are working with our municipal stakeholders, and we are working with many others including First Nation governments and so forth to make land available.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, that is why w=
e have
incorporated approximately $35 million in this year’s budget that we =
are
currently debating on the floor of the Legislature. This money is in suppor=
t of
land development projects, ranging from
In fact, we will be making availabl= e more than 300 residential properties by the end of 2013, least of which will inc= lude just over 100 lots being made available this fall in phase 1 of the Whistle Bend subdivision here in Whitehorse.
So rest assured — we recogniz= e this is an issue of importance and we remain committed to working on this across= government.
Question re: Affordable housing
Mr.
Elias:=
8195; Housing seems to be a hot potato for the government today. Mr.
Speaker, given the struggles many Yukoners experience finding stable,
affordable housing, I will return to the topic my colleague introduced here
today. Our rising population drives up demand for housing. The
Rising demand without rising supply= creates rising rents. It’s the most basic economic process. Vulnerable famili= es are getting squeezed out of the territory they call home and would-be new Yukoners are discouraged from coming because they can’t find a place = to live.
How was the minister so unprepared = for this inevitable effect on our housing market?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, when it comes to making housing available in the territory, the Government of Yukon is very much committed to providing a continuum of housing options, ranging from the harder-to-house; ranging to continuing care; ranging to palliative care; to acute care; and of course to housing and making land readily available.
Housed within this year’s bud=
get that
we are currently debating there is approximately $35 million available for =
land
development. That will equate to approximately 300 residential lots being m=
ade
available by the end of 2013. In addition, there are monies available for
second-stage housing for those families who are fleeing abuse. There are al=
so
additional monies for additional beds to be made available at
Mr.
Elias:=
8195; Well, here are a couple more facts that the ministers have mi=
ssed
today, because I have heard three ministers get on their feet today and say
that housing is a high priority, yet the line item the minister is talking
about has been cut and the five-year capital plan — long-term plan
— there is no plan. It has one year in the long-term capital plan in =
the
budget. Case in point: in their budget briefing they said that this Yukon P=
arty
government, for approximately four years now, has kept $17 million out of t=
he
housing market — $17 million, Mr. Speaker. That speaks for itself.
We have established that the govern= ment continues to fail to address Yukoners’ needs today and it ignores our growing population’s housing needs and jacks up the prices on the few= lots available. Unfortunately, we also have serious concerns about the governmen= t’s plan for the future. Like I said, this year’s long-term capital plan = lays out how much money will be available to build new social housing units. The= re is only $2.95 million in that budget. There is nothing for the year after t= hat or the year after that or the year after that. How much capital money has t= he minister set aside for future years?
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Well, Mr. Speaker, actually if the =
member
opposite looks to future years out, the dollar item for the line item
associated with land development in the territory is on the rise. Much of t=
he
$35 million — approximately $25 million — is going toward the f=
irst
phase of Whistle Bend lot development, to be made available this fall, to t=
he
tune of about 112 lots being made available, with an additional 187 lots to=
be
made available the year after. In addition to that, we are making available=
20
industrial lots in
As well, we are working with munici=
pal
First Nation governments on additional land development projects, whether i=
t’s
in
Mr. Elias:= 8195; Mr. Speaker, I know that this Yukon Party government likes to= put full-page ads in the newspaper. Maybe this government should put in a full-= page ad explaining to Yukoners why they withheld $17.5 million in public money to adjust the housing needs in this territory. Whatever they are doing, itR= 17;s not good enough — shame on this government.
The
government’s plan for future social housing units is no plan at all. =
In
the line item I am talking about here, there is only $2.95 million. This is=
the
long-term five-year forecast. The year after this year, there is nothing.
Following that year, there is zero — not one penny; not one dollar. No
plan — this government knows it. The issue today is that they are
withholding millions of dollars. Finance officials told us it’s still=
in
the bank; yet people can’t even find a place to stay in the capital c=
ity
or in rural
Speaker: Order please. Order.
Hon. Mr. Kent: As I’ve said earlier this week during Question Period, you’ll find the previous Yukon Party governme= nt built a substantial amount of affordable housing — $100 million inves= ted, a 40-percent increase in affordable housing during that term. That was then. This is now. One only has to look at the budget that’s before this Legislature right now to see what this Yukon Party government is doing to invest, not only in affordable housing, but all along the housing continuum= .
We have four ministers here who are responsible for different aspects of the housing needs of Yukoners: the Dep= artment of Health and Social Services, through housing for FASD clients — as mentioned earlier, Options for Independence, the women’s shelter and = the expansion there through Kaushee’s Place that was announced by the Pre= mier and the minister responsible for the Women’s Directorate; substantial investments through the Yukon Housing Corporation in social housing and sta= ff housing and, of course, the additional lots that are being made available. There is $35 million invested in this budget for additional lots and the affordable rentals that are being managed through the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. We’ve done an awful lot and we look forward to d= oing an awful lot more to address this.
Question re: Oil and gas =
development,
Mr.
Barr:=
195; Members of the =
NDP
caucus have attended every one of the Whitehorse Trough oil and gas meetings
over the last two months. At every meeting, and shown through the comments
on-line, Yukoners are overwhelmingly opposed to this disposition process in=
the
Whitehorse Trough. Tagish,
I ask the Minister of Energy, Mines= and Resources: if the public speaks out and says no, as it has, will you exerci= se your authority under the Legislature and refuse the request and terminate t= he proposals?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Again, what I would emphasize to the
member, as I indicated at the start when announcing we had received these
requests, is the opportunity to apply for oil and gas rights within the
Whitehorse Trough has existed for quite some time.
This came as a surprise because thi= s is the first time anyone had actually requested rights in the area and, again, as I indicated when I announced that we had received this. Following public consultation, the government will make a decision. It has to make a decisio= n of whether to approve going to the next stage and accepting bids in all of the areas, some of the areas, or none of the areas. That decision, I would clar= ify for the member, would be made by caucus — by my colleagues and I R= 12; following the conclusion of that process and once I have received the report from officials who are doing the consultation work. We certainly will provi= de for the opportunity for the public consultation to conclude and will make t= he decision following that conclusion.
Mr. Barr:= 195; Mr. Speaker, the decision to move ahead rests solely with the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. Only he has the authority on a decision that will affect thousan= ds of Yukoners and that will affect water, habitat and wildlife for generation= s to come. Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: yes or no? Will you stop this process if Yukoners tell you to?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Again, Mr. Speaker, what I would cl=
arify
for the member is that as part of the team-Yukon approach, the team —=
the
caucus — will make the decision on what to do following public
consultation. As I emphasized when announcing that we had received this req=
uest
for oil and gas rights in the
This came as a surprise because it = is the first time there has been this expression of interest. I indicated at the s= tart of that that we wanted to provide full opportunity for the public to consid= er both the benefits and any potential concerns and to make the government awa= re of their perspective on this. We are currently in the last stages of public consultation. Following that consultation — as I emphasized when firs= t announcing this — government then has to make the decision whether to go to the = next stage and issue a call for bids in all of the areas, some of the areas, or = none of the areas. That decision will be made following the conclusion of public consultation.
Mr.
Barr:=
195; Yukoners are not
feeling very trusting of the Yukon Party government’s commitment to l=
istening
to the people of the
Again, I ask the minister: yes or n= o?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Again, I point out to the member
opposite, as he knows very well, the NDP has been doing everything they can=
to
try to foster people’s fears and to get them concerned about this. Ag=
ain,
as I indicated at the outset of this process, the opportunity to apply for =
oil
and gas rights in the
The NDP left the door wide open to = shallow fracking. We will shut that door. As I emphasized at the start, following t= he conclusion of public consultation, we will have to make the decision whethe= r or not to go to the next stage and accept bids in all the areas, some of the a= reas or none of the areas. That decision has not been made and will not be made until public consultation has concluded at the end of this month.
Question re: Oil-fired appliance safety
Ms.
Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, I&=
#8217;m
again going to ask a very direct question to the Premier, and I hope he ris=
es
and gives a clear yes-or-no answer. Is the Premier considering a public inq=
uiry
into the January carbon monoxide poisoning deaths of three adults and two
children in
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier has alr=
eady
articulated, and as I have also articulated yesterday, the Government of Yu=
kon
will be looking very closely at the results of the investigation that is
currently underway by the coroner. That work is currently underway. In fact,
when we receive that report, we will be reviewing the findings. Once we have
had that opportunity, we will be in a much better position to fully assess =
the
circumstances that led to this very tragic incident and determine what acti=
ons
may be required in the various parts of government.
So, again, it’s very essentia= l that we let the work of the coroner be completed, simply out of respect for the objectivity of her work in this regard.
Ms. Moorcroft: The record will= show that the Premier did not respond to these questions when he was asked them yesterday and has not responded today. Yukoners want to see positive action= so these types of tragedies don’t happen again. The NDP caucus has been clear. We believe we need a public inquiry to move forward. But this govern= ment has not been clear.
Yesterday, one Yukon Party minister= said they were waiting for the coroner’s report before determining what th= ey would do, which seemed to indicate that the government has not ruled out a public inquiry. Meanwhile, another Yukon Party minister said the formation = of an oil furnace working group was “the final piece to this puzzle̶= 1;. The public has been puzzled by this government’s response to this tragedy, and now they’re confused by two ministers saying different things.
Will the Premier please rise and pr=
ovide
the public with some clarity? Is this government considering that a public =
inquiry
will be required to get to the bottom of this tragedy and move forward?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Yesterday when we rose in this Hous= e to respond to this, both the Minister of Community Services and I touched on t= hree separate issues — one, of course, is the coroner’s report that = the minister spoke about in the previous answer; second is, of course, the work= on the Landlord and Tenant Act; and third is the formation of a working group that has been tasked with coming up with an action plan to address the status of oil-fired appliances and oil tank safety here in the Yukon.
We’ve tasked an expert —=
; acting
vice-president of the Yukon Housing Corporation and a certified oil burner =
mechanic
— with chairing this working group. It’s going to be a working
group of experts, which will come up with an action plan for us to address =
the
status of those oil-fired appliances and, of course, the oil tank safety, w=
hich
made up a little better than 50 percent of the concerns that were identifie=
d in
the reports from Mr. Corea. That’s what
we’re doing as far as addressing the safety and the status of oil-fir=
ed
appliances and oil tanks here in the
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now elapsed. We will now pro= ceed with Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BILLS
Bill No. 4: Interim Supply
Appropriation Act, 2012-13 — Second Reading
Clerk: Second reading, Bill No. 4, standing in the name of the Hon. = Mr. Pasloski.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I move that Bill No. 4, entitled Interim Supply Appropriation Act, 2012-13, be now read a second time.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Hon. Premier that Bill No. 4, entitl= ed Interim Supply Appropriation Act, 2012-13, be now read a second time.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Let me start off by again saying th=
at, as
we move forward with a new budget, what you’re seeing is record
investment in the
Now, I was very disappointed, not o= nly in the response to the budget by the Leader of the NDP, but from her entire ca= ucus. I go back to what they talked about and what the Leader of the NDP talked a= bout in her response to the throne speech, where she talked about the Official Opposition really being a positive voice in the Assembly. She said that the government would be wise to listen to this opposition and that the Official Opposition is offering the government suggestions and proposals.
But what did we hear in their respo= nses to the budget? All we heard was negativity and criticism. The NDP offered no plans; they offered no solutions. Their responses have been reckless and certainly to their own end. They continue the legacy of the NDP of really trying to paint a picture without telling the whole story.
