How much did you say was for the Energy Guide program? Was that for housing did you say?

There is $285,000, Mr. Chairman.

Sometimes I think that this government depends too much on NGOs and we have people in the departments. They always say they have to have specialists in all the different areas from Housing to Public Works. If that’s the case, maybe the government should give up those positions they have in-house and allow the private sector to provide that service. If you have people requesting these so-called specialists in the different departments, those people should do the jobs they are supposed to be doing instead of hiring consultants to do the work for them. I think that

practice seems to be the way a lot of government departments exist. They get the money and then they hire somebody else to deliver the service. For me, this should be a government responsibility either through the Housing Corporation or through the Power Corporation with regard to the energy stuff. Are there cross-references of these duties by way of what is being provided here by Arctic Energy Alliance and similar expenditures made under other departments providing the same service?

The Arctic Energy Alliance was created…They are a third-party organization and we are a major funder. We sit on the board of directors and the Arctic Energy Alliance is able to access federal funding that we would not be able to. They’ve also developed their skills and services to deliver these types of functions. The concern has always been that it’s a Yellowknife-focussed organization, mainly because they didn’t have the resources to provide services on any kind of regular basis outside of Yellowknife. So we recognize that and we’re putting money in, first, to increase the program area funding and, as well, to try to put some actual people on the ground in the regions to help focus on this whole area of energy and energy conservation and its complexities. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Krutko. Okay. Next on my list is Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

I’d like to thank Mr. Miltenberger and his witnesses. If I could please get the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort them out, that would be great. In the meantime, I’ll rise and report progress.

Could I have the report of Committee of the Whole, please, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 11-16(3), NWT Main Estimates 2009-2010, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder? The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

---Carried

Item 22, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, item 23, orders of the day.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Thursday, February 26, 2009, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 8:14 p.m.