Thank you, Madam Speaker. On November 8th, I received a letter from Peggy Witte, chief executive officer of Royal Oak, in response to a Member's statement I made in the Legislative Assembly on October 24th. It is very clear that what we do and say in this Assembly is noted and, when appropriate, reacted to, even from such far away places as Vancouver.
She has pointed out in the press that her move of the Royal Oak head office from Vancouver to a suburb of Seattle will save her company $1 million. This has been reported in the press, Madam Speaker.
The major concern though about what we do here is the rate increases by northern agencies, which dramatically affect her company. In her letter, she refers to the proposed 22 per cent low-water surcharge increase and the two per cent general rate increase for electricity.
In addition, she points out that the industry faces a 10 per cent increase in Workers' Compensation Board premiums. She also notes that there is an anticipated increase in municipal taxes by the city of Yellowknife. Although these rate increases are not under the control of our government, Ms. Witte points to a genuine problem, Madam Speaker. One increase in rates in one area may not appear significant. The accumulated affect of several rate increases in different areas, however, can be very significant. This point was raised in the recent discussions on proposed recovery costs to the Public Utilities Board from consumers. There was quite a bit of debate on that.
The tone of Ms. Witte's letter, Madam Speaker, I believe, is that she would like to see more support for the mining industry from myself and, I assume from the tone of her letter, other Members of our Assembly. I sent her a copy of parts of my reply to the Commissioner's address, which deals with mining development and my whole-hearted support for it. Thank you.