Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS electric power is an essential service;
AND WHEREAS a majority of our communities throughout the NWT continue to rely on costly diesel-generated power;
AND WHEREAS residential and commercial rates vary across the NWT;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has implemented a Territorial Power Subsidy Program which pays the cost differential between Yellowknife rates and those of other communities for the first 700 kilowatt hours of monthly private residential
consumption, and the first 1,000 kilowatt hours of small business consumption;
AND WHEREAS the subsidized consumption levels have not changed since they were set in 1988;
AND WHEREAS the high costs of power paid by local businesses are generally passed on to consumers through higher prices;
AND WHEREAS the number of users who exceed the subsidy limit increases sharply during the months of November, December, January and February;
AND WHEREAS the cost of the Territorial Power Subsidy Program has continued to increase throughout the life of this Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories' March 2007 energy plan provides for a review of electricity rates and subsidies and the development of options to reduce overall system costs and provide affordable electricity to all NWT residents;
AND WHEREAS residential users of power lack the means to effectively monitor their consumption over the course of the month;
AND WHEREAS the Government of British Columbia has recently announced an initiative for real-time, in-home smart metering to help homeowners measure and reduce their energy consumption;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the government immediately undertake a comprehensive review of the Territorial Power Subsidy Program, including a comparison of power consumption levels in the various regions and during different months of the year, and an examination of the option of setting annual maximum subsidized consumption levels as opposed to monthly maximums, to identify changes to the program to ensure that power is affordable for residents and small businesses in all NWT communities throughout the year, while maintaining an incentive for residents and small businesses to limit their non-essential power consumption;
AND FURTHER that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the government report back to the appropriate standing committee of the 16th Legislative Assembly as early as possible in that Assembly's term of office;
AND FURTHERMORE that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the government direct the NWT Power Corporation, and invite Northland Utilities NWT Ltd. and Northland Utilities Yellowknife Ltd., to develop an initiative to provide user-friendly, real-time, in-home metering, which would allow residential customers to monitor and, where appropriate, reduce their power consumption.