This is page numbers 861 - 906 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 5th 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 health.

Supplementary To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 869

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned before, you know, a few years ago Tuk did have a full-time employee for the Power Corp and got the contract, but I understand the Minister's response. But one of the questions I'd like to ask the Minister is in regard to the...Like in Tuk, like I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, 61.61 cents per kilowatt hour and then 13.73 cents after that for the diesel rider. I'd like to ask the Minister...and I'm sure that we can get an explanation in regard to how do these rates come up. I understand that we are subsidized for the first 100 kilowatts from Yellowknife and then on top of that we're paying these other costs. So I'd like to ask the Minister to explain so my people in Nunakput understand the reasoning behind the cost of the 61.61 and also the 13.73 cents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 869

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 869

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we do all have different rates for different communities. We have a hydro rate. We also have a utility rate, which are for diesel communities. Through those rates that basically have been in place are based on the actual costs to generate power in that community. In order to offset the high cost of power in communities, we implemented a program to subsidize power in diesel communities for residents up to 700 kilowatts. But again, Mr. Speaker, we do have to be able to show that through the power bills that we do put out it does show on the bill how much of the subsidy you're receiving for that particular month and how much your cost is in regards to the power that you consume. I think the residents have to realize that they also have to ensure that the power that they do use is the power that they have to be able to manage as part of their responsibility to pay that portion. I think we hear it a lot of time where people say my power bill's jumped this much, but I think

we also have to realize the majority of when you see the highest cost of those power bills is usually during the coldest months of the year and the winter months is when you see the biggest spike because you're using more power. So again, Mr. Speaker, we have a system that's being fair to diesel communities and residents in our small communities, but also ensuring that the consumer also plays the role in the amount of power they consume. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 870

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree that the residents have to understand the consumption that they use per month, but as a private homeowner, Mr. Speaker, I do know exactly what we use a month. I know what the consequence is going to cost for me to operate my unit. So the question I have for the Minister is, can he provide information in regard to the public house users that actually go over and above versus the residential homeowners, private homeowners? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 870

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 870

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have a database that we do track all the invoices, the meter readings from all communities for all residences regardless if it's private or commercial. So we can provide that information to the Member to show exactly how much individuals use. Also, as residents of our communities that do have concerns on the power rates, I would like to direct them to take their issues either to the regional staff or even to myself so that we can look into these issues and especially when it comes down to questioning the power bills. We are able to explain to the residents how their power bills are being read and how exactly is there a dispute there so that we can try to find a way to resolve it. Either change out the meter, put in another meter. But by working together we are able to do that. So I'm willing to provide that information to the Member. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Question 311-15(5): Electrical Power Rates In Isolated Communities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 870

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

February 13th, 2007

Page 870

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Just getting back to my Member's statement and stressing the importance of the issue of our caribou crisis here in the NWT and the reorganization and reprioritization that needs to take place in order for our caribou to bounce back from these low numbers that we have, I just have some questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources on the department's wildlife management funding. He knows and I know and everybody here knows that the $1 million to try and make some changes is not going to do it. We need more money in all areas of wildlife management here in the NWT. I know that a lot of that funding we rely on the federal government to provide to carry out a lot of our monitoring programs and caribou initiatives. I just wanted to ask the Minister, since '05-06 we've had the barren-ground caribou monitoring project funded at 60K, but now we have nothing in this budget for that. The Dahl sheep studies, there's nothing in this budget for that. The bird breeding surveys, the wildlife research projects, the Sahtu resources board to conduct wildlife studies. All these research projects have been sunsetted, Mr. Speaker. There's absolutely no funding in this budget to address all of these ongoing issues. I just want to ask the Minister what kind of lobbying efforts has he been doing over the last year to reinstate a lot of these programs that we depend on for funding? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure if it's a point of privilege, but the matter the Member's referring to is in the budget document. It's tabled, it's in Committee of the Whole, and I think that it's correctly dealt with there. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. There was nothing in the Member's statement or question that I heard that would prevent the question from being asked today. It has already been tabled in the House, so...The budget has already been tabled in the House, so I think the question was addressed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

---Interjection

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Okay. Sorry. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was considering having to table the budget again, but we're going to be talking about the budget, which will be in Committee of the Whole. There's a number of things that we're working on and have been working on and we have also developed over the last while an action plan that covers the years from 2005-2006. There's three areas of the whole action plan that we've really moved forward on and that is really in line with some of the reports that have come forward and recognized that we've done some of this work, including the NWT species, the report for 2006-2010, which gives the general status of a lot of this information that the Member is asking us to go back and do further studies. We recognize that we need to continue to do that. We have some initiatives under way that will allow us to do that. However, some of the areas that we've completed are the forest management information system. We've also worked on the accord for protection of species at risk in Canada and outlined a number of things that fall under that category from the NWT side. There is not a huge concern in the NWT, however, across Canada there is starting to be a mounting concern. Mr. Speaker, the document that I'm referring to is called plan for action. Framework for Action, I apologize, 2005-2006. I will be tabling this document for the Members in this House at a later date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 870

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 871

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to ask the Minister again, with all this INAC funding that we're just not receiving in this year and moving forward in the oncoming years with respect to wildlife studies and wildlife research projects and caribou monitoring initiatives, what has the Minister been doing over the last year on the federal government side to ensure that this funding is not being taken out of our funding which we rely so heavily on? What action hasn't been done over the last year to get the federal government onside with us in order to keep that money in our budget? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 871

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's difficult to outline my actions for the last year when I've been in this position for three months. But, Mr. Speaker, a number of things have taken place since I've assumed this position. We've been having discussions and drafting correspondence to the federal Ministers that are in charge of a lot of the programming. We have been talking to the different jurisdictions that we share concerns with and our boundaries meet up with, including Alberta and Saskatchewan and B.C. and the Yukon. We've had some discussions with the federal Ministers. We plan to have more. We have identified some additional resources that we can access that I guess will come forward in terms of a supp. I'm not sure if I'm in a position to comment on those. But those are some of the things that we've been doing. We continue to push forward. We need to find more resources to do more baseline studies, as the Member has indicated, and we'll continue to press on with those issues. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 871

Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the Minister's plight and the challenges that the Minister's going to have with getting the federal government onside with our caribou crisis and our wildlife management, but, Mr. Speaker, I know that we have just over a billion dollar budget here. We're looking at a $44,000 surplus. Mr. Speaker, we do have money that could be made available for something as important as this. I just want to ask the Minister, if we can suddenly throw a half a million dollars to do some courthouse renovations, I don't see why we can't just find a couple more million dollars to put into caribou management, wildlife management, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 871

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we certainly agree with the Member. We never can have enough money to do all the surveys and all the baseline studies that we need. This year we have some new monies in the budget. We have money for caribou analysis or surveys. We have some of the biophysical money that's there. We are also targeting to have some new initiatives put in place or at least put the proposals forward for consideration when we discuss some of the surplus dollars that the Member has referenced. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Question 312-15(5): Improving GNWT Wildlife Management Practices
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 871

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just earlier in my Member's statement on the importance of resolve the arrears, the issues that we are faced with in Behchoko, I spoke of people with rental arrears and the need to clarify the actual amounts that are owed and work out a reasonable repayment plan. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, can the Minister inform this Assembly whether he is willing to direct his officials to begin such a process on this reasonable repayment plan in Behchoko? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Handley.