Now, an example of this hypocrisy c= omes from the NDP leader’s statement on the budget response which —<= /span>
Unparliamentary language<= /p>
Speaker: The word “hypocrisy” is out of order used in that manner, or in any manner.
The Premier has the floor.= p>
Withdrawal of remark
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: It is withdrawn.
An example of talking out of both s= ides of their mouth is the NDP’s statement —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)=
Unparliamentary language
Speaker: The Member for Copperbelt South on a point of order.= p>
Ms. Moorcroft: I would ask on = your point of order that the member opposite withdraw the use of the remark R= 20;hypocrisy” and that he also not substitute other phrases that are also unparliamentary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Both occurrences are, in fact, unparliam= entary, and I would ask the Hon. Premier to withdraw the statements and refrain fro= m using them again.
Withdrawal of remark
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll withdraw that statement.
So, maybe we’ll talk about th=
e NDP
saying one thing and doing another. In the NDP leader’s response to t=
he
budget, she says, “Where are the measures to maintain our focus as a =
government
on climate change and address the main greenhouse gas emitters, which is the
transportation of goods?” Well, you know, I have to look at the fact =
that
they’re saying that this is the main greenhouse gas emitter. But this=
is
a party who was opposed to the creation of an energy economy here in the =
span>
I also want to make a comment about= land use planning and again remind this House that since 1993, the Liberal and t= he NDP have both been in government and neither one of them completed any regi= onal land use plans, so, for the record, this government has completed one, is nearing the completion of a second and is already engaged in the third one.=
Another comment I want to make is r= egarding the comment about co-governance. The member opposite said this is mandated = in the Umbrella Final Agreement. T= his is not mandated in the Umbrella Final Agreement. Cooperation — yes; co-governance &= #8212; no. The Umbrella Final Agree= ment clearly describes a relationship that respects each other’s responsib= ilities.
The entire opposition has already v=
oted
against this budget once, and I just thought it would be appropriate to men=
tion
some of the things that the people on the opposite side have voted against:=
$7
million for a new rec centre in Ross River; $30=
0,000
to start planning on a new fire hall and EMS station in Beaver Creek; $7.3
million for a new emergency response centre here in Whitehorse; 10 more bed=
s at
the Thomson Centre; planning for a new McDonald Lodge in Dawson City; six n=
ew
full-time equivalents in home care to help people stay in their homes longe=
r.
These are things that the people opposite have voted against. They voted
against planning for the
There was $452,000 for the Departme= nt of Environment to conduct a three-year cumulative effects baseline study ̵= 2; they voted against that.
Remediation: $50 million for remedi=
ation
design and planning for assessment for Faro and
Having got that off my chest, I wan=
t to now
talk a bit about the interim supply bill. This act requests spending author=
ity
which, in total, is not to exceed $312,291,000.
Now, the purpose of this spending i=
s to
defray costs for various charges and expenses of the public services of April 1, 2012
Ms.
Moorcroft: That was an int=
eresting
outburst from the Premier. I had thought that we are here to debate Bill No=
. 4,
the interim supply bill, before the House this afternoon. The Premier, in h=
is
efforts to criticize the Official Opposition, in his struggle to find langu=
age
that was not unparliamentary, said that the NDP=
says
one thing and does another. Mr. Speaker, the Yukon Party government says ma=
ny
things and then it doesn’t do them. It doesn’t deliver on housi=
ng;
it doesn’t deliver on accepting the
We in the New Democratic Official Opposition caucus will be supporting the interim supply bill. I will keep m= y remarks brief and I will save debate on the main estimates for the main estimates. = An interim supply measure is a standard practice for the government to bring i= n at this time of the year, so that the operations of governments do continue an= d so that non-governmental organizations continue to function, and so that capit= al projects can continue and keep people in the private sector employed on the= se projects.
I would like to add, though, that w= e are disappointed that once again, the Premier has chosen to bring in a special warrant prior to this House convening, rather than bringing forward for spending authority those amounts for debate in the Legislature. That is something that is open to him and we in the NDP have said before that we wo= uld appreciate them doing that. That’s what we would prefer to see them do.
We would also like to see a more th= orough debate on the budget, and for that reason I am not going to spend a lot of = time on my remarks on the interim supply bill. We will be patient and ask our questions when we get to the main budget for 2012-13.
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I would like to briefly, in speakin=
g in
support of the interim supply bill, correct the Member for Copperbelt South=
. In
fact, there is not a special warrant related to this interim supply bill as=
a
result of the change made to the Standing Orders last fall. The amounts
contained in this bill, which again are the very significant numbers outlin=
ed
here today, will in fact, by virtue of the change to the Standing Orders, be
voted on on the last day of March if they have =
not
been voted on by that point. So the member is mistaken in that assertion th=
at
this bill is backed up by a special warrant as was past practice. This is p=
art
of the steps that have been taken to reduce the use of special warrants, wh=
ich
are in some cases necessary, such as at the tail-end of a fiscal year relat=
ed
to a third appropriation act, but it is dramatically reduced by virtually
hundreds of millions of dollars — the amount of expenditures that hav=
e to
be approved through a special warrant.
So, again, a po=
sitive
step taken last fall in the first sitting of this new Yukon Party governmen=
t to
reduce the use of special warrants and ensure that the very large sums that=
are
outlined in interim supply do not, themselves, have to be backed up by a
special warrant, as was a long-standing practice in this House. Again, as the Premier outlined earlier, the amounts, of cours=
e, contained
within the special warrant are related to the need at the beginning of the =
year
to provide funding — up front capital — for certain projects, up
front amounts to NGOs and corporations, like the Hospital Corporation, to b=
egin
their work that occurs at the start of the fiscal year. In some cases, it is
provided through a lump sum transfer at the beginning of the fiscal year, w=
hich
will commence on
So, again, there are some items in = here, including the $15 million that’s provided under the Building Canada <= span class=3DGramE>fund, that is some of the construction work outlined i= n the budget. There is funding in this budget to begin a number of the capital projects that are necessary and to ensure that contracts are not delayed by waiting until the approval of the entire budget, which we all anticipate wi= ll occur in May. With that, I will conclude my remarks and commend the interim supply bill to this Assembly.
Mr. Tredger:= I wish to speak= on the matter before us, — just a couple of points. The Premier mentioned th= at the New Democratic Party, the Official Opposition, was not cooperating. I w= ould remind him that yesterday, when there was an appropriate bill and one that = we felt we could —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Mr. Tredger:= — a motion — and could support in good standing, we did. I will reiterate that we will support the government, where it is warranted, and we will oppose it, where that is warranted. We are here to work with anybody who will help imp= rove the quality of life and the standard of living for Yukoners.
Another remark was made earlier tod=
ay about
the New Democratic Party creating fears in the community. Our community wan=
ts
to participate in the democratic process. This isn’t creating fears;
it’s asking questions.
The lack of information from this
government has itself been responsible for the outburst of democratic conce=
rn
from the citizens of the
Having said that and gotten this of= f my chest, I will turn it over to the leader of the Liberals.
Mr. Elias:= 8195; Mr. Speaker, I’ve been here for six years and it’s very, very, very important for the Premier to set the tone in this Legislat= ive Assembly. I’m not going to get dragged into responding to some of the things the Premier says, but it’s the Premier who sets the tone in he= re. You know, a budget is a statement of intent and an expression of the government’s priorities.
Do we agree wholeheartedly with the government’s priorities? Absolutely not, because = we represent constituents, too. We represent 60 percent of the electora= te who did not vote for the Yukon Party platform. It is how the government spe= nds its money; it’s their long-term forecasts; it’s their line items that we disagree with and hold the government to account, and will hold the government to account. A budget is what the Yukon Party government feels is= in the best interests of Yukoners, and we don’t agree 100 percent with t= he government.
I can go through — how many p= ages do I have here? I can go through at least three pages of things that I voted against, but I’m not going to get dragged into this — I’m even at a loss for words, Mr. Speaker, and that’s a rarity. It’s the tone, and people are listening. It’s about leadership and it̵= 7;s about fulfilling our oaths to Yukoners, and what I heard today is unbecomin= g of a new Premier.
Speaker: If the member now speaks he will close debate. Do any other m= embers wish to be heard?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Well, I want to thank members for t= heir comments and we’ll move on. Thank you.
Motion for second reading of Bil=
l No. 4
agreed to
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I move that the Speaker do now leav= e the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Spe= aker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Who= le.
Motion
agreed to
Speaker
leaves the Chair
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE=
Chair
(Ms. McLeod): Order please. Com=
mittee
of the Whole will now come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill
No. 6, First Appropriation Act, 201=
2-13. Would
members like to take a 15-minute recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now come to order.
Bill No. 6: First Appropriati= on Act, 2012-13
Chair: &= nbsp; The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 6, First Appropriation Act, 2012-13. We will now proceed with general debate on = the bill.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I’m pleased to rise in Commit=
tee of
the Whole today to present introductory remarks for Bill No. 6, First
Appropriation Act, 2012-13, more commonly referred to as the 201=
2-13
main estimates. Madam Chair, members of the Legislative Assembly have truly
noted that the 2012-13 main estimates have a different look and feel to the
documents that have been tabled in prior years. I know that you can appreci=
ate
that the world is a changing environment.
With that, demands for information = are also changing. In addition, we only need to look at the various financial crises experienced around the world in recent years to understand why and how accounting standards are changing to provide for better information.
Madam Chair, to quote Bob Dylan, our
government recognizes that “the times they are a-changin’”.
Granted, these words were penned during a different era with different issu=
es;
however, the sentiment remains relevant and with that the
The first change I would like to dr=
aw to the
Legislature’s attention is the integration of the operation and
maintenance, and capital into one document. This allows us to consider the
total amounts allocated — O&M plus capital — on a departmen=
t-by-department
— more specifically, on a program-by-program basis.
This disclosure should provide the opportunity to the Legislative Assembly to gain a more complete understandi= ng of specific program and departmental requirements. The integration of O&= ;M and capital supports the second presentation change implemented for 2012-13. The primary purpose of the annual budget is for the Legislature to provide spending authority, provided as votes through an appropriation bill for a w= ide range of program, service and capital investments contemplated by the government departments. These are generally understood as the expenditures = of the government. Things are somewhat more complex when we speak of accounting where the calculation of annual surplus requires that we focus on expenses,= not expenditures.
I do not wish to turn this into a
discussion about accounting, as I do recognize that the time of the Legisla=
ture
is better spent on other business. However, allow me to illustrate one exam=
ple.
Our 2012-13 budget provides $7 million for the <=
/span>
This facility will be amortized ove= r the period of its economic life — the period of time that the facility provides an economic benefit to the government, and in this case, that̵= 7;s 40 years. It is the annual amortization expense of $175,000, not the $7-mil= lion expenditure, that will be used for the calculati= on of annual surplus. Members will recognize the expenditure occurs once. However, the principles of full-accrual accounting require that an expense be recogn= ized for each period of time the asset provides an economic benefit. Assuming a 40-year life, the annual utilization, or amortization value, is $175,000. <= /span>
Although we will pay $7 million thi=
s fiscal
year for the
Thank you for your indulgence. In
recognition that this difference may lead to some conclusions for the vario=
us
users of the budget documents, we have provided a summary that reconciles t=
he
appropriations, or spending authorities, to expenses, the value used for the
calculation of surplus. I encourage members to refer to page S-9 of the 201=
2-13
estimates document.
