This is page numbers 977 - 1012 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 communities.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Brendan Bell, Mr. Braden, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Honourable David Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Hon. Michael McLeod, Mr. McLeod, Hon. Kevin Menicoche, Mr. Pokiak, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 977

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Minister's Statement 71-15(5): Heritage Day 2007
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. The third Monday in February each year is recognized across Canada as Heritage Day.

This year, the national theme is the celebration of "vernacular architecture" meaning those structures built by ordinary people, rather than by professionally trained architects. In the Northwest Territories, this term encompasses everything from the archaeological remains of tents in the forest and driftwood dwellings on the Arctic Coast, to still standing residential and commercial buildings built by people who arrived in the North more recently. These structures are a record of where we settle, where we grow, what we need, where we live, where we work, where we do business, where we learn and where we worship.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in partnership with the Government of Canada, is helping three communities recognize and conserve their historic and culturally important places.

In Aklavik, the Ehdiitat Gwich'in Council and the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute are documenting the vernacular architecture of local cultural places.

In Tsiigehtchic, the Gwichya Gwich'in Council and the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute are working to recognize the history and architecture of Church Hill.

The Tulita Dene Band Council and the Fort Norman Historical and Heritage Society are preparing a conservation plan for the old Anglican Church of Tulita, a territorial historic site. The old Anglican Church of Tulita is one of the oldest standing buildings in the NWT. Its finally crafted dovetailed log structure is an excellent example of the vernacular building style of local craftsmen in the early 1880s.

The City of Yellowknife Heritage Committee is celebrating this year's Heritage Day theme concurrent with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yellowknife becoming the capital. Yellowknife is well known for its home-built architecture. The heritage committee has organized an art show at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre featuring that aspect of Yellowknife's history and character. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Minister's Statement 71-15(5): Heritage Day 2007
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Members of this House are aware, the labour dispute at the Nats'ejee K'eh, NJK, Treatment Centre has been resolved. I am pleased to announce that treatment services will again be available at the centre the week of March 21st.

---Applause

I would like to thank both parties for their dedicated efforts, particularly over the last few weeks, in negotiating a successful conclusion to this labour dispute. Sometimes resolutions to such disputes are difficult to achieve, and this was no exception.

NJK Treatment Centre is an integral part of an overall mental health and addictions strategy that focuses on community-based support and counselling. Each year over 150 northern residents are referred to Nats'ejee K'eh for treatment. The treatment centre provides co-ed, gender specific and couples programs, as well as follow-up and support programs. NJK also operates a 24-hour crisis line for clients that have gone through the program.

I am pleased that a long-term agreement has been reached and I expect this will bring the stability we need to this important service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the number one identified priority of Canadians has recently been cited to be the stewardship of our natural environment. One could argue that the population in the Northwest Territories and the population so minute in the grand scheme of world greenhouse gas generation that what we do doesn't really matter. If we have a vast and pristine country with unlimited clean air and water, why would we concern ourselves with the amounts of greenhouse gases that we contribute?

Just look at any major highway in southern California on any given day. Look at the number of jets flying the global skies; look at the concentration of industry in developed

countries and then look at us, a little speck of people on a big map.

Some would make the argument that no matter what we do, we are still going to be the place where a lot of pollution ends up. I am sure some of the contaminants that have been detected in our free-ranging wildlife in the North isn't from pollutants that were generated by anyone living in the North.

Mr. Speaker, I submit to you that if everyone took an attitude of not me, no one would go first in addressing the consumption of energy and how it is affecting the world that we live in. The world is getting smaller every day in terms of travel and communication, and actions in one part of the world significantly impact another part, even if it's far away.

We have a lot of good reasons why we should conserve energy. For one thing, it would save money. For another, it would preserve the environment. Every time I hear about the energy-hungry markets for natural gas and oil in southern Canada and the U.S. market and the need for jurisdictions like ours and Alberta's with natural resources to respond to that demand, I think to myself why don't we slow it down, build more energy-efficient buildings, drive more energy-efficient vehicles, find clean alternate energy sources.

