Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize and honour the 2008 winners of the Arctic Energy Alliance Energy Action Awards which were presented last night. The awards highlight Northerners who are taking action to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
There are four categories in which nominations could be made: youth and schools, individual, business, and community. The winners for youth schools were industrious students from the Aurora College Trades Access II C lass who ran a pilot winterization class in Inuvik. The students received hands-on training while helping to winterize the homes of five elders and eight others, reducing heating bills and helping to reduce carbon emissions. Word has already spread about this project and I hear that residents of Tuktoyaktuk are already asking for a similar project in their community.
The winner for the individual category was Kaad Mukhtaar who was the first taxi driver in the NWT to switch to a hybrid vehicle. Kaad helped the Arctic Energy Alliance do a case study on hybrid vehicles in the North. By switching to a hybrid, Kaad has saved himself $5,000 a year by reducing his carbon emissions by 9,000 kilograms.
The business winner this year was NPR Commercial Property who had performed efficiency upgrades in four of their buildings, reducing their energy consumption by 23 percent, which translates to 502 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of removing 100 cars from the road every year. The company also has the added benefit of reducing their energy costs by $370,000.
The community category honoured our own City of Yellowknife this year for taking real steps to implement a community energy plan. Some actions the city has taken to reduce energy consumption are one of the most efficient building codes in Canada, installing a wood pellet boiler at the Yellowknife Community Arena, the Yellowknife Curling Club and Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, and thereby putting it well on its way to meeting its greenhouse gas targets years ahead of schedule, conducting a geothermal study concluding energy audits on all facilities and developing a smart growth plan.
Mr. Speaker, the Arctic Energy Alliance must also be given recognition. Under the exceptional leadership of Mr. Andrew Robinson, the hardworking staff have far surpassed their goals of this year. Opportunities for our residents to save and benefit the environment exist and the Arctic Energy Alliance is helping residents to realize that. All kudos to our energy warriors. Mahsi.