Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this motion comes from many community visits in my region and also other community visits in the Northwest Territories through our committee work, through our invitations to go to different communities and different visits. However, Mr. Speaker, this motion had been a while in terms of coming together and drafting.
Mr. Speaker, we really need to look at the issue, that we have some sense of ownership and that's the Territorial Power Subsidy Program that we could at least do something for our people in the small communities. Rates of diesel in communities range from 36.8 percent per kilowatt an hour in Fort Simpson to $2.66.6 cents per kilowatt in Colville Lake, Mr. Speaker. In the smallest communities, that's where it hits the hardest for our people because the cost is spread out between very few of the people. Like Sachs Harbour, Mr. Speaker, pays 97 cents a kilowatt; Tsiigehtchic, 99 cents a kilowatt; Gameti, 82 cents a kilowatt; Nahanni Butte is 97 cents a kilowatt. While the first 700 kilowatts for residents are subsidized to the Yellowknife rate, above that level the power bills very quickly get bigger and bigger; 700 kilowatts doesn't leave very much room in the smaller communities, Mr. Speaker.
People have asked, through meetings and through the public notices going out from government, to conserve their energy by turning off the lights and doing certain things to conserve their energy in terms of the power rates, to make the power rates go down lower. Mr. Speaker, some of these appliances in real old houses, you just can't do that. Some of these smaller communities that these appliances that they use in the houses, some haven't been changed since the '60s and '70s. Mr. Speaker; we have a hard time to maintain the 700 kilowatt range. Mr. Speaker, a lot of people over the months have looked at this 700 kilowatts and say it's just not realistic. For example, in my communities, half the people in my communities go over that 700 kilowatts. A lot of times in our smaller communities a lot of people live in these small houses because of the lack of housing. You know, and they complain about the high cost of living, you know, and even in a small business such as Colville Lake, you know, there are thousands of bucks that go into that Co-op store to support it and there aren't very many people. Like Tsiigehtchic, even in Wrigley, you know, these small communities that it's the only store in that community. Even, I read somewhere, in one of the responses from the government, in the year 2006 Nahanni Butte's store was, I think it was a $72,000 power bill for that year. We're kind of lucky, somewhat, in the larger centres where there are one or two stores but, you know, a store like in Colville Lake, it's been reported to me, Mr. Speaker, that the power bill in Colville Lake for the Co-op store is about $10,000 a month. My last count, three years ago, there were 134 people in that community. So how do you support that type of business asking the people to save their costs? We talk about the high cost of living here. Small businesses, they would absorb the cost, but the prices go to the consumers and the consumers come back to us and ask for assistance in terms of help with their high cost of living here in the communities.
Mr. Speaker, I welcome this motion. I've had some good discussions with our Members here and upstairs. I've had some long discussions and looked at this motion here to give a strong message to government to look at this and see how we can help the small people in the communities. I look forward to other Members' views on this motion. Thank you.