How do we get off this merry-go-round of thinking we need more consumables, bigger homes, bigger cars? We spend our lives in the pursuit of things that consume our money, our time, our life and, ultimately, our environment.

Mr. Speaker, I resist the theory that more is better. I think that's what we all need to do if we're going to lessen the impact of this generation on our environment. I don't know how we get buy-in for being more minimalist in our expectations and our wasted resources, but this government and the people of the North definitely do have a role to play. We need community energy plans. We need personal energy plans. This government needs to be the leader, create incentives and assist people in making choices which are more environmentally and economically sound, and where this government is the designer, builder and owner of much infrastructure, we also need to implement strong principles of conservation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Energy Efficiency In Remote Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today, being the day for this side of the House to try and energize this government to address the high cost of energy here in the NWT, I would just like to speak on the energy issues in smaller communities and more remote centres, where the impact of small changes in energy costs have a real large impact in our remote communities in relation to the overall cost of living here in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the energy efficiency issue always presents many challenges for private homeowners and private businesses in our remote communities; issues like the access to information and technology on energy efficiency and some methods to reduce it. There are only certain times of the year where businesses can afford to bring in such large pieces of equipment like freezers and coolers, or households bring in slightly smaller equipment like washers and dryers, or dishwashers, hot water tanks and other similar energy-efficient appliances, because of the high cost of moving freight here in the NWT. Other huge challenges in small communities are the lack of qualified people in these remote communities. When there's no one to install your energy-efficient furnaces or your energy efficient hot water tank, or your wood pellet stove, why buy one? If there's nobody to install your energy-efficient doors or windows or put on your energy-efficient siding, why purchase those? Even to find somebody to tune up your vehicle to make it more energy efficient in these smaller communities is always a challenge. Getting any of these things done in a timely manner is one of the things that all these small communities are faced with.

I'd just like to see many more of these types of costs included in all these energy efficient loan programs that are proposed by ITI and ENR, and also in the Housing Corporation's new CARE Program to provide grants to renovate or upgrade homes for great energy efficiency and conservation. These are all good initiatives with good intentions, Mr. Speaker. I persuade this government to expedite the rollout of these dollars and encourage all residents in both large and small communities to take full advantage of these initiatives that will only benefit everybody in the long term.

Just for the homeowners' information, Mr. Speaker, 1,000 litres of heating oil in your home roughly produces two to three tons of emissions. Just for some people to think about out there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Energy Efficiency In Remote Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Energy-efficient Home Heating Systems
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one thing I'm going to touch on is regarding energy efficiency. The price of heating oil and diesel has drastically increased over the years and will continue to rise. People are starting to look into alternative ways to heat their homes just so they can get by during the winter months. That's why the people in the communities, that's what we're looking into. What can we do to make it much better, to really look at it? This is what they call pellet stove. It is costly. To buy a stove it costs over $4,000 something. How can we help these people? That's what we're talking about. Mr. Speaker...(Translation ends)

...energy efficiency is a very important and worthwhile initiative here in the Northwest Territories. This has been an issue in the communities during our pre-budget consultation in the north and south sections of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the price of heating oil and diesel has drastically increased over the years and will continue to rise. People are starting to look into alternative ways to heat their homes just so they can get by during the winter months. Mr. Speaker, I realize that the GNWT has

subsidy programs to deal with energy efficiency, which is great to see. I think we need to go further, be specific on our subsidy programs. There may be some subsidy programs out there, but people are still confused as to where to turn for these so-called subsidies and what's available to them here in the Northwest Territories,

Mr. Speaker, I think it is time that this government invests in subsidizing wood pellet stoves and regular wood stoves. The installation of these stoves is very expensive. Some stoves can range from $4,500 to $10,000, depending on the size of the area to be heated and other considerations. Mr. Speaker, some elders and community members simply cannot afford to purchase an energy-efficient pellet or wood stove, let alone the additional cost for installation. This is where the GNWT needs to step up to the plate. Mahsi.

