Thank you, Mr.

Yakeleya. The

honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I’m going to switch gears a little bit but still talk about hydro. I want to ask the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation some questions on the Taltson expansion. I’m wondering whether any progress has been made on the discussions with the diamond mines to secure the power from that Taltson expansion and where that process is at.

Thank you, Mr.

Ramsay. The

honourable Minister Responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, the Energy Corporation is in negotiations with the diamond mines. My understanding is that the confidentiality agreements have been signed by the parties with Diavik and De Beers, and they’re close to working with Ekati in terms of signing the confidentiality agreement. A letter of intent has been forwarded to Diavik and De Beers for those signatures, and certainly they are being forwarded to Ekati

for their

consideration. Hopefully sometime within the next short period these will be signed.

That’s pretty big news. I’m kind of taken aback by the news that Deze has negotiated deals and has signed agreements with, I believe the Minister said, De Beers and Diavik. This seems to me to be a pretty sizable announcement. When was the Minister planning on letting Members of this House know that agreements had been signed?

Mr. Speaker,

these

agreements I’ve spoken of are confidential agreements, but they are working with the mines. The mines want to see the use of hydro power into their operations. Once I talk to the Deze corporation, we would then come forward with the announcement in terms of whether we have a deal with the mines or not and if this project is on a go-forward basis. Right now it seems by all indications that it looks very good for both parties.

Mr. Speaker, considering that we are debating the Draft Main Estimates here over the month of June and there’s a lone item in there for $3 million for ITI to look at the Taltson expansion, I think it would be incumbent upon the Minister and the government to apprise Members that there has been some movement in the area of securing a business deal for the power from the Taltson expansion. I guess the Minister has made an announcement today in the House suggesting that agreements have been reached, so I’d like to ask him: when exactly is he going to make this information public? I guess by us standing here today it already is public. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to let the public and the Members here know that these are confidential agreements. The negotiation is confidential between the parties that are involved. This is standard practice. But once we know that we have a significant announcement between the Deze corporation and the mines, that they have come to some agreement in terms of benefiting all of the people of the Northwest Territories, I certainly would inform the Cabinet Ministers. We would certainly have the discussion, then, in terms of the amounts and activity.

Thank you, Mr.

Yakeleya. Final

supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that. I wouldn’t expect that the Minister or Deze would share those confidential agreements with Members. However, if the agreements have been signed…. I mean, that’s a tremendous leap forward.

Again, I want to ask the Minister specifically: are the deals that have been signed between Deze and the two mining companies that he mentions, Diavik and De Beers…? Is that for power from Taltson?

Mr.

Speaker, we are

working with partners on this project. The confidentiality agreement is between the mines and our partner, Deze corporation, which has taken the lead in terms of the specifics. I would look to our lead Minister, Bob McLeod, in terms of having discussions with committee members on the specific project for reasons I’m unable to give today because of the confidentiality. I would look forward to having the Member meet with the committee members to talk about the specifics of Taltson.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Time for question period has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the second time.

Mr.

Speaker, Bill 11 amends the Legislative

Assembly and Executive Council Act to provide a travel allowance to a Member who attends a sitting or meetings of a committee of the Legislative Assembly after he or she has attended a sitting or meetings for eight consecutive sitting or meeting days.

Bill 11 has had second reading.

Motion carried; Bill 11, An Act to Amend the

Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, read a second time.

Mr.

Speaker, I seek unanimous

consent to waive rule 69(2) and have Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, moved into Committee of the Whole.

Unanimous consent granted.

Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Bill 8, Committee Reports 2-16(2), 3-16(2), 4-16(2), 5-16(2), 6-16(2), 7-16(2); Tabled Document 37-16(2).

By the authority given me as Speaker by Motion 10-16(2), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider business before the House, with Mr. Bromley in the chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of the committee today is to return to the NWT Housing Corporation Main Estimates and then to continue with Environment and Natural Resources and, time permitting, to start with the Municipal and Community Affairs Department.

Thank you,

Mrs. Groenewegen. Is the committee agreed?

We’ll take a short recess.

The Committee of the Whole took a short

recess.

Okay. I’d like to call the Committee of the Whole to order. Before the break the Committee agreed to return to our consideration of the Housing Corporation.

We left off on the Corporate Summary, on page 2-149. Minister Miltenberger, I understand you have some comments to make.

Thank you,

Mr. Chairman. I am prepared to redirect $1.292 million from the Infrastructure Acquisition Plan to the Contributing Assistance for Repairs and Enhancement, also known as the CARE program. This would increase funding levels for the CARE program from $742,000 to $2.034 million in 2008–2009, which is similar to the 2007–2008 expenditures. The total contribution from the Financial Management Board Secretariat to the Housing Corporation would remain unchanged.

As well, the Housing Corporation will take action to assess and develop a strategy focusing on accessible living opportunities for families who include a disabled person. This work will be undertaken within existing Housing Corporation resources. In regard to the Elders on the Land housing program, the Housing Corporation is of the opinion that where there is an issue of primary housing for elders, be it in the community or on the land, existing programs are adequate to cover that circumstance.