Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I spoke on the obligation this government has to the children of the NWT. Today I would like to speak on elders. Almost every week we hear of an elder somewhere in the NWT passing on. With their passing, Mr. Speaker, we lose a part of our history, a part of who we are, and, most sadly, Mr. Speaker, we continue to lose part of our language.

It is getting to be a huge challenge to keep our language alive when most of us can't speak it. I commend this government for doing what they can to help preserve the languages. It is becoming apparent that my generation, who will soon be the elders, try to maintain our tradition and our language.

Mr. Speaker, we have to continue, as a government and as a people, to try teach ourselves and our children to preserve the languages. Having all the children's programs under one roof close to the school will go a long way in accomplishing this goal.

Mr. Speaker, other than losing a beloved elder, one of the saddest things is that we continue to lay to rest not only our elders, but a part of our history and part of our language. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my statements and questions in the House over the last number of days, let me make it clear that I believe very strongly that all things associated with resource development in the NWT, we, the residents and businesses of the NWT, have to be the primary beneficiaries of the economic spin-off of the projects.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a strong supporter of the pipeline project from the beginning. I support even more the idea that we must maximize the benefits from that. I have to tell you, on that score, this government's record is downright pitiful so far, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Aboriginal Pipeline Group has figured out how to do this. They got a third equity partnership out of the deal, and they are looking for more joint venture projects. The 22 communities in the NWT know how to do this. They got $500 million out of the federal government. The rest of us look at this government and ask, what are you doing for us lately? The answer is the government sent a comfort letter to Imperial Oil, and they are about to send a large proportion of a $297 million housing deal to a company in Calgary. Through a one near paragraph in the budget, it has declared to the world that this government does not believe that we can build our own housing in the North and the government would not even look at the possibilities. It says, very clearly, that it does not have the vision or foresight to get a plan that would keep the spin-off from the $297 million housing project to stay in the North.

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe it would go very well if Premier Klein got a deal with a business in Ottawa or Ontario to provide housing for its oil projects without looking locally first. I tell you, it is not right for this government to not even try north before it becomes the major lobbying agent through the budget for one product, for one company from Calgary, to lobbying out on.

Mr. Speaker, I must insist that this government needs to do better and do it now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral questions. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for the Power

Corporation. In Colville Lake, the residential power rate is $2.67 per kilowatt hour. This is, by far, the highest rate in the Northwest Territories in the small, isolated communities that rely on diesel, such as Sachs Harbour and Nahanni Butte that have a rate under $1.00. Can the Minister explain to the people in Colville Lake why the power rates are so high in Colville and how is this fair? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have different rates in the Northwest Territories in regards to diesel communities, hydro communities and communities on gas generation. Again, the way the rate is determined is based on the actual cost of generating that power in the communities and how that cost is going to be distributed amongst the residents of those communities. Also, Mr. Speaker, we do have a subsidy program which allows people that use power, the first 700 kilowatts of power that is used is being subsidized into the Yellowknife rate. We are, Mr. Speaker, looking at this issue. Again, it is the Public Utilities Board that does make the final decision on exactly how our rates are through a public hearing process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, power is an essential service in the Northwest Territories, especially in Colville Lake. Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure it is affordable for all residents and businesses. The Co-op in Colville Lake had a $10,000 bill last month just for the power itself, Mr. Speaker. The government subsidy is not adequate, as many businesses and residents use more than the maximum number of kilowatts that the subsidies allow for. A way of dealing with this, I know it has been brought up before in this Assembly and also past assemblies as a single rate power zone. Can the Minister tell me whether this is an option being considered by the NWT Power Corporation for the next general rate application? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are looking at other options in regards to how power is being used and also what rates we are charging. Again, one of the ways we are trying to deal with that, Mr. Speaker, is to look at expanding the capacity we have by expanding the Taltson system and trying to get more customers online. We are talking about the Bear hydro expansion. We are looking at the pipeline. As it is right now with the population base we have in the Northwest Territories, we do not have the number of people to be able to continue subsidizing our program, but we will have to look at how we can generate more revenues for the corporation so we can continue to subsidize those communities.

We are looking at alternatives and subsidies for possibly businesses such as the Co-op in Colville Lake, and looking at offering them some sort of an incentive and also being able to bring down those costs in those diesel communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister commit to providing some form of firm direction to the NWT Power Corporation to include a single rate zone structure in the next general rate application? Can we have some commitment from the Minister? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are looking at some options. We know what happened to the last board that followed such a riding, and I think that we want to be sure that, this time, it will apply. So we are looking at all options. We do have to come forward within the next two years to the Public Utilities Board, which we do have to file a rate application. So we are looking at some options, but we are trying to find a package that will be sellable to not only the Government of the Northwest Territories, but to our residents in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is with respect to fuel prices in the smaller communities. I believe it would be to the Minister of Finance. One of the big headlines in today's news was that the oil prices are continuing to drop and will drop in the next little future. But back home, in the communities like Jean Marie, Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake, the price is remaining high at $1.40. I would just like to know that this government will be responsive to the communities' request and equalize the prices like the rest of the world. Why should they be penalized for being in isolated communities; indeed, not only them, but throughout the North, Mr. Speaker? Is this government going to look at some type of relief for people that are stranded and have to pay these high prices? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the area of fuel products and delivery in communities, we, through the petroleum products division in Public Works and Services, provide those services to

15 communities. As we go out for a contract on an annual or biannual basis, we would contract with a supplier to deliver and supply the fuel. We pay the cost of the product at that time. We do not have the ability, at this time, to offset the higher cost, as the policy in place right now through petroleum products division is one of full cost recovery in the communities aside from our capital infrastructure in those communities. So we don't have that flexibility at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think our people are asking this government for that flexibility to do that. What we are talking about here is improving our people's lives in the communities, improving their standard of living and their quality of life. We talk about we are a global economy, yet we are not reflective of that. Our people in the communities that are stranded in the remote communities, they are paying for this aberration in the global world prices. So they are looking to this government to hear them, to offset the skewed prices that they are stuck with today. Will this government do something about that? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we, as a government, do a number of things to try to offset the high cost of living in the Northwest Territories. One, we have a senior fuel subsidy. Two, through the housing program where we have social housing in place, full utility costs are not paid on that basis, as well as through a number of initiatives whether through working with hunters' and trappers' organizations and some of the funding that flows out of that. So there are a number of factors that we do try to help offset the costs. Particularly with fuel, we do subsidize it in a way because we are not adding the cost of the capital infrastructure to the price of fuel in communities. Unfortunately, the way we are structured is, once we receive the fuel in the tanks, we are charged that amount from the supplier. We have to pay it. Our ability to take a loss in the area of fuel sales is very limited. We have tried to offset the higher cost by putting a 10 cent reduction on home heating oil on the last price changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.