---Applause

Energy-efficient Home Heating Systems
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Leadership In Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In the world of energy consumption and the consequences of it, there is incontrovertible evidence, Mr. Speaker, that we are the ones causing it. There should no longer be any doubt whatsoever that we have got to take the responsibility for this. We can't go on blaming it on natural causes or thinking that, well, if we study it a bit longer or try and avoid it, it will go away. We have got to take responsibility for it. This is where we have to take on the responsibility and the mantle of leadership. We are the ones who collectively got ourselves into this mess, and we have to get ourselves out of it.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Hay River South pointed out that northerners and Canadians in the big global picture may not make much of a difference to the impact of climate change and greenhouse gasses, but we have got to, for ourselves and for our families, for our future generations, show the leadership that is going to be required. Even if our overall impact is small, we've got to be able to demonstrate to ourselves and to the world that we are taking responsibility, Mr. Speaker. Here in the Arctic we are the ones who are being impacted the most and the quickest by greenhouse gas accumulations around the world. Let's step up to the plate and show that we want to take responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, here in the North there are already some very good examples of that. Ecology North and the Dene Nation led a climate change leadership workshop last month to help us leaders learn more about climate change and what we can do about it. The Arctic Energy Alliance has been in place for some years now, established by this government to provide leadership and be a catalyst for energy innovations. Mr. Speaker, our Department of Public Works and the Department of Justice should be congratulated for showing their leadership when they installed a large wood pellet burning stove at the North Slave Correctional Centre. Mr. Speaker, I'd like unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Leadership In Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Braden.

Leadership In Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, further to the wood pellet technology installed at the North Slave Correctional Centre, we're also seeing leadership from the private sector in the company Arctic Green Energy Limited, which pulled this technology from around the world and showed what benefit it can make. Mr. Speaker, I understand that we could be seeing savings from this in the neighbourhood of at least $50,000 in subsequent years.

Mr. Speaker, 95 percent of the electricity for the city of Yellowknife comes from hydro generation but each of us still emits 19 tons of carbon dioxide per person annually. That's just a little bit less than the average per person of our American neighbours. We can do something about it. Let's step up to the plate and show the leadership that will get us there, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Leadership In Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statement. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Alternative Energy Solutions
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, MLAs on this side of the House have been speaking on energy efficiency and potential alternative solutions to energy use. We know that government has conducted community hearings to discuss alternative solutions for energy use within communities across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, some ideas government has put forward is hydro expansion and, more recently, the use of wood pellet generation at the North Slave Correctional Centre in Yellowknife. These are just some of the examples that government is considering for alternative energy which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Speaker, we all know the importance of alternative energy sources and, as one user of a diesel power heating system, we are looking at how we can reduce energy efficiency in our home. As a private homeowner, some work that we have done to date is replaced our electrical hot water heater to an oil furnace hot water heater system. Mr. Speaker, by converting to this, it has reduced our power by an average savings of about $200 a month. Other options we've done is conducting regular oil inspections on our furnace and by replacing the air filters regularly. Mr. Speaker, we've even spruced our lighting by converting to energy-efficient light bulbs. These are just some of the small items that we do to save energy, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if government, industry, business and homeowners can do so much with small items in finding ways for alternative energy use, we will enjoy cleaner air and environment for the detriment of us and for our children in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Alternative Energy Solutions
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Community Power Rates
Item 3: Members' Statements

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David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'm going to speak about the cost of energy and the role it plays in the lives of all residents of our territory today and the importance of energy for the economic and social well-being of our territory into the future.

I want to start with power rates and, Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand why some communities in the Northwest Territories today pay 25 to 35 percent more for power than other comparable communities. True examples of this are, firstly, the community of Trout Lake where power distribution is handled by Northland Utilities. When you compare that to a similar sized community which happens to be in the same region, such as Nahanni Butte, which has their distribution handled by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, the rates are 20 to 25 percent higher than in Trout Lake. Another example, Mr. Speaker, is the community of Wekweeti, where again Northland Utilities is responsible for distribution, and the community of Whati, where NTPC handles the distribution, and rates are again 20 percent lower in Wekweeti, which has a much smaller population. I believe that as a government we have a responsibility to deliver the best, most affordable power rates possible to our communities and the residents who live there. I think there should be an investigation or an inquiry as to why this discrepancy exists, why in some communities residents are paying 20 to 25 percent higher rates than in other comparable communities. Something needs to be looked at, Mr. Speaker.

