In regard to the challenges we face in the Northwest Territories, one of the most vibrant problems we see is sustainability of small communities, but more importantly, the high cost of the power rates in a lot of our communities. Electrical power is an essential service to all people of the Northwest Territories. It’s mostly felt by these communities where the high cost of living, the high cost of groceries and, more importantly, the high cost just to maintain a lifestyle is driving a lot of our residents to leave a lot of our small communities for the larger centres, at a cost to the sustainability of our communities. But that is one of the priorities of the 16th Assembly.
It’s fundamental that this government, this 16th Assembly, take this issue seriously and ensure that we take a close look at power rates across the Northwest Territories to get away from the community-by-community–based rates that we presently have in place. The high cost of subsidizing those rates is in the area of some $8 million, and we are looking at the possibility of spending $11 million just to sustain this program.
We have to do as other jurisdictions and territories have across Canada. Yukon and Nunavut have looked at this issue. It’s fundamental, as a Legislature, that we ensure the people of the Northwest Territories can sustain a vibrant lifestyle but, more importantly, make it affordable and achievable for all people in the Northwest Territories.
I know it’s important that we look at the budget issue we have in the Northwest Territories, but we also have to look at how we spend our subsidies for different things, such as power subsidies, housing subsidies, programs and services. This is an essential service. It’s crucial that we do take this issue on at the earliest date possible, so we can provide direction from this government to the PUB to ensure that they will act with the direction that's going to be needed.
This issue has been out there for some time. In my former leadership of the Ministry Responsible for Power Corp., this issue came up in every visit we
made to the communities. One of the things that floored me, Mr. Speaker….