Question has been

called.

Motion carried.

We are on page 10-21,

Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Grants and Contributions, Activity Summary, Contributions, Total Contributions: $991,000.

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Grants and Contributions, Total Contributions: $991,000, approved.

Total Grants and

Contributions: $991,000. Agreed?

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Total Grants and Contributions: $991,000, approved.

Moving on to page 10-22,

information item, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Active Positions. Agreed?

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Active Positions, information item (page 10-22), approved.

Page 10-23, information

item, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Active Positions.

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Active Positions, information item (page 10-23), approved.

Moving on to 10-25,

Energy, Activity Summary, Operations Expenditure Summary: $5.019 million.

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Energy, Operations Expenditure Summary: $5.019 million, approved.

Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a

question in regard to Commercial Energy Audits. It’s a previously approved initiative for $100,000, but it’s an elimination of $100,000, so I am not sure whether it’s out or in or if it was in and now it’s out. So if I could get clarification, please.

Mr. Vician.

So that then means that there won’t

be any funding available for businesses who wish to do an energy audit. Is that correct?

Next on the list I have

Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Under

Grants and Contributions I see that there’s $3 million going to the Taltson River hydroelectric for some feasibility studies and whatnot. Although I agree that the Taltson is clearly an area that we should be looking into expanding and that there’s lots of opportunities for it, I am curious exactly

what’s being done in respect to the feasibility study and whether or not a decision has already been made as to where power lines may flow from Taltson — whether they’re going to be flowing northeast around the east arm of Great Slave Lake up to the diamond mines and stopping dead or whether or not there are still options for consideration for maximizing Taltson.

This could help to actually support the people of the Northwest Territories by possibly extending from Hay River across our fancy new bridge up through Providence, Behchoko and creating some grid systems, maybe gridding over to Yellowknife — creating some grids and therefore creating some redundancy, helping reduce costs of power in our communities. Then following our existing winter road system up to the mines in order to ease construction, given that they’ll be along a road rather than just plunked out in the middle of the tundra.

The Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

With regard to the $3 million, the proposed allocations for the different components are as follows: environmental studies or work, $100,000; engineering, $300,000; partnership, $400,000; legal finance, $800,000; regulatory costs, $1.4 million.

The Minister’s Energy Coordinating Committee has committed to reviewing how the line would be situated. The previous government had determined that it was not feasible to go around the lake, but we have indicated that we are prepared to review those costs. We think that energy costs have changed, and we are prepared to have another look at it to determine whether it’s feasible now or not.

I’m glad to hear that they’re open

to new possibilities. If it’s feasible to go around the east arm of Great Slave Lake, where there are no people and no roads and no infrastructure that exists already, it’s going to have to be built using helicopters and stuff. It strikes me that it’s probably completely feasible to build it extending from Hay River and, like I said, across our fancy bridge. That would therefore create some real grids in the system — a real grid in Behchoko, a real grid linked into Yellowknife. It strikes me as being a whole lot easier to build something where we already have some roads and some winter or seasonal roads.

You’ve already talked about engineering, and you’ve already talked about regulatory costs. That suggests to me that you’ve got to be engineering something in that there are some regulatory processes you’re going through, which then suggests to me that you might have already picked your location. Can you confirm for me that you have

not, in fact, committed to a direction for this power line to go based on the expansion of Taltson?

The proposed Taltson

expansion, as the Member knows, builds on the existing dam and would add an additional spillway. There is a proposal that has been submitted and is being reviewed, but we are prepared to look at a different route.

That is very good news. I was

wondering if I can get the Minister to commit to working with the Regular MLAs, who have, obviously, a lot of fantastic ideas that may assist you in selecting the route that’s in the best interests of people of the Northwest Territories. Can I get the Minister to commit to working with the MLAs on this project and allow our input to be considered with an open mind?

We’re very eager to work

closely with the committee on this. We have made briefings in the past and will commit to doing additional briefings. My colleague the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation has indicated that they will dig out the cost estimates that were used the last time. We would look at having a discussion with the Deze Energy Corporation as well.

We’re on page 10-25.

Mr. Abernethy.

Just for final clarification, and I

think you’ve said it, but I’d like to hear it clearly: has a route been selected? Yes or no?

The current proposal that has

gone forward for environmental assessment does have a route that’s been outlined. A final route has not been determined or finalized as of yet.

Compare this to the bridge for a

second. Are you going to come to us and tell us later, when we ask for input, that it’s a done deal, your route is selected and our input is not going to be considered? Or is there an opportunity to get out of this route that you guys have put forward in favour of a route that is in the best interest of the people of the Northwest Territories?