Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. This past Saturday, Mr. Lewis and some other people had an opportunity to join the president of the Power Corporation, the chiefs of the Dogrib Nation and the partners of the joint venture in the ceremonial pour of concrete at the new Snare Cascades hydro project.
Mr. Speaker, I had missed the opportunity to be there when the sod-turning took place, but I was very pleased to have been invited to attend this important event. It was very important because this project is very important to the members in this area. First of all, it has provided an opportunity for members of the Dogrib Nation to participate in a project in their own area. It is good to see the employment it is providing for persons form the surrounding area and more importantly, it is going to guarantee a certain amount of electricity for our future needs not only here in Yellowknife, but to the surrounding communities north of the lake.
Mr. Speaker, it was 30 years ago that I first went to the Snare project. I was with the Power Commission at the time and I trained in hydro. At the time I was there, it was in the fall and a lot of water was going through those turbines and the river was high. This year, Mr. Speaker, it is pretty frightening to see the low water and the effect it has had on the surrounding area. The shoreline has decreased considerably and it is going to put the future of electricity from hydro, at least for this year, under some strain. But it is good to see this project is one way of capturing some of that water that would otherwise be wasted.
I would urge, having seen it first hand, Mr. Speaker, consumers in this area to conserve as much electricity as possible to ensure a safe supply over the winter. This project will be completed by next year, providing us with an additional 4.3 megawatts. In the meantime, congratulations to the chiefs and the Power Corporation on this important project. Thank you.
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