As a government looking into the future, we must move ahead with our partners in expanding the Taltson hydro facility. We need to look at other smaller hydro developments to power our communities. Wind power should also be thoroughly explored to power our communities.

The Power Corporation has a general rate application into the PUB and rates are proposed to increase. How can our residents continue to keep paying more for power? Our Power Subsidy Program, Mr. Speaker, is going to need to be re-evaluated. This government needs to take action on developing possible new energy resources and ensuring our people are getting the best possible deal on power. Our future depends on it, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

---Applause

Community Power Rates
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

High Cost Of Utilities In The North
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today with the high cost of utilities across the North we continue to try to find solutions to make houses more energy efficient as possible. We try to conserve energy, Mr. Speaker, by using energy-efficient appliances and finding alternative ways to heat our homes. I still find it unfair to northerners that we have land that is so rich in resources we have to continue to pay extremely high rates for all our utilities. Without many of the subsidies provided by the government, Mr. Speaker, people would have a difficult time up here to earn a living.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people today that try hard to earn an honest living, yet they seem to be the last to qualify for many programs because of their income. Many are taxpayers who help subsidize many of the programs. All they ask for is a fair opportunity to take advantage of the money being offered by this government. Are they asking for free money? I don't think so. But interest-free loans to help renovate their houses, because by the time they're done their mortgage payments, their utility payments, buy their food, there's not much left over for renovations and these are usually the last people that money is provided for.

I continue to commend the government for doing what they can to help with the high cost of living in the North, but we have to look after our hard-working and taxpaying citizens. A road down the valley would help bring some of the costs down across the North, Mr. Speaker. A percentage of the resource royalty money could provide interest-free loans to those who want it and will pay for it. We must give all northerners, Mr. Speaker, equal opportunity to take advantage of the programs being offered by this government. As we continue to find ways to save energy, we must protect the consumers from utility providers who will continue to raise the rates because of all of the energy we're saving using some of these initiatives. We have to continue to protect northerners, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

High Cost Of Utilities In The North
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Support For Assisted Living Programs
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 980

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to jump on the energy debate later on in the motion, but for now I would like to speak today in support of an assisted living program in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, this would be for those in our communities with disabilities or health conditions who don't require constant medical attention and can live an active, independent life away from more expensive institutional care if they could only get some help for a few hours a week to take care of their basic everyday needs.

Mr. Speaker, a case in point is one young, very intelligent woman in my constituency who is almost completely blind. She does quite well taking care of herself, but she can't do everything. She needs help with getting groceries once a week and help with cleaning her apartment, especially getting rid of garbage down the stairs. When I visited her, she spoke of the difficulty of using her vacuum cleaner. She also had problems with her freezer, which had to be taken care of by third-party intervention.

Mr. Speaker, she gets volunteers and assistance from the Council for Disabled Persons, but without an established program of assisted living, it's asking a lot to expect the volunteers to do all these chores constantly. Same goes for the extended families. It's especially more taxing for those who don't have any extended family in the city, Mr. Speaker. I could tell you that such assisted program could also be helpful for seniors, as well as other people with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware that there is a full-time assisted living with those who are severely disabled, but it seems that there is not anything if you're not completely disabled and I think it's in the interest of the government to set up a program for those who can live on their own but need some help.

Mr. Speaker, I think it's very important to point out that this is quite separate from home care and respite care that the government currently provides, but I know that a lot of extra demands that are being put on the home care and respite care are something that should be expected to do through those programs, but one that could be addressed by such assisted living scenario. I know the resources for the government are limited, but I think that in the long run this will be more economical in that we'll be able to keep these people out of institutional care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Support For Assisted Living Programs
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.