We anticipate that this will lead t=
o a
greater understanding of the
Finally, a few observations on a th=
ird
presentation change of no small significance. As evidence of our ongoing co=
mmitment
to transparency and accountability, we have for the first time included in =
the
budget a summary of the consolidated financial information for the <=
st1:State>
Observations have been made from ou=
tside
sources, such as the Office of the Auditor General and respected think-tanks
such as C.D. Howe, that the relationship between budgetary reporting and
accounting reporting should be improved. These presentation changes do just
that. Yukon
Before I move on to review some of =
the
expenditure highlights of the 2012-13 budget, allow me to provide an overvi=
ew
regarding
I have highlighted the inclusion of consolidated financial information within the 2012-13 budget documents. I believe this to be a significant advancement toward achieving more transpar= ency and accountability in government. Having said that, as I have stated previously, the primary purpose of the appropriation bill and accompanying estimates is to provide disclosure regarding expenditures of the unconsolid= ated entity — those departments and corporations that require spending authority to be approved by the Legislative Assembly through an appropriati= on act. As such, we will be considering, debating and voting on Bill No. 6, First Appropriation Act, 2012-13.
I wish to reiterate that the inclus= ion of consolidated summary financial information is an important step forward. Ho= wever, as Bill No. 6 will be the subject of debate by the Legislature, I will limi= t my comments here to the specifics identified in the subject bill and the accompanying summary financial information. Members will find the supporting summary financial information for Bill No. 6, referred to as the “non-consolidated summaries”, starting on page S-5 of the 2012-= 13 estimates document.
Focusing on the unconsolidated side= , total expenditures, or appropriations, identified in the 2012-13 main estimates a= re $1,156,000,763, of which $925.1 million is allocated to operation and maintenance — O&M — and $231.6 million represents our gover= nment’s investment in capital.
This is the fourth consecutive year= that the Government of Yukon’s expenditures have topped the $1-billion mar= k. Shortly, I will speak of some of the expenditure highlights contained in th= is budget. Suffice it to say, our government continues to make significant exp= enditures on behalf of all Yukoners in the delivery of program, service and capital investments. We have done this without breaking the bank. With all things k= nown today, all decisions to date considered, our 2012-13 budget forecasts an an= nual surplus of $80.009 million. This means revenues for the Government of Yukon= are projected to exceed expenses for the 2012-13 fiscal yea= r.
Of course surplus is not the only i=
ndicator
of our financial well-being that should be considered. Not to put too fine a
point on it, in fact, the pre-eminent measure of a government’s finan=
cial
strength is net debt. We have a net financial resource position of $101.065
million forecast for year-end,
The Yukon
As I have said, net financial resou= rce position is the most important indicator of our government’s fiscal health. This indicator speaks to the future. As I have observed previously,= the 2012-13 main estimates forecast our net financial resource position to be a very healthy $101.065 million.
One final comment on our financial =
health:
our government continues to manage the
As legislators, we need to look bey=
ond
short term and consider long term. Our government has done this to the bene=
fit
of all Yukoners. We have done this without mortgaging the future. As I have
stated previously, our financial health is extremely strong. Our history of
significant investments continues with our government’s 2012-13 budget as our strong fiscal framework provides us the
flexibility to be responsive to emerging priorities and opportunities as th=
ey
are presented to
This provides a very nice segue to = my next point. I would like to offer some observations on risk and uncertainty. I do not own a crystal ball, and I do not possess such foresight that I am able = to predict the future. Risk and uncertainty exist in all facets of life and the same applies here. Having managed the government’s finances over a multi-year horizon since 2003-04, in fact — a period of 10 years R= 12; our government has delivered effective, responsible and disciplined spending initiatives and investments on behalf of Yukoners. As I have just noted, our 2012-13 budget builds on our history of significant investments and provide= s a strong financial base to be responsive to emerging priorities and opportuni= ties as they arise.
We do face some risks, some areas o=
f uncertainty,
and I am confident that our healthy financial position puts us in good stea=
d to
address these, should the need arise.
I highlighted some potential emergi= ng pressures during my budget speech last Thursday, including the expiry of the Building Canada fund in 2014; the territorial health system sustainability initiative in 2014; the absence of a long-term Shakwak arrangement, where funding has been provided only on a year-to-year basis since 2009; and, of course, the Yukon Supreme Court ruling to build a multi-million dollar faci= lity for French-speaking high school students that is currently under appeal.
Arguments may be presented that as
population increases, so does our territorial financing — the TFF
arrangement. Certainly, Madam Chair, our funding arrangement with
Many provincial jurisdictions are c=
ommitted
to being in the black in the very near future. One strategy to achieve this
will be disciplined and conservative expenditure growth, and we’re
hearing it across the country in most jurisdictions. There is a very real
possibility that the PL will flatten — that is, slower growth in the =
PL
will occur, and this will affect future
However, if I can turn the focus br=
iefly to
the infrastructure requirement to support
Our TFF arrangement does not readily provide for these necessary, one-time infrastructure investments. When we h= it that tipping point, and we need to build additional infrastructure and serv= ice capacity, we cannot rely on future funding programs that are unknown at this time. We must be prepared.
We need to be planning and anticipa=
ting as
a government — as Yukoners — to ensure we have the wherewithal =
to
maintain a strong financial position allowing us to be responsive to our
emerging and potential future needs. Our successive budgets have built fina=
ncial
capacity, and we continue to build on that capacity with our forward-looking
financial plan. We have a five-year mandate. We are committed to pursuing
planned, disciplined and affordable expenditure initiated on behalf of
Yukoners.
Our fiscal position provides us wit= h the capacity to be responsive to Yukoners’ needs and to be responsive to emerging pressures without breaking the bank as we move through our mandate= . I have just commented on some of the challenges that we face, and I spoke with great confidence that our government is well-positioned to meet those challenges as they arise. Through this budget I tabled — an $80-milli= on surplus and projected net financial resources of over $101 million — = we are strengthening and building on our ability to be responsive. I think I w= ill stop at that point and carry on later, if I am out of time.
Ms.
Moorcroft: I thank the Min=
ister of
Finance for his opening remarks. I would also like to thank the Department =
of Finance
officials who have been patiently explaining the changes in the reporting
documents and responding to our questions at the Finance briefing.
The Premier, in his Budget Address,= spoke about addressing the challenges that accompany a growing and prosperous economy. As we in the Official Opposition have stated, one of our concerns is that there are a number of challenges that this government has failed to address over many years and in the current budget — for example, the housing crisis. We’ll be later asking the minister to respond regarding the $17.5 million for afford= able housing initiatives that was provided by the federal government some years = ago which this government has still in the bank and has not put that money into investments when there are, in fact, many good proposals before the governm= ent from various organizations that would like to address the needs for a youth shelter, for housing for the hard-to-house and so forth.
Now, in his Budget Address, the Pre=
mier
seemed to be very much staking our prosperity on resource extraction. I wou=
ld
like to have from the minister information about what is the total contribu=
tion
of the mining sector to the economy.
We do know that more than 80 percen=
t of the
revenues that the Government of Yukon spends are from
I want to ask the minister — =
when he
indicates that the current mineral production value is estimated to be appr=
oximately
$420 million — to provide more information on how this is calculated.=
We
want to know what the direct financial contribution to the
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: There were a few things mentioned t=
here.
First off, I will start with the housing because that is where the questions
started. In the very recent past we have invested over $50 million in housi=
ng:
125 new units; 350 units that have been renovated on the low and moderate
income in terms of social housing. There has been a tremendous investment a=
nd
we still have work to do. The money was actually $50 million: $32.5 million=
was
given to all the First Nations for them to do what was important to them in
their housing. So, First Nations got $32.5 million of the total of $50 mill=
ion.
As I have said in the past, a lot of things have been going on in the
So, we’ve gone through a peri= od of time with a massive — for a population this small, we’ve had a = huge investment in infrastructure. Quite honestly, we can only do so much work at one time. If we start — and I think everybody understands this —= ; if we have contractors who have more work than they can handle, and then we th= row more work at them, they’ll say, “Well, okay, I can do that, but this is my price.” So, it’s also about being responsible and sa= ying that we need to be able to get, actually, some value for that money. If we = threw that money on top of everything else that was going on at the same time, we wouldn’t get a lot of value for the money. But there are a lot of thi= ngs that we are doing and that we committed to doing.
We’ve already made the announ=
cement
about Kaushee’s Place. That’s $4.5 million. But there are other=
programs
— more seniors housing in Mayo and perhaps in other communities, as w=
ell.
We have a number of projects on the housing side that are still coming. As =
we
mentioned, this is the first budget of a five-year mandate. There are a lot=
of
budgets to go. We’re not prepared to spend money until we ensure that
we’ve had the right consultation and that we’ve made the prudent
investments, so that Yukoners are going to get the maximum benefit for the =
tax
dollars that we invest on their behalf.
On the royalty side again, I do wan=
t to
remind the members opposite that Yukoners have benefited from royalties. The
royalties that are incurring from Capstone Mining on category A
The last two things — I think= this will answer the member opposite’s questions — is that our grant, our TFF’s total expenditures — has = gone down from 69 percent to 63 percent. In fact, our own-source revenues have increased 68 percent from 2003 to 2011 — a 68-percent increase in our own-source revenues.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)=
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I will give those numbers, but the
comment I was going to make is that what I’m telling you comes from f=
ully
audited Public Accounts that have been audited by the Auditor General of =
span>
Ms.
Moorcroft: The minister ha=
s just
stated that the number of dollars of the impact that the mining sector has =
on
the economy is very hard to provide.
The Premier, in his Budget Address,= did say that with three operating mines the current mineral-production value is est= imated to be approximately $420 million. I would like the minister to explain to us how that $420 million was calculated. When he uses the term, “mineral production value”, does that mean the value of the minerals? What does that mean?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: The member opposite is correct. That would be the value of the minerals that were mined, processed and milled through the year. The value of that would be $420 million. Also, to note further to that, five years ago that value was zero dollars.
Ms. Moorcroft: Can the ministe= r tell us how that $420-million production value is broken down between the three operating mines? The minister spoke about Capstone’s Minto mine and t= hat the Selkirk First Nation had received approximately $10 million in royalties on that. Can the minister tell us what the breakdown is of the $420 million in production value between the three mines — Capstone, Alexco’s Keno Hill Mines properties, and Yukon Zinc’s Wolverine mine?= p>
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I will defer that question to the department, so they can more accurately respond to that question.
Ms. Moorcroft: With all due re= spect, the Premier is also the Minister of Finance. He has his Deputy Minister of Finance sitting beside him. I would like to draw to the Premier’s att= ention that, for the 2011-12 budget, the Department of Finance was not called for debate. In the 2010-11 main estimates, the Department of Finance wasn’= ;t called for debate. So I would ask the minister if he could answer the quest= ion.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: This isn’t an answer that is =
going
to come from Finance. This is data that’s from the companies who are =
in
the business of extracting minerals.
