With the existing framework we have to operate under — that is, the acts that are in place, the Public Utilities Board regulation process — if we were to delay this process, then the potential is that next year we would have to go for even a higher request for operation.

The fact that individuals have been saving on their energy use, yes, is one that helps, in a sense. But,

Mr. Speaker, I’ll speak from experience. I have a large family; I have a home in Inuvik and pay a higher rate than Yellowknife. For approximately 11 months of the year I keep — I should say, my wife keeps — the power consumption below the 700 kilowatt hours, and we live within that time frame. Now, not all people can do that, because of the quality of the homes they live in and the nature of the weather and weather patterns.

But, again, if we want to change the way it’s looked at, the way it’s reviewed and how we provide power, the opportunity’s here. I’m agreeing: let’s do that; let’s really look at how we deliver those services. Through the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee we’re working on a paper that we can bring to Priorities and Planning and set the direction we go in the Northwest Territories.