Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The issue of price regulation and control is one that needs to be looked at in a
detail before we proceed on this We don't want to be in a position where we see, because of a monopoly situation, that prices can fluctuate so dramatically that they have a very negative impact on the lifestyle of northerners. That is one of the biggest issues we want to explore before we come up with a privatization plan. We need to consider how we maintain a reasonable balance of prices across the Northwest Territories, even in a deregulated sector.
Right now, the price structure that is in place allows a certain degree of fairness across the Territories. Not all the prices are the same, but we aren't in a situation where some of the communities in the higher transportation cost areas are paying costs for home heating fuel and for gasoline that are way beyond their means to purchase. We don't want that situation to disappear with privatization. So it will be one of the major elements of any proposal we come forward with.