This is page numbers 1225 - 1264 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Okay. I think I'm going to want to park this one for now, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to go back and do a bit more investigation into that. The terminology is important to me. Whether it's rate or base rate gives it considerable flexibility and I'll come back to the core of my line of questioning which was universality. If there is going to be some kind of a temporary cost-induced increase for some power customers in the NWT and we're going to rescue them, why aren't we doing it for everybody? Electricity is electricity. I'm concerned that we're tinkering here with something that really I think is important across the board. There are some aspects of distributing power costs and things that we have accepted and absorbed. The Power Subsidy Program is certainly one of them. But now, as I say, I just feel that we're tinkering. But I'll need to do a bit more research and then I may come back either to committee or the Assembly with some further questioning.

I did have one more point to ask about though in this particular area and it relates to the rate rider. I call it the rescue program, Mr. Chairman, that was recently announced. There are some 22 communities included in here and I wanted to ask why Detah was included, Mr. Chairman. I don't want to pick on the good folks at Detah, but they are on the same power grid system as Yellowknife and Rae and I wanted to see why it is that they qualify for this area here when Rae and Yellowknife don't. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We'll have to get that detail for the Member, but again, the way the Power Support Program is run, anybody paying higher than the Yellowknife rate would qualify for the subsidy and that's the basis that we're working on here. We'll get confirmation of that. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Roland. We're going to go to Mr. Pokiak, who has one quick question, and then I'm going to call for a short 10-minute break. Thank you, gentlemen. I know you've been there for quite some time. So one quick question from Mr. Pokiak and then we'll take a break.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Earlier, the Minister indicated that the smaller communities or the communities outside of Yellowknife and the bigger centres here are subsidized up to 700 kilowatt hours. The question I have is how does the department determine the 700 kilowatt hours for the subsidy? Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Roland.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my understanding of the program is when the Power Corporation was actually a federal entity it was established back then and has been following along the same program as we've taken it over. One of the things we're doing with our review is to look at that, as well, if that's the right sort of mechanism that we would use. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Pokiak.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you. Just one last one here. It's good to hear that the Minister and the department will look at the review of the 700 kilowatt hours. I look forward to that coming out. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Roland.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Yes, Mr. Chairman. Again, as we go through this and come up with the work, we'll be sharing that work with the Members. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Now I'll call for a short 10-minute break. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Welcome back everybody. We are on page 2-69 of the Financial Management Board Secretariat main estimates. Government accounting, grants and contributions, contributions, $8.307 million. Mr. Braden.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mr. Chairman, thank you. Before the break we were discussing the Power Subsidy Program, and I had raised a question, in my mind, about whether the policy referred to base rates or Yellowknife rates. I had a chance to look at the policy and, for the record, it says Yellowknife rates, which, therefore, of course, gives the FMBS the ability to apply the subsidy according to whatever the rate of the day is. I would take that interpretation of it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to say that I had managed to check into that and that's the finding. Thank you.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The Minister is good. Government accounting, grants and contributions, contributions, $8.307 million.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Page 2-70, government accounting, active positions.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1261

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Page 2-71, government accounting, active positions.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Page 2-72.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Page 2-73, budgeting and evaluation, operations expenditure summary, $1.485 million.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Committee Motion 21-15(3): Recommendation To Resolve The Sirius Diamond Receivership Issue, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1262

The Chair

The Chair David Ramsay

Page 2-74 is blank. Page 2-75, budgeting and evaluation, grants and contributions, grants, $105,000. Agreed?