That’s their business. As pub= licly traded companies, I assume that reporting occurs there. However, as I menti= oned before, I think the person to answer that question would be the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Well, I underst=
and that
Yukon Zinc’s Wolverine mine is not, in fact, publicly traded. I would
again remind the member opposite that we cannot rely on getting answers to =
our
questions in general debate. During the 2010-11 general debate on the main =
estimates,
the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources was not called, so I would li=
ke
to ask the minister in general debate. In his Budget Address, he told the
public that the current mineral production value is estimated to be
approximately $420 million, with three operating mines. In the interest of =
what
the member, in his opening remarks, called an open, transparent and account=
able
process, I’m asking for an open, transparent and accountable process.=
I would ask the minister if he can = provide the information I’m requesting, which is the breakdown on the $420 million for the current mineral production value.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: The companies have to report their production in ounces to the government. The work and the calculation for any royalties due or not due are all completed through the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. So that is a question that should be asked during deba= te of that department on a line-by-line basis.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Notwithstanding=
the
increase in own-source revenues, this government remains reliant on federal
monies. There is a lack of money from the resource sector. The royalties th=
at
are paid come only after profit, and there are significant tax credits and =
the
ability to use write-offs.
Mines are also not in production fo= r very many years, generally. There is generally a very short lifecycle. How is th= is government going to improve our financial picture by reducing our reliance = on the federal grants?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I think I sort of answered that que= stion. That’s exactly what we’re doing. Our dependency on the territor= ial formula financing has decreased from 69 to 63 percent. Our own-source reven= ues have increased by 68 percent from 2003 to 2011, so I think that’s exa= ctly what we have done and what we’ll continue to do.
Let’s look at what’s ha= ppening in the economy. According to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, in the time pe= riod from 2002 through to 2010 the real GDP of Yukon — in constant 2002 dollars — grew by 41 percent. The mining and oil and gas extraction s= ector accounted for 24 percent of that growth.
This sector’s share of the territory’s GDP changed from 2.7 percent in 2003 to 9.2 percent in 20= 10, after growing 374 percent during this period. A portion of GDP attributed t= o public administration, health care and social services and education services fell from 39 percent to 37 percent of the GDP in this period. So, having said th= at, while I still have some time and the fact that I have not completed the spe= ech I was trying to give, I am going to use a few minutes of my time to continue on, because this an important part that I do want to talk to the opposition about.
Recently a member of this Assembly =
took
particular issue with these projections tabled with the budget, going so fa=
r as
to suggest that the figures were fudged. I appreciate that the Speaker was
quick to bring decorum back to the Assembly. The department officials condu=
ct
themselves with the utmost professionalism and, in fact, I have had the Min=
ister
of Energy, Mines and Resources speak to this same issue — I think it =
was
only yesterday. Comments such as those uttered by the members are not helpf=
ul.
They only serve to impugn the integrity of the officials who work so
conscientiously on behalf of Yukoners.
The members opposite continue to ta= lk about the public service, but every time they come in here, they’re slamming them.
It seems a good time as any to prov= ide a couple of observations on budgeting. The budget is an annual exercise repre= senting the estimated revenues and the planned expenditures for the year, tabled wi= th the plan that they are anticipated results, most notably highlighted by the projections of an annual surplus of $80 million, and the net financial reso= urce position of $101 million at year-end. The key word here is “plan̶= 1;. As we all know, plans are subject to change. New priorities emerge. In some cases, emergencies need to be addressed, and market and economic conditions= can change. I spoke of some of these potential challenges earlier.
As we move through the fiscal year,=
we will
continue to make decisions, many of which cannot be anticipated by a budget=
. I
think that is the same for everybody here when they’re running their
budget in their own personal lives. I cannot imagine a government that is n=
ot
willing to review its plan — not willing to make choices, not willing=
to
make decisions that will benefit Yukoners.
Our government will not remain stat= ic; it will respond as required to meet these challenges. In doing so, it is likely that the fiscal framework will be altered. I truly wish I had a crystal bal= l; this discussion, then, would really be unnecessary. Our budgets are based on the best information available at the time that they are prepared. The budg= et represents our forecasts at a point in time, based on the information that = is available. To suggest otherwise is simply offensive.
It is a certainty that the 2012-13 = plan will change and our government will be held accou= ntable to Yukoners through the future supplementary estimates tabled, as required. With that, Madam Chair, I’m now going to move on and provide the Committee with some highlights of some of the expenditure initiatives refle= cted in this budget.
I noted in my earlier comments that= this 2012-13 budget reflects total expenditures of approximately $1.157 billion, of which just under $232 million is directed toward significant capital investments for the benefit of Yukoners and appr= oximately $925 million is allocated for operation and maintenance.
As I have repeated throughout, our
commitment to fiscal responsibility remains strong while we continue to inv=
est
strategically in the
I would like to take this opportuni= ty to highlight some of the more significant expenditure initiatives. Allow me to focus first on the capital investments identified in this budget. Our government has had a string of significant capital budgets — five suc= cessive years where capital investments have exceed $200 million — and 2012-1= 3 is no exception.
As I noted earlier, the 2012-13 bud=
get
includes $231.6 million for capital expenditures, covering a number of
important investments across a number of sectors, including $34.984 million
allocated to land development; $53.145 million in support of the territory&=
#8217;s
transportation infrastructure; $39.334 million for the planning and
construction of a number of facilities, including the continued support of =
our
building maintenance program; and $65.282 million to support a variety of
investments in municipal and community infrastructure.
Economic activity in
We continue to be proactive, planni= ng and developing the necessary and appropriate infrastructure to meet these growi= ng demands. Our commitment to land development is significant, totalling approximately = $160 million over the next four years, of which $34.984 million is allocated for= the 2012-13 year. I wish the member of the third party were here to hear that, = because he seemed to be thinking there was only money in this year’s budget. =
Whistle
I mentioned our multi-year plan of
approximately $160 million over four years. Certainly, with the development=
of
Whistle Bend, a significant amount is allocated to
I will take this opportunity to hig= hlight that just under $26 million of the $160 million is identified for various municipal and community developments throughout the territory. Clearly, our government has a significant commitment to developing and providing for developed land across this territory. Yukon is a large territory connected = by an impressive network of transportation infrastructure managed by the Yukon government including: a highway system of just over 4,800 kilometres; a tot= al of 128 bridges; two ferries; one national airport; 11 regional and/or commu= nity airports; and 17 airstrips. Our investment in transportation-related infrastructure is indeed impressive, and it requires significant annual resources to continue to maintain our infrastructure to a satisfactory standard.
For 2012-13, the budget includes ju=
st over
$53 million related to transportation-related expenditures. Significant rec=
onstruction
projects include: $15 million under Shakwak for the Haines Road and the nor=
th
Alaska Highway; $1.6 million for culvert replacement on the Klondike Highwa=
y at
Too Much Gold and Allgold creeks; $8.75 million=
for
reconstruction and surface repairs on the Campbell Highway; $2.6 million fo=
r improvements
on the Atlin Road; $6 million for the Upper Liard bridge; and $2 million for
the Takhini Hot Springs Road.
Our investment is not limited to significant reconstruction efforts. We also see $2.93 million for the pavem= ent rehabilitation program and $1 million allocated specifically toward rehabil= itation of secondary roads.
Under airports, approximately $3.7 =
million
is allocated, of which $1.82 million is targeted for work in community-base=
d airstrips
and airports. The balance of $1.875 million is provided for various project=
s at
the
I started this section with a summa=
ry
inventory of some of the elements that make up our transportation network, =
and
earlier I spoke of some uncertainty related to the Shakwak funding. Includi=
ng
Shakwak, we have had success in leveraging funds from other sources, includ=
ing
the Building Canada fund.
Our transportation network is integ=
ral to
the
Should outside funding sources decr=
ease or
expire,
Turning to building construction =
8212;
this budget provides for some much-needed investment. In some cases, our
2012-13 investment will initiate a multi-year project providing employment
opportunities throughout
Third, NGO support — specific= ally, projects in partnership with NGOs, to address some of the housing issues fa= cing Yukoners. $3 million for second-stage housing for a total of $4.5 million o= ver three years to support Kaushee’s, and $2.95 million for Options for Independence, with a total of $3.05 million over 2 years.
These are all significant projects =
that
address a variety of needs across
Our government is committed to ensu= ring effective and appropriate stabilization and management of our building port= folio. Starting during the 2010-11 fiscal year, a core investment envelope of $12 million was identified in support of our commitment to the building mainten= ance program. This was continued in 2011-12, and again for 2012-13, we have identified $12.568 million in support of this program. The Department of Highways and Public Works continues to work with all departments to identify maintenance priorities and immediate deliverables to ensure budget work wil= l be completed.
Moving on to mu=
nicipal
infrastructure: bolstered by Building Canada, investment by our government =
in
municipal-based projects remains significant, providing $65.282 million. Specifically, under the Building Canada fund, approximately 50
projects approved under the annual capital plan submitted to
The bulk of these expenditures are =
directed
toward community water, sewer and waste water, as well as road infrastructu=
re
upgrades — all very important investments for the respective communit=
ies.
Examples include $1.375 million all= ocated to a well head project at Burwash; $2.107 million for the Carcross water sy= stem treatment project; $10.779 million in Dawson City to continue the sewage treatment and district heating projects; $5.615 million allocated to Haines Junction for the water treatment, water reservoir and pump system projects; $3.865 million for upgrades to the Old Crow water supply; $1.276 million in= Teslin to undertake road and drainage upgrades; $2.419 million for water and sewer pipe replacement in Watson Lake; and $6 million is directed to Marwell water and sewer upgrades.
The complete list of projects is re= ally quite impressive. We are truly spanning and delivering projects across the entire territory. I encourage members to refer to the 2012-13 capital budget and the multi-year plan for additional details.=
If I may, a few brief observations =
about
our multi-year plan: management of the
I recognize the multi-year plan ser= ves primarily as a guiding and planning tool, representing preliminary figures. These are plans, continually under review and adjusted as necessary for emerging priorities and trends. Notwithstanding, all things being equal, the multi-year plan highlights our government’s undertaking to provide st= able and predictable expenditure investments.
I am proud of our achievements on t= he capital side of the ledger. I am no less proud of what we have accomplished= on the O&M side. There are significant investments on the O&M side that reflect the government’s commitment to providing the best services to Yukoners. As I noted earlier, the 2012-13 budget provides just over $925 million for O&M.
I will limit my comments to just a =
couple
of highlights. Yukoners deserve the very best in health care and, where pos=
sible,
Yukoners should be able to receive those services right here in the =
$1.629 million and $2.376 million a=
re
ongoing to be allocated over two years. This funding will allow for the ope=
ning
of 10 additional beds at the Thomson Centre, bringing the total of new beds=
to
29. $797,000 is being provided to the Hospital Corporation in support of
opening six new beds at the
Mr.
Tredger:=
I would remind =
the
Premier, as he may not be aware, that it is a practice of this House not to
refer to the absence of another member. I would also like to remind the Pre=
mier
of an exchange we had a little bit earlier in the day and ask him to set a =
proper
tone. We have a very good civil service. The NDP has constantly said that. =
I believe in their integrity; I bel= ieve in their ingenuity and I believe in their creativity. The NDP does as well. I think it’s unfortunate that the Premier is following the lead of the = Energy, Mines and Resources minister, and he is beginning to make inferences, impute motives and cast aspersions on the New Democratic Party.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Chair: Mr. Cathers, on a point of order.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Madam Chair, on a point of order. T= he Official Opposition House Leader is imputing unavowed motives to me that are certainly not correct, and that is contrary to Standing Order 19(g).=
Mr. Tredger:= On the contrary= , Madam Chair. I believe the Premier referred to the NDP as “slamming the civ= il service”. I don’t believe we slammed anyone.
Chair’s ruling
Chair:
I think t=
hat both
sides of the House have been straying from the purpose of the debate, so I =
am
going to ask that everybody focus on the business at hand.
Ms.
Moorcroft: At the outset, =
I would
like to say that the New Democrats and the Official Opposition caucus have =
the
utmost respect for the integrity and the competence of the public service. =
The
minister has just spoken about a number of items and has gone through an
overview of some of the operation, maintenance and capital expenditures. On=
e of
the items that he spoke to was land sales.
He spoke to the fact that they were addressing priorities, but that they also needed to respond to emerging priorities. I would submit to the member opposite that the need for housing= is a long-standing need. This Yukon Party government has been in office for 10 years. There are a number of priorities that they have not addressed. There= are a number of commitments that they have made that they have not delivered on= and the availability of lots and availability of affordable lots is still a considerable problem. There are lots on the market that are priced at market value and this is flawed, because it’s not working and the lots are b= eing left vacant. Are they looking at the sale of land to balance the budget? I would say it is flawed, because they aren’t selling these lots.
In the Yukon Party platform, they i=
ndicated
that they would continue to make land available to Yukoners for community,
residential, recreational, agricultural, commercial and industrial purposes,
while respecting the interest of existing landholders as one of the highest=
By streamlining the land application process and ensuring that the appropriate policies and administrative structures are put in place to manage Crown land in the territory. There aren’t enough lots available on the market, and the lots that are on = the market are unaffordable. Can the minister respond on how he is, in fact, go= ing to make more land available?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I think that for me to answer for w=
hat or
wasn’t done is not appropriate for me to answer, seeing that I and mo=
st
of this caucus have been members of this Assembly since October of last yea=
r. I
think that when she talks about sending land to balance the budget, I think=
we
have just, through this process, been talking about the budget we have put
forward that has an $80 million surplus to it right now. So I don’t t=
hink
there was any talk of selling land to balance the budget at all. Certainly,=
the
purpose of developing land is just that. It’s to develop land to get =
it
out there for people who are wanting land. We=
217;re
not in this to make money.
We are trying to develop land and d= o it — the first priority is to ensure that we get our costs covered. We w= ill continue to look at what it is and where we can continue to improve by redu= cing those costs of development and will continue to do that.
Just moving on to the next piece of=
my
speech, it was about our commitment to the environment. So, I want to say t=
hat
this budget includes a number of initiatives designed to protect
There is plenty of rhetoric about e=
conomic
diversification and no doubt, this is an important pillar for a robust econ=
omy.
In partnership with
Through the Department of Education=
, $1.088
million is provided as core funding in support of a two-year extension for =
the
Yukon Research Centre. Yukon Research Centre provides leadership and vision=
for
the research and technology development activities of
Through the Department of Economic
Development, $558,000 is provided as core funding in support of a five-year
extension for the Yukon Cold Climate Innovation Centre. Yukon Cold Climate
Innovation Centre supports the private sector in the development and
implementation of commercial technology solutions that address cold climate=
and
climate change issues affecting northerners. The objective is that this
technology development will feed back into and grow the
These are just a few areas where go= vernment is making a difference.
Before I conclude, allow me a final
observation regarding the Government of Yukon’s finances. Our
government’s commitment to sound financial management remains strong.=
As
a result, we have positive net financial resources. This speaks to our futu=
re
and highlights that we are not relying on future expenditures to fund past =
or
current expenditures. We have an accumulated surplus. This speaks to our fu=
ture
and highlights our economic resources, both financial=
span>
and physical, available for the provision of future programs and services, =
and
we have an annual surplus. This speaks to the present and highlights that
revenues exceed expenditures, allowing us to build the bank and save. As it=
has
in recent years, our savings account will allow us the flexibility to be re=
sponsive
on behalf of Yukoners when it is needed the most. I’m extremely proud=
of
the efforts of our government to provide for a wide range of programs, serv=
ices
and capital investments on behalf of all Yukoners, while maintaining a very
healthy long-term fiscal position.
Looking at our multi-year forecast =
tabled
with this budget, future years remain extremely positive with revenues
projected to exceed expenses for each of the next four years. This forward-=
looking
healthy fiscal framework is what Yukoners can take great comfort in. Indeed=
,
I also want to take an opportunity = to thank the caucus, Cabinet and really all of the departments from within the gover= nment who have worked on putting this budget together, getting the information in= . I also want to recognize all government employees in terms of their work and = the professionalism that they deliver every day. I want to especially acknowled= ge the departments of the Executive Council Office and the Department of Finan= ce who, through their hard work and diligence, really put this together. I rea= lly need to acknowledge the fine and truly the excellent work that they do every day as well.
With that, I will look forward to t= he next question.
Ms. Moorcroft: Let’s jus= t look for a minute at the Yukon Party’s track record then. They have been p= oor financial managers. There are a large number of capital projects that they = have engaged in without a proper case and proper planning. I can give examples of that. The Dawson City and the Watson Lake hospitals — in your riding, Madam Chair, the Watson Lake hospital construction was begun years ago. The building was left to deteriorate; then it started construction again. There= is no proper planning in place for that and the expenditures have spiralled out of control. The staff residence, the Ma= yo B project — in all of those cases, the debts for the large capital construction projects were foisted on to Crown corporations.
We see large variances between the =
main
estimates and the final tally. There was a supplementary budget in December=
of
2011 and then by March of 2012, they required a special warrant of $7.5
million. There are examples, too, of being poor project planners, which also
leads to greater costs.
During their election campaign, the= Yukon Party had a “cut the ribbon” for the new F.H. Collins planning = that a building advisory committee has been working on for years, and then they shelved that and announced they were going to defer that.
In the case of the Whitehorse Corre= ctional Centre, it was a design/build project. It began with initial estimates of $= 30 million and now it has gone over $70 million and more e= xpenditures to come. I would point out that the government, in fact, has been a poor long-term planner. There is no rainy day fund and it has not released a five-year capital plan to the public. This is a requirement of the Finan= cial Administration Manual. We received a $7,500 estimate from ATIPP to rece= ive this information. I would urge the Minister of Finance to release the five-= year capital plan.
We also have great concern with the=
fact
that this government has shirked budgetary scrutiny. Over the past three ye=
ars,
there is more than $1 billion in government spending that has been approved
without any debate by MLAs.
For the 2007-08 fiscal year, of an $862-million budget, $35.5 million of that was not debated. For 2008-= 09, of a $900-million budget, $54 million of that wasn’t debated. Then, in 2009-10, the Yukon Party was very proud of the fact that they now had achie= ved a billion-dollar-plus budget, yet there was $273 million of that budget that was not debated. That climbed in 2010-11. Again, we see increases to a $1.075-billion budget and 46 percent of the total budget — approximat= ely $490 million — was not debated.
There were 13 departments that were= not called for budget debate. Now, that number was lower for the 2011-12 budget= year, with approximately 27 percent, or $293 million.<= o:p>
We do not believe that that is adeq= uate financial oversight. That would not be acceptable at all in the private sec= tor. The government could certainly improve its performance there. There are big surpluses early in the term and then they spend the monies in years 4 and 5 leading up to an election. We have also seen where the budget estimates will predict a surplus and then at the end of the year that surplus will be much smaller than what was predicted. I do not accept the minister’s propo= sition that they are good financial managers. I’d like the minister to indic= ate how he intends, as the new Premier, to improve that record.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: The member talked about the Yukon P=
arty
as being poor financial managers. As I said earlier, this government is
certainly not going to be taking advice on how to run our finances from the=
New
Democratic Party.
Again, I’ll speak to the reco=
rd
deficit in the history of the
Other examples of failed NDP capital
projects include building a 25-person correctional centre in Teslin that ma=
inly
sat empty for the 20 staff members — that cost the taxpayers in 1993 =
more
than $700,000 a year — 20 people working in there and no inmates.
The final example of the NDP’s
judgment in regard to capital programs is the building of a visitor recepti=
on
centre on the
Comparisons should be made to the m= erits of those failed projects, versus the hospitals and power plants that will prov= ide needed infrastructure for our citizens for years to come. We are very proud= to be building for the future. We mention Mayo B — on time, on budget. I don’t think I have to say anything else about that project. = p>
I just only a few minutes ago talke=
d about
the budget and what a budget is. A budget is a plan based on the information
that we have at the time. Based on the best information and the experience =
that
we have, we put together a plan. But that’s exactly what it is —
and plans do change.
As I have said, do I expect it to c= hange? I do. But we are in a position to be able to react, either to opportunities t= hat arise or to challenges or risks or emergencies that could occur. We have the money to be able to deal with that. So is there a chance that it won’t look exactly, at the end of the year, as it does now? Absolutely, but that’s about management. It’s about using a plan as a guideline, but because we’ve been responsible financially — fiscally responsible — we have the ability to meet the needs and opportunities= as they arise. We won’t make any excuses or apologies for that at all, M= adam Chair. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.
We don’t have a rainy day fun= d? We just announced that we’re planning for net financial resources of $10= 1 million. That’s not a rainy day fund? We’re one of only two jurisdiction= s in the whole country that has no net debt. But the opposition NDP is saying th= at we don’t have a rainy day fund. I’ll just leave that comment ri= ght there.
As for the five-year — you=
217;re
sending an ATIPP for a five-year capital plan? You don’t need to do t=
hat;
it’s just in the budget; you just have to look; it’s there. So
members can have a look and see the plan that we have that’s there. A=
s we
have said, planning in advance is just that; it’s preliminary.
It is showing commitments to the co= mmunity that we are committed to investing in, but these plans can change based on = what is going on? What are the opportunities? What are the risks that occur over that time? The member talks about all of these dollars that don’t get debated. My only comment to that is, if we want to debate, make sure that y= ou budget your time. You can budget your time so that you can get through the = process — unless you want to drill down and talk about a thousand dollars her= e, or spend a lot of your time really providing criticism and political commen= ts or trying to really, as I said, paint a picture with half a story. There is= an obligation, and I guess it speaks to that management that the NDP have shown historically, which is that they can’t budget. So if you want to get through the budget, you know how much time you have; budget your time accor= dingly so that you can get through all of the departments.
I guess the last comment that I wil= l make on this was your comment about — and you’ve said it a couple of times — the honourable member across — is about how they budget= in the private sector. I can tell you most assuredly that there isn’t a six-week debating budgeting process in the private sector when they are building budgets for their plans. That just does not occur, Madam Chair, so I’m really sort of at a loss. I’m not sure whether the member opposite has actually been involved in a corporate budget process before or not, but I can tell her from my almost 25 years that there wasn’t suc= h a thing occurring. So I hope that answers her question.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Madam Chair, wh=
en it
comes to allocating our time and debating this budget, we are here on behal=
f of
the public to ensure that the over $1 billion of public funds that this
government is spending is debated. We need answers to questions in order to=
move
on and we need to see House leaders achieving agreement. We haven’t y=
et
come to the discussion on the length of the sitting, but it is incumbent on=
us
as representatives of the public to debate the budget, to debate all
departments of the budget and to engage in an exchange where we receive ans=
wers
to questions.
I would also make the comment that,= as we have said, there is a significant reliance — over 80 percent of our r= evenues — coming from the Government of Canada. That’s not something th= at we can necessarily rely on forever.
Earlier this afternoon when we star=
ted the
debate, I was asking the member to provide information on the revenues that
come in that are generated within the territory. We see in the summary of t=
he
estimates by revenue that personal income taxes generate a little over $60
million and that corporate income taxes generate a little over $20 million.=
Can
the minister comment on why the personal income tax revenues are so much hi=
gher
than the corporate income tax revenues when he is trumpeting the contributi=
on
of the resource sector to the economy?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: First off, I think the member oppos= ite is correct that the actual session length has not been determined. I think it needs to be by House Leaders by early next week, I think — by Standing Orders — to agree on a total length of time. But once we do have that time, I think there is an obligation on behalf of the opposition to budget = the time that they have accordingly to ensure that we can move through all of t= he items that are being presented by the government and have those discussions= .
I just finished speaking not long a=
go about
how much money we get from
So, again, we see examples of eithe= r not knowing or just deciding to use different numbers from what, in fact, in reality, those numbers are. I only stated it just a few minutes ago, but the member opposite is trying to imply something different.
Increase in tax revenue is really an
indication of the fruition of the work that has been done in the last numbe=
r of
years by this government to create a private sector economy — a priva=
te
sector economy that today rivals the public investment in the economy, and =
that
is tremendous. Because of that work, because we’ve created that envir=
onment,
because we’ve put that environment in place that has created hundreds=
of
mining jobs, tourism jobs, thousands of jobs in exploration in the placer
industry and thousands of indirect jobs — yes, our revenues continue =
to
grow. That is because there are more people here and, really, that is a tre=
mendous
— I mean, that’s really what we’ve been striving to do
— to get people to move here, to start businesses here, to be working
here, to pay taxes — because that is where we will continue to be abl=
e to
reinvest in the Yukon, doing it very strategically and in a manner that ens=
ures
we are not creating net debt and that we continue to move ahead and have th=
at
flexibility.
Another comment I just thought of i=
s that a
lot of businesses are not incorporated and, in fact, are unincorporated
businesses. So when that happens, it is difficult to truly reflect what is =
business
tax, what is personal tax. So, much business income is declared as personal,
not corporate tax. That makes it difficult. You want to make sure that when=
you
look at corporate tax that you are creating a climate for investment. If you
had the highest tax rate in the country, then some companies will just deci=
de
they don’t want to be here. In fact, I did mention yesterday that when
you look at the base-metal mining sector, and when you combine royalties and
taxes together, it is, in fact, the highest in the country — the high=
est
rate in the country.
If we want to look at tax revenue f= or corporate tax — the actual for 2010-11 corporate tax was roughly just over $9,028,000 and our estimate for 2012-13 is $20,702,000, so that is more than a 100-percent increase in corporate tax. Personal income tax in 2011 actually was $52,793,000. The estimate for personal income tax for 2012-13 = is $60,602,000, nowhere near the increase as there is in t= he corporate tax. Corporate tax is going up by over 100 percent in two years. =
I think that what you’ll cont=
inue to
see is more people working here, more businesses here. It’s creating
increased revenues for the government that will help deliver those programs
that we talked about. If it’s protecting the environment, if it’=
;s
building a new school, or if it’s dealing with the issues and
opportunities in health care or in tourism or building new roads —
whatever it is here in the
Chair: It has been requested that we take a recess of 15 or 20 minut= es, as you wish. Would the members like to take a break?
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Let’s make it 15 minutes.
Recess
Mr.
Barr: I would just like to start by saying th=
at I
would like to thank everybody for the comments. One thing I was thinking ab=
out
earlier: I was told a long time ago that there are always three sides to ev=
ery
story and I thought, “What? Three sides to every story? Well, I’=
;ve
got mine for sure.” Of course, the other si=
de
always had theirs, and then the third one is the truth. I’m looking f=
orward
to going through the rest of this sitting and recognize that I came here to
work with everybody in the room.
I was happy to hear in the Premier&= #8217;s address that we are going to be receiving a new fire hall in the member opposite’s riding of Beaver Creek. I think that the rural communities= are definitely holding together with a lack of services. The more that we can p= ut into services in any of the communities is a good thing. I would like to say that I know that I didn’t see a volunteer fire department coming up in Carcross, so I would like to maybe give a little bit of history about Carcross’ fire department. We are in quite an awkward state right now= . So we’re looking forward and looking ahead.
We have the water transfer station that’s going forward, which used to house the ambulance — and I guess still will, which is another topic. In Carcross, the fire truck we did get — because the other one was pretty outdated; we got one that came from Marsh Lake, I believe — is too big to be where it should be hous= ed, where it can actually access water. Now it has to be taken out of where it = is and brought over to the water transfer station, which is coming along, and it’s in an old government warehouse in Carcross.
I know the struggles with volunteer=
ism in
the communities that we have right across the territory, not only in the
Southern Lakes — whether it’s ambulance or EMO or volunteer fire
department. A lot of those folks are working hard to keep their numbers up,=
and
the population is aging, as it is in Carcross. Carcross recently signed up =
six
new folks and that’s a great thing, especially in Carcross where
they’re training in the volunteer fire department part because they
really don’t have a training room in there. So that space is lacking.=
I would hope that we would be able =
to put
forward that — not that I am aware of Carcross — Tagish has a g=
reat
one — you know, the things that have been built there.
I would ask the Premier if we could= move forward with Carcross, as it has seemed to fall behind. I might add that th= ey were to be the next on the list, but it got switched to Beaver Creek. Why d= id that happen?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Before I answer that question, I ju=
st
want to go back, for the record, in terms of corporate tax. Upon review, =
span>
Thank you for the question from the=
Member
for
The answer to that question, howeve= r, is that the timing of when these buildings are up for renewal is determined by= the fire marshal’s office. In the government, they look at all the assets that they have and then they identify the priorities and that’s how t= hey move up. That’s my answer to your question. Thank you.
Mr.
Barr:=
195; I realize that =
there
has actually also been a shift in the fire marshal. There has been a change
with fire chiefs and direction from
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Thank you for the comment, and I gu=
ess
I’ll just add that we will work closely and do work closely with the
respective departments and with the communities.
I made it known once I became the L=
eader of
the Yukon Party that if I were elected as Premier that I would be attending=
the
AGM of the Association of Yukon Communities — AYC. Historically, it h=
as
just been the Community Services minister who has represented the governmen=
t.
I’m proud to say that not only will the Minister of Community Service=
s be
there, but I will be there and, in fact, there will be other ministers ther=
e as
well, in terms of showing that commitment that we have to working with the
municipalities throughout the beautiful territory
Mr.
Barr:=
195; I believe IR=
17;ll be
at the same conference and so I look forward to those discussions and heari=
ng
about how we’re going to proceed together. I’ll just stick on s=
ome
of the places that I didn’t see that might be receiving some attentio=
n.
When we were recently in
The training space is great, althou= gh I do know that there are heating issues in that building. The water is freezing = up; they can’t really deal with it until they change over the heating sys= tem in there to put in isopropyl or antifreeze into the lines. So they’ve been experiencing difficulties there. I didn’t see anything that would address some of those things. With the length of the ba= y, when the ambulance comes in — it wasn’t built in such a way that you could actually get the gurney out. You have to leave the door op= en to be able to do that. So in the planning, as we move forward, I think R= 12; when we were talking about plan-as-you-go or how those things move forward — we have to pay special attention and work with the people who are actually delivering those services on a day-to-day basis because they know best.
When we were there, that was one of= the issues. So when they back up — I was in a space like about this much — three feet from the back door. So I would encourage the minister to check out that kind of thing because that’s not working.
They also have to wash off those am=
bulances
in those bays. Without having enough space or proper drainage — and
I’m thinking it’s fine in summertime, but we do live in a clima=
te
that’s cold most of the year — but here was a pad built outside
that the ambulance would drive on outside to do the washing, but on a level
that drains back into the building. Even if it’s in the summertime, t=
he
drainage doesn’t work properly. I know that this is one of the new
places. Also in regard to the ambulance and the volunteer fire department f=
olks,
much of their emergency outfits have been — people are coming with ri=
pped
stuff; they’re wearing their jeans. They don’t have the proper =
garb
to be able to — even if they’re at a scene and they have the fl=
uorescent
vests and coats and things that go along with all of those. Will the Premier
let me know how we will be addressing those particular issues?
We will be addressing those particu= lar issues and I would say that the outfit part is throughout the territory. Th= at is one thing I have been hearing that I don’t see in the budgets.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I want to thank the member opposite=
for
his comments. Certainly, I think as we go along, he will learn that perhaps=
it
would be better spoken to under the department debate, but I assume that to=
day
there are some standards in terms of what is required. Certainly I can say =
with
confidence — I know that with equipment — I know that we had a
briefing that, for example, helmets for firefighters have to be replaced ev=
ery
10 years even if they’re still in their original box and never came o=
ut
of that original box. If it’s 10 years old, it needs to be replaced. I
think that there are some very stringent regulations in terms of equipment
requirements for firefighting and fire prevention in
Mr.
Barr:=
195; We were speakin=
g also
about the budget and that
I, too, would like to be able to be=
happy
to announce that the community centre in Carcross, which I don’t see =
in
the planning — and it didn’t burn down, but is quite old. We ha=
ve
really outgrown that community centre in the community of Carcross. I do kn=
ow
that even with the last wedding there, it’s not large enough. It has =
been
mentioned that we are growing and people are coming and we do need more spa=
ce.
So when I think of Carcross being n= umber one on the future tourism development studies, and that a return on capital — Carcross is the best place for investment at this point in time = 212; to see things flourish with the proximity to Skagway and with the whole Southern Lakes loop. The communities themselves in the Southern Lakes are willing to work together to complement each other.
A community centre could possibly w= ork along the lines of a similar idea going on in Haines Junction with the trip= artite agreement with Parks Canada, with the First Nations and the community ̵= 2; that we could combine something like that and work together toward creating= not only a community centre, but a gathering place in which we could hold touri= sm events. We’re looking at music festivals there, such as have been goi= ng on and have had a great response all over the territory.
Carcross is ready and willing to do=
that,
along with the tourism and the plan with the First Nation to go ahead with
residential units and retail space behind the new visitors centre. If we co=
uld
combine something like the centre with Parks Canada, with a potlatch house,=
and
maybe have the college enter into that space as =
part
of a long-term rental, that would provide O&M. We would then be enhanci=
ng
community wellness and also providing an added attraction. When
I think of the paleontology department — I know that the honourable
member opposite, the Minister of Justice — the dinosaurs and all those
fossils. A good part of what has been gathered is from the
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I guess I would start just by ackno=
wledging
what the member opposite described in terms of
I went to the Yukon Hospital
Foundation’s Festival of Trees. Before that, I was at the pro-am golf
tournament in the summer. What we’re seeing is way more companies
involved in making donations. Not only are we seeing more things being dona=
ted,
but record amounts of money are being raised because there are more people;
there’s a stronger economy; and people are more generous with their
donations. In fact, there was a commitment by the Yukon Hospital Foundation=
to
raise $2 million toward the purchase of an MRI. The goal was to do that over
three years. And then also, actually, this government committed to match th=
ose
funds to a total $4 million to buy an MRI and to put it in the special room
that it would need, because it has special requirements. But it sounds like
Yukon Hospital Foundation will meet their goal, not in three years, but
probably in two years, which is speaking to what exactly is going on in
We have a lot of economy. We have a= lot of diversification. There are a lot of people working. This is one of those ex= tra spinoffs that occur. You know, when the gymnastics team or the band or the hockey teams are looking for money and fundraising, it is not as hard as it used to be. That is because there is a lot of money around; people are generous. As a result of it, we are all winners from it.
As for your comments — I just
don’t have it with me, but I was going to make mention of the signifi=
cant
investment that
Coming from a small community, I kn= ow what that’s like and I know how important that is and how grateful I am th= at there are people in every community who are so committed to their community= and not for personal reasons, but for their community as a whole. They need to = be recognized for the work that they do. I’m confident that the good peo= ple of Carcross will continue to work toward all of the opportunities that are = out there in front of them. I do know in terms of community distribution for Carcross for the 2012-13 year, we’re looking at expenditures of just slightly below $3 million invested by the government into the community of Carmacks right now.
A lot is being done. There’s =
more
work to do. It’s another one of those beautiful spots that we have ma=
ny
of here in
Mr. Barr:= 195; Just for a litt= le clarification about that $3 million or so — is it Carmacks or Carcros= s? Because I would rather it be going to Carcross. = I know they’re similar. I want $3 million to all the rural communities.
I’m glad that money is moving=
toward
there. I would hope that, with the remainder of the funds that are going
forward, the consultation process — we’ve seen with the debacle=
of
the signage and the one-way street in Carcross and I know we’ve made =
some
changes and maybe left to line items later on with the minister —
however, as we’re speaking about it, I would hope that we could reali=
ze
that in our consultation with these budgets — that we do it the first
time when we’re making these consultations — and follow the
direction of the people who actually live in that area, especially in this =
area
where it looks like we’re going to have to go back and redo some work
— so, throwing good money after bad, really.
Actually, the good people of Carmac= ks — or Carcross, actually — it’s easy to do — there a= re even people that are willing to put in their own time to tear up some of th= ose curbs that are kind of a safety hazard. No, I wasn’t directing anythi= ng other than a hazardous situation of people stepping off a high curb, and ma= ny who come to visit Carcross are elderly. As we spend this money, I guess the important thing is that we look at the consultation process, as we are deal= ing with, in a great large way, with the Peel planning process right now.
Having said tha=
t, it
leads me to this budget and volunteerism and the volunteer strategy.=
I don’t see a volunteer strategy. I understand that the=
re has
been a cut — I believe the efforts by the person who is directing the
territory to foster volunteerism in the
When I think back years ago, I was =
actually
in attendance. It’s a national situation where volunteerism is declin=
ing
right across the country. So, as we mentioned with the fire departments, EM=
S,
EMO, let alone the people who are coming out for these consultations, takin=
g up
their time, people who are helping out with the Arctic Winter Games —
which was a huge success — we do know that, fiscally, volunteers are
volunteers. We are not hiring them to come and do these things. So, I think=
it
would be prudent to be able to reassess the office of the Volunteer Bureau =
in
the Yukon to help them to continue to recruit, advertise — however th=
is
plan goes — but we look at a strategy that is going to recognize the =
good
will of the people who do come forward. With the winter games, with the
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: First off, I will apologize for say= ing Carmacks instead of Carcross. Maybe we should have — less than 26 communities, it should be only one per letter or something like that, but t= hank you for pointing that out. That was the amount for Carcross.
As for a specific position, I would=
like to
defer that question to the department briefings and our department debate, =
if
we could, because I honestly can’t answer that. But what I can tell y=
ou,
most assuredly, is that on the O&M side, every department has had an
increase. There isn’t any department that has less money in O&M t=
han
they had before. There has been no increase on the O&M side for any
department at all. Excuse me, I need a drink of water and then I’ll m=
ake
sure that I say that properly. There has been no decrease. In fact, every d=
epartment
has had an increase in their O&M budget — except for the elections
office, because there’s no election this year. They get budgeted more
money in an election year, but I believe it’s about the same that it =
was
in the year prior to that. So, get it all clear: every department has had an
increase in their O&M budget except for Elections Yukon. It’s bac=
k to
where it is on years when they don’t have an election. So thank you f=
or
that.
You mentioned the Adäka — I have to think back — that’s one of those wonderful ev= ents that’s now occurring. I’m looking fo= rward to it being in the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre this summer. Last summer, the Minister of Community Services and I were so excited, we were dancing on the stage — traditional dancing on the stage during that event — an= d we certainly look forward to participation and engagement in the festivities around that event again. I heard they’re going to sell tickets next y= ear for that event.
Mr. Barr:= 195; I was aware tha= t the Premier and the minister opposite have been hanging around the river lately= and it’s good to see. That’s all I have for now.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I’d like to state for the rec=
ord
that the Minister of Community Services and I, in fact, were by the river a
couple of times recently. One was for the opening of the new
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; This is a diffe=
rent bit
of an angle on a budget question and it’s going to be really brief. I
just want to point out that when answers are often premised with some real
negatives regarding this party or the leader or the Third Party, it’s=
not
helpful. One of the things that was brought up w=
as
time management and our skills at that.
I would like to make a suggestion t=
o the
Premier and see if we could get a response that’s going to be helpful,
and that’s to move forward on budget debate. This side wants to be
prepared as best it can. All of us have more than one critic area and not k=
nowing
what’s coming next makes it difficult for us to be ready with our
questions. I know the House Leaders have talked about this, and a request h=
as
gone out that we have a reasonable schedule of the departments. I mean, we =
know
that the days can vary on how long the debate might go for different
departments, but if we knew ahead of time — this is the order and thi=
s is
how we’re going to get there — this is the order of the departm=
ents
— then we will be better able to show up here, to have our questions
ready and go and get the budget done. That’s what we’re asking,=
and
I’m just wondering if that would be a possibility, where we know the =
intended
order and we can be ready. It would be an efficient use of our time, and it
would be a much better use of your time, as well as the deputy ministers who
have to come and sit here. We’re all for that. This is what we’d
like to do.
We have appreciated just even, thre= e or four days ahead of time of briefings, knowing what the schedule is. That has been helpful, because then we can manage our time when we’re trying t= o do everything else in our busy days — the same as everyone else has busy days. So I would ask the Premier if that could be a consideration. I know y= ou can’t come up with exact dates, because we don’t know how long debate will go for each department. But if we could have the order, that wi= ll make things much more efficient, at least for us — and hopefully for everyone else in this House.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Thank you for the question from the
Member for Riverdale South. I think it’s a difficult question. ItR=
17;s
certainly something that I would like to leave for the House Leaders to
discuss. I can say that to establish an order is difficult because life hap=
pens,
and things happen, and people get called to meetings, and people are sick.
It’s sometimes very difficult to say, “Here’s the lineup =
and
this is when it’s going to happen.” Even on the little notice t=
here
is sometimes, there ends up having to be changes to that order. I would als=
o suggest
that during the times — we had the budget speech last Thursday, and t=
hen
through the weekend, everybody had all the documentation.
There was a pre-briefing. I think t= he opportunity exists for the opposition to prepare for all of them in terms of being read= y by starting to put your questions together, because that is in fact what it is that we are trying to aspire to — the opportunity to see that all the departments are able to be looked at and reviewed and duly debated prior to= a vote in the House. As I mentioned again, it will be something that we all c= an take part in terms of the length of the questions, the length of the respon= ses as well, and just really trying with effort to budget time accordingly base= d on the volume — on the department where the priorities are for the oppos= ition and then moving forward with that.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; We understand t=
hat
change happens and that’s fine, and that circumstances change and
that’s fine. We are not asking for something on stone tablets. We are
asking that we be given a reasonable order that we can follow. To this poin=
t,
we still haven’t completed our department briefings, and don’t =
know
the order.
We’re hoping to get that. Aga= in, when we have had the briefings, they’ve been great. I appreciate what the staff has done and again, we just want to make this as efficient as possibl= e so that we’re not leaving off 10 or 12 departments. I think if we see so= mething in the order and there was something we thought might not be reached at the end, we would ask it to be moved forward. We would also want a little flexibility that way, but really what we’re asking for is: give us the lineup. Let’s get on that. Let’s work on that. If it really loo= ks like the time’s going to end, we’ll try and speed it up. We’ll try and get it done.
We don’t want to leave a budg= et not debated, or not completely debated. That’s not our goal. We hope to k= eep our questions to a minimum — not to a minimum — we hope to keep= our questions informative, but short so that there is time to move on to the ne= xt one. I just, again, ask the Premier: is this in the realm of possibility? I would hope so.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I think what I want to do is to def= ault to House Leaders. This has traditionally been their responsibility, somethi= ng that gets worked out among the House Leaders. It’s difficult to put something together that is in stone. They should get together to see how accommodating they can be. I would also acknowledge what the member has spo= ken about, in terms of the time they will take to ask the question, and we certainly will entertain the ability to try to answer those questions as we= ll and quickly as possible. I encourage members of the opposite side of the Ho= use to look at the areas that they want to focus on most and budget their time accordingly, to make sure that those areas get the time that is warranted.<= o:p>
Ms. Stick:= 8195; Thank you for t= hat answer, Madam Chair. It will be duly noted and hopefully House Leaders will= be able to move forward on that.
There are lots of line items in thi= s budget that this party will be supporting. There are many programs — many capital, much O&M — that we’re for; we agree to those thing= s. We will be asking hard questions, though, about things that we’re not= sure about or things that we see as missing from the budget.
One of the things that I’ve b=
een
hearing a lot when talking to constituents, and having worked for the gover=
nment
in the past, I still have a lot of contacts — one of the areas that s=
eems
to be increasing in numbers is the use of employees who are not permanent. I
know many, many people in many departments across the government. I am not
saying anything disparaging about any employee of this government. I think
people work hard and do the very best they can. But what I don’t see =
is
this government being supportive of individuals who want to work in this go=
vernment.
Many are in auxiliary on-call positions. Some are term. Some people get hir=
ed
on contract. This isn’t just for a few months or even a year. It̵=
7;s
often for many years that these people work under these conditions.
When they are in those positions, t=
hough
there is some financial compensation for it, they don’t have paid sick
days or holidays or benefits that the person sitting at the desk next to th=
em,
or working in the hospital next to them, has. They are not being treated as
equally as many of their co-workers. They don’t have a sense of
stability. Refuse a shift — they worked five 12-hour shifts, and now
it’s a day off and someone calls and says to come to work. They are o=
nly
allowed so many of those refusals. This might have been their only day off;
this might be their only day off with their family, with their children, wi=
th
their spouse. This might be the only day off when they get to sleep and cat=
ch
up on work, and if they say no too many times, then they don’t have a
job. Lots of them get overtime and I would suggest that overtime can be a g=
ood
thing, if that is what they want, but if it is not, money doesn’t rep=
lace
your health. Money doesn’t replace sleep that you don’t get. Mo=
ney
doesn’t replace time they get to spend with their families.
What I’m trying to get to is =
that
these individuals work across our government. They work in the jail; they w=
ork
in our hospitals; they work in our schools; they work in social services; t=
hey
work in Highways and Public Works; they work in our liquor stores —
it’s all across the government and it’s going up. We can talk a=
bout
an $80-million surplus, and those individuals are getting paycheques, but
they’re not getting the benefits and it doesn’t make for a happy
employee if you’re always on that edge. If you’re always wonder=
ing:
“Okay, here’s my day off; what chance do I have?” We heard
about that at the continuing care facility. There are people who put in a l=
ot
of overtime — a lot of overtime. They’re paid for it, certainly,
but again, there’s not that guarantee for them that they’ll hav=
e a
job. What I’m looking for — and I’ve not been able to dis=
cern
in this budget — I see FTEs; I see them in every department. How many
people are working? And what I’m curious about and what I’d lik=
e to
know is, do those FTEs include those terms, those
auxiliaries and those contracts? Are they part of that budget?
The other piece I want to know abou= t is: what are the hours of overtime that we are paying? Where do I look for thos= e numbers — in terms of what are the hours of overtime at the jail? What are the hours of overtime at the hospital, or at the continuing care, or in our schools? It’s important. I don’t like to see people not being t= reated fairly, when the person next to them is doing the same job, same hours, same expectations, but is treated differently from what they are. So if the mini= ster could perhaps point me in that direction or provide that information, I wou= ld appreciate that.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I think what the member opposite is
talking about really more boils down to a personnel issue, which then falls
into the context of the Public Service Commission versus — this
isn’t a budget issue — right now. What I can say in terms of wh=
at
you’re saying is that just recently, the Minister of Education announ=
ced
moving 22 paraprofessionals, who were in sort of a year-to-year position. We
have formally announced that those would be permanent positions. There were=
22
of them that were just announced. But in terms of response to what you̵=
7;re
saying, I think that’s best answered by the Public Service Commission=
.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I would agree. = I know that comes under the Public Service Commission; I’m very aware of that and I hope we get there. I hope we get to that piece because that has not b= een a budget area that has been debated. I also know, though, that departments = are the ones that know what their resource needs are in terms of manpower. They’re the ones who ask; they’re the ones who have to manage s= ome of that also in terms of their budgets and overtime. I look forward to seei= ng it in the Public Service Commission, but I certainly think there are other = ways of getting at that information also.
Can we get that number? Even in ter= ms of across this government, what are the auxiliary numbers and what are they foreseen to be?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I will defer that question to the department-by-department discussions.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I wanted to tal= k a bit about some of the housing and housing needs. I don’t want to look bac= k to what has happened, but I would suggest that I would like to look forward, a= nd one of the areas in housing has to do with affordable housing. I know that = is all wrapped up in lot availability, housing sales and the cost of lots.
I see that the government is intend=
ing to
give money to the City of
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)=
Point of order
Chair: Mr. Cathers, on a point of order.
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I think it was probably unint=
entional
on the part of the Member for Riverdale South, but it’s out of order =
to
refer to the absence of a member.
Chair: Ms. Stick, on the point of order.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I apologize for= that. I was concentrating on something else, and let that one slip by. It won’= ;t happen again — I’ll try.
Chair: Thank you.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Where was I? It=
’s
going to take time — there will not be “shovels in the
ground” this spring. It might be for a photo op, but it certainly
won’t be for building. The city has a whole process of zoning, public
hearings, wait periods and then decisions are made — and then develop=
ment
plans have to come forward. So there’s going to be time before any of
that happens. I just wonder what else is in the budget. We saw quite an
exercise the city did last year looking at the south part of
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: What we are doing this year, we have budgeted $25 million for Whistle Bend for phases 1 and 2 for this year. We = have budgeted $5 million this year for detailed design work on phases 3, 4 and 5= so that we can ensure that we have lots coming out in 2014, as well. We talked about new monies for the city to help them to start looking past Whistle Be= nd to where we are going next, so that we don’t have the same situation = happen as we had this time when we ran out and we were not ready to go.
One of the things I want to mention=
is that
we have been establishing and have a very good working relationship with the
City of
Perhaps it’s on the east side=
of the
river. Then we would need to talk about whether we’re going to need a
bridge. That probably or may include conversations with Kwanlin Dun and
As for
We’re also dealing with Kwanl=
in Dun.
We signed a letter of understanding with Kwanlin Dun last August to look fo=
rward
at opportunities they have. If the member opposite doesn’t know, they=
are
the largest landowner within the City of
Yukon Housing Corporation — f= or this year, in terms of capital vote planned estimates for 2012-13: repair and up= grade — $2.575 million; home ownership — $7.150 million; community and industry partnering — $4.185 million; social housing — $500,000; staff housing — $1.35 million — some of the things, just in ter= ms of capital — right now — investment by this government. =
We have a lot of things that are go= ing on. I think the member has mentioned she’s aware of some of the stuff that’s happening. As I had spoken about before, you can’t just = jump out of the gate and spend money. You have to make sure that you look at the= se projects and that they are the right projects and that we do them in a mann= er that ensures we are being accountable to the taxpayers of the Yukon and tha= t we are using their money wisely.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I just want to =
caution
the Premier. I looked at some of the zoning in the city and I was pretty
convinced that
Whatever the zoning was, it was som= ething that was going to have to be rezoned to put family lots in. It will have to= be rezoned, and there is a process that the city has that is in their bylaws, = and that’s the way it works. So it’s not — one can move it quickly, but it will take awhile, in other words.
I’m really glad to hear the P=
remier
is going to City Hall to talk to the mayor and people there, because when I=
was
at City Hall for five years, it always kind of amazed me how the government
never took the city into account at all. It’s the
It wasn’t the city’s — they don’t have it. Yes, the First Nations do. They are the largest landowners within the municipal boundaries. The rest is Commissioner’s land. It belongs to the government, so they do have a = say and they need to be helping with that planning. So I’m glad to hear t= hat the government is going down and talking with the city in our capital. It is important to recognize that and I’m sure Madam Chair has been in a similar situation and felt that often municipalities and others did not hav= e a voice with government.
The Premier talked about the east s= ide of the river. Are there any other areas where this government has Commissioner= ’s land that they are looking at and asking the city to participate in the planning for?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: As we were discussing, I believe th=
at
We’ll see what comes forward.= They will then have to go to the city. We have been meeting with the city to dis= cuss this issue and we’re confident that relationship and that understandi= ng of what we’re trying to do will help facilitate to ensure that this g= oes through the most expeditious process that is possible.
As I mentioned about AYC, I think t= his is a government that is very conscious that while the majority — or 75 per= cent of Yukoners — live in this city, there is a lot of space out there; we have a lot of other communities. In fact, as the member across is aware, we have a number of members on this side of the House who are past municipal councillors as well — certainly, Madam Chair, our Member for Pelly-Nisutlin and also our Health and Social Services minister. So we have experience; we have people who are at our table talking about municipalities and ensuring that’s something that we consider and factor in. =
As for where we’re going to g=
o next,
that’s not entirely our decision to make as the member opposite is aw=
are.
I think there are a number of options out there at which the city is lookin=
g.
What we have said is that we want to facilitate that process and if they don’t have the people and the ass= ets right now to be able to get that process moving forward, we’re willin= g to be involved at this point to see that we can start to move forward with the work that needs to be done to clearly define what the next steps are and wh= ere we’re going to go next so that we get back to what I’ve talked about before, and that is the opportunity for people to go to the counter a= nd get a lot. I think that there was a day when that used to happen in this territory and we need to be able to get back to that day. I think that also solves some of the issues that we have on the pricing side because whenever= the demand exceeds the supply — we understand what happens with everything when I talk about the total package of getting a lot and putting a house on= it. I think getting above that curve and ensuring we can have a supply thatR= 17;s exceeding the demand would help us, as well, in solving some of those probl= ems on the costing side.
This is an important priority for t=
his
government. I think all of us, when we were at the doorstep, heard that this
was an important priority. We have delineated parts of our strategy and the
things that not only are we doing now, but we committed to doing through th=
is
mandate.
We look forward to delivering on th= ose things that are important to all Yukoners.
Mr. Tredger:= I’d like = to begin by thanking the deputy minister and the Department of Finance for the work = they did on the budget and for helping walk us through it. They spent a consider= able amount of time explaining it and going through it and it was much appreciat= ed.
I’d also like to thank very m=
uch all
of the employees of the
The minister talks about the uncert=
ainty of
the fiscal world. I appreciate that uncertainty and attempting to build a
budget around that.
I spent the first 40 years of my li=
fe in
northern
One of the things I learned when I = was there is that before industry came, before it expanded, there was the land = and there were the people. When industry leaves, there will be the land and the people. So I applaud portions of the budget that support the environment, t= hat support our small businesses, that support our placer miners who have been = here for a long time and will continue to be here.
The people of the Mayo-Tatchun area=
are an
innovative people and they are resourceful people. They’re willing to=
work
with the government; they’re willing to work with other people. They =
love
who they are and they love where they are. What I’m hearing from them=
is
they’re getting concerned about the pace of development. They’re
concerned about our ability to adequately provide oversight, to adequately
monitor what is happening on their land.
This isn’t a problem that I h=
ave with
our civil service. What I see happening is they are working extremely hard =
and
very diligently, but I hear more and more that they are stressed and stretc=
hed
to the limit. When I look at the budget and I see that in Environment ̵=
2;
while the minister is correct that there is a slight increase, I wonder whe=
ther
that will give them the resources so they can go home at night feeling like
they’ve done a good job, rather than feeling exhausted, so that they =
can
use their creativity and productivity to do what we want them to do —=
the
direction from the government, which is to act as stewards of the land.
It’s important that we get ahead of the curve, th=
at
we ensure safety and increasingly act as stewards of our land.
Our capacity to remain on top of th=
ings we
must build — as the Premier said, you can only do so much work at one
time. We need to be careful that we’re not asking too much of the peo=
ple
in the
Currently, we have over 300,000 act=
ive
claims. I am wondering: do we have the ability to ensure there are adequate=
inspections,
that there’s adequate oversight, and there’s adequate enforceme=
nt
of the activities on these claims? Many of those claims have just recently =
been
staked. There is a threshold of activity that is involved. If those claims =
are
done under that threshold — and I will get into that next time I̵=
7;m
up — if that doesn’t create a review, what happens is then they
have to make a report after their work is done. When I see the term
“300,000 claims” — and it may be off somewhat because it =
is a
moving figure, as the Premier said. Each year there are more and more and m=
ore.
If it is not 300,000, it is well ov= er 200,000, and it is a record number. That is almost 10 claims per adult Yuko= ner. Do we have the capacity to visit those claims, to read the reports on those claims?
Another concern I have in the budge=
t is
with Highways and Public Works. Do we have the dollars to make sure that our
highways are adequate and that people when they are driving on them are safe
and secure? I was reading one of the reports that had been done for the
government and it talked about the need for passing lanes and the need for
pullouts. As we get more and more traffic — people in motor homes
Madam Chair, I move that you report progress.
Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Tredger that we report progress on B=
ill No
6, First Appropriation Act, 2012-13.
Motion
agreed to
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I move that the Speaker do now resu= me the Chair.
Chair: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Spe= aker do now resume the Chair.
Motion
agreed to
Speaker
resumes the Chair
Speaker: I will now call the House to order.
May the House have a report from th= e Chair of Committee of the Whole?
Chair’s report
Ms. McLeod: Mr. Speaker, Committee of the Whole= has considered Bill No. 6, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2012-13, and directed me to report progress.
Speaker: You have heard the report of the Chair of Committee of the Wh= ole. Are you agreed?
Some Hon. Members: Agreed. = p>
Speaker: I declare the report carried.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I move that the House do now adjour= n.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Hou= se do now adjourn.
Motion agreed to
Speaker: The House now stands adjourned until
The House adjourned at =
i>
The
following Sessional Papers were tabled <=
/b>
33-1-32
Ombudsman 2011 Annual Report (Speaker Laxton)
33-1-33
Information and Privacy Commissione= r 2011 Annual Report (Speaker Laxton)
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