Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to the government's February 22, 2023, announcement of up to $94 million to bring high-speed Internet to more than 36,000 homes in Newfoundland and Labrador: (a) what was the total amount of funding approved for each project under this announcement, broken down by Internet service provider, namely (i) Bell Canada, (ii) Xplore Inc. (formerly Xplornet), (iii) any other service providers that received funding; (b) for each project in (a), what were the expected deliverables at the time of approval, including the number of households to be connected, the technology to be used, and the anticipated service speeds; (c) for each community listed under the February 2023 announcement, what amount of funding was planned to be allocated to that community, broken down by the (i) assigned service provider, (ii) number of households expected to benefit, (iii) estimated per-household cost used in the project model; (d) what accountability mechanisms were established to ensure providers met their obligations, including (i) reporting requirements, (ii) progress benchmarks, (iii) compliance or performance conditions tied to the release of funds, (iv) any provisions related to project delays, scope changes, or service withdrawal; (e) as of the date of this question, for each project listed in (a), what is the current status of (i) funds disbursed, (ii) households connected, (iii) communities fully completed, (iv) communities still awaiting service, (v) any outstanding commitments from the providers; (f) since the original announcement, have any changes been made to (i) provider assignments for any communities, (ii) the total planned funding envelope for any project, (iii) the construction or deployment timeline, (iv) the total number of communities or households expected to be served, and, if so, what is the rationale for each change; and (g) for any project where a service provider has withdrawn, reduced its scope, or advised the government of concerns (such as cost escalation or feasibility challenges), what are the details of each, and what actions has the government taken to ensure affected communities will still receive service, including whether alternative providers have been engaged or funding reallocated?

With regard to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's management of fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador: (a) broken down by year, since January 1, 2016, what scientific stock assessments have been completed on (i) northern cod, (ii) snow crab, (iii) capelin, and what were the key findings of each assessment; (b) what is the current federal rebuilding plan for northern cod, including any projected timelines for stock recovery; (c) for each of the last five years, what are the details, including the date, type, topic, and consultee, for each consultation conducted with (i) inshore harvesters, (ii) Indigenous groups, (iii) industry stakeholders, (iv) other groups, in Newfoundland and Labrador and what were the outcomes of those consultations; and (d) what federal funding has been allocated, since January 1, 2016, to support (i) stock rebuilding efforts, (ii) harvester livelihoods during quota reductions in Newfoundland and Labrador, broken down by year and by program?

With regard to the small boat basin proposed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for the northwest side of St. Anthony's harbour: (a) what is the current proposed budget for the St. Anthony's harbour small boat basin project; (b) has the cost increased from the originally proposed $5.8 million, and, if so, what factors have contributed to this cost increase; (c) what is the current status of the engineering assessment being conducted by AFN Engineering for the Small Craft Harbours Newfoundland and Labrador Region branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for the proposed small boat basin in St. Anthony's harbour on the northwest side of the harbour; (d) what is the current status of the feasibility study being conducted by the Small Craft Harbours Newfoundland and Labrador Region branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for the proposed small boat basin in St. Anthony's harbour on the northwest side of the harbour; (e) how many times since January 1, 2023, have site conditions been deemed suitable for conducting assessments and what factors influence the determination of suitability for the assessments; and (f) what are the results of the conditional assessment of the marginal wharf on the northwest side of the harbour?

With regard to access to safe drinking water in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, federal infrastructure investments in the riding of Long Range Mountains, and Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations: (a) how many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are currently under boil water advisories; (b) what are the names and federal ridings of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador under a boil water advisory and how long has the advisory been in place; (c) what specific federal funding programs are currently available to assist rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities in upgrading aging water systems; (d) how much federal funding has been allocated to water infrastructure projects in Newfoundland and Labrador since 2020, broken down by (i) year, (ii) project; (e) has the government assessed the public health or economic impacts of persistent boil water advisories in rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities, and, if so, what were the findings; (f) what is the government doing to ensure Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in rural and coastal Newfoundland and Labrador have equitable access to safe drinking water; (g) broken down by community and project, how much federal funding, and from which specific funding sources, has been allocated to (i) water, (ii) wastewater, infrastructure projects in the riding of Long Range Mountains since 2020; (h) what support is available for smaller towns, villages, or communities in Long Range Mountains that lack a tax base or technical expertise to apply for federal infrastructure funding; (i) is the government currently considering any policy changes to streamline infrastructure application processes for rural communities with limited administrative capacity; (j) how many and which municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador are currently non-compliant with Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, and what are the reasons for non-compliance; (k) how many and which of the non-compliant municipalities have received Transitional Authorizations, and what supports are in place to help them meet federal compliance; (I) what is the projected cost to bring all non-compliant municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador into compliance, and what proportion of that cost will be covered by federal programs; and (m) has the government conducted any infrastructure readiness assessments in Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities to determine funding and technical support needs for wastewater upgrades, and, if so, what were the results of the assessments?

With regard to the proposed national marine conservation area in the South Coast Fjords study area of the southwest coast of Newfoundland by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Parks Canada: (a) what is the current size, in square kilometers, of the study area under consideration, and how does that compare to the original size of 9,114 km as first publicly announced; (b) what is the current status of the feasibility assessment (including community, Indigenous consultation, etc.), including how many coastal communities have been engaged to date; (c) what is the timeline for (i) boundary decisions, (ii) the establishment of an agreement, (iii) public comment; (d) what protections, regulations, or "full protection zones" (such as no-fishing zones, bottom-trawling exclusions, etc.) are currently (i) proposed, (ii) under consideration, within the study area; (e) for each item in (d), what economic impacts have been assessed for (i) local fishing, (ii) commercial fishing, (iii) aquaculture, (iv) tourism, (v) coastal community employment by the agency, (vi) mining, (vii) potential deep-water ports for mining and shipping; (f) what is the total estimated cost of the government completing the establishment process (feasibility, designation, management planning, etc.) for the proposed South Coast Fjords National Marine Conservation Area; (g) what annual budget is projected for managing the area, if designated, (including enforcement, monitoring, Indigenous partnerships, community engagement, visitor infrastructure, etc.); (h) how will the government and Parks Canada ensure that the interests of local Indigenous peoples (including the Miawpukek First Nation and Quipu First Nation) and coastal communities in the Long Range Mountains riding are fully integrated into the (i) governance, (ii) monitoring, (iii) economic benefit-sharing, of the proposed National Marine Conservation Area; (i) upon approval, which department, Crown corporation or agency will be responsible for regulating fishing within the National Marine Conservation Area; (j) what are the projected impacts of these regulations for local industries (commercial fishing, shipping, etc.); and (k) what will the role of (i) Parks Canada, (ii) Environment and Climate Change Canada, (iii) Fisheries and Oceans Canada, be within the National Marine Conservation Area and in the regulation of the National Marine Conservation Area?

With regard to the government's role in offshore oil and gas development and related industrial facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador: (a) how many proposals for offshore oil and gas projects (i) have been received, (ii) have been approved, (iii) have been denied, (iv) are still awaiting a decision, (v) are delayed, (vi) have been cancelled, since November 4, 2015; (b) what are the details of each proposal in (a), including, for each, the (i) date received, (ii) date of the decision, (iii) current status, (iv) project scope and description, (v) location; (c) what is the total amount of federal funding provided to support offshore oil and gas development, since January 1, 2016, and broken down by year, program and type of funding; (d) what are the details, including the dates, type of assessments, and findings, of all assessments the government has conducted since November 4, 2015 regarding the economic and employment impact of idle fabrication yards and construction sites in Newfoundland and Labrador, including, but not limited to, the Bull Arm site; and (e) what future federal investment is planned to maintain, redevelop, or repurpose these facilities in the province?

With regard to the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund and to payments made to the fund as referenced in the Main Estimates and related government financial documents: (a) what was the total amount of federal funding deposited into the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund for the (i) 2022-23 fiscal year, (ii) 2023-24 fiscal year, (iii) 2024-25 fiscal year; (b) broken down by fiscal year since 2022-23, what amounts of funding were disbursed by the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, broken down by (i) project, (ii) recipient, (iii) purpose, (iv) activity, (v) department or agency responsible for the disbursement; (c) broken down by fiscal year since 2022-23, what portion of payments from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund (i) have been, or are planned to be, allocated to offshore petroleum or mining projects, (ii) were allocated to other categories of spending; (d) for the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years, has any funding from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund been allocated to the Bay du Nord project, and, if so, what was the (i) total amount, (ii) purpose of the funding, (iii) date of the allocation; (e) if no funding has been allocated to the Bay du Nord project, is the federal government considering any future allocation from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund to the Bay du Nord project, and, if so, what is the (i) planned amount, (ii) timeline for such an allocation; (f) what mechanisms, if any, are in place to monitor and publicly report on the disbursements and uses of funds from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, including any (i) audit processes, (ii) annual reporting requirements, (iii) oversight by federal departments; (g) what documents, including financial reports or audits, are available regarding the administration and use of the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, and where can they be publicly accessed; (h) what criteria and processes does the government use to determine the allocation of funds from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund to (i) various projects, (ii) initiatives; (i) how does the government measure the (i) economic, (ii) environmental, (iii) social, impact of projects funded by the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, and are there publicly available impact assessments for funded projects; (j) have there been any audits, reviews or evaluations conducted on the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund's management and spending from January 2022 to present, and, if so, what are the details of the findings and any resulting actions or policy changes; (k) what role, if any, do (i) Indigenous peoples, (ii) local communities, play in the decision-making or oversight of projects funded by the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund; (I) are there any plans to expand or modify the mandate of the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, and, if so, what are the details on the proposed changes; (m) what is the projected total revenue expected to be deposited into the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, broken down by year, over the (i) next five fiscal years, (ii) next 10 fiscal years, and what assumptions underlie these projections; (n) has the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund supported any initiatives related to environmental remediation, climate change mitigation or sustainable development, and, if so, what are the details and amounts allocated for each; (o) for the Bay du Nord project, (i) what environmental assessments have been funded or supported through the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, (ii) what were the outcomes of the assessments in (o)(i), (iii) are there any conditions outstanding; (p) how does the government ensure transparency and public accountability regarding expenditures from the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund, including the use of (i) websites, (ii) public reports, (iii) community engagement; and (q) are there any outstanding (i) legal, (ii) contractual, obligations linked to the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund that could impact future allocations or spending?