Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about making sure that good energy saving ideas are turned into action. The Arctic Energy Alliance is a not-for-profit society with the goal to help communities, consumers, producers, regulators, and policymakers to work together to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of energy and the utility services in the Northwest Territories.

We all know far too well about the high energy costs and the concerns around the world regarding climate change which have made reducing energy a top priority for many. My concerns today are that everyday people who need assistance to turn energy saving ideas into reality, hit a wall because there seems to be a gap in the system that is unfunded that turns ideas into action.

Any Northerner can pick up a brochure and learn about solar water heaters that could reduce their energy costs at home. To make the ideas real, that person likely needs some practical assistance with those changes. The Arctic Energy Alliance is funded to provide those ideas and they do that very well. But that’s where the funding ends. With that, their goal of translating that into action seems to hit a brick wall. They need the resources to do this.

Another hurdle some of our consumers have is the fact that some of our NWT trades contractors may not have enough experience in helping them bridge those ideas of technology into action. Therefore, people are unsure, and certainly and understandably nervous, that are these good ideas going to translate into results.

If you’re a business, there are no programs to be able to turn these ideas into results. Yet, again, a funding gap and a brick wall.

I don’t think all is lost because we could fill those funding gaps if our partners such as Environment, Housing Corporation, Public Works, MACA, as well as others could come together to find a way to bridge those gaps by giving them resources to provide that practical experience and translate them into results.

Whether you’re an everyday person