Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to send Valentine's greetings to my wife, since 1988, back in Tuktoyaktuk.
---Applause
Mr. Speaker, prior to me coming down to this session, I received a number of complaints regarding the recent power bills that they received for January, December and January. A number of complaints that I received in excess of $1,800, $1,200-plus, $650-plus, $450-plus. One of the reasons that they talked about, Mr. Speaker, is that recently, in October and November, there was a contract in the community of Tuktoyaktuk that actually went out and changed some of the meters. They are wondering if that might be one of the reasons why.
Mr. Speaker, presently in Tuktoyaktuk, as an example, we pay 61.61 cents per kilowatt per hour. After the first 700 kilowatts it's subsidized. On top of that, Mr. Speaker, we also incur another cost of 13.73 cents per kilowatt per hour. That's very costly. We talk about trying to become homeowners in the communities a lot and with the cost escalation of the power right now and the fuel rider, it's going to discourage the people to maybe even consider that.
One of the things I would like to say, Mr. Speaker, as a homeowner myself, we do enjoy being private homeowners, but at the same time with the cost of the power and the fuel rider on top of that, you know it's discouraging. I would like to say that another example, in Sachs Harbour, Mr. Speaker, they are paying 97.75 cents per kilowatt an hour, on top of that 13.73, so these kinds of rates are very discouraging.
Just in closing, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say I'm going to have a question for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation in regard to the power rates. Thank you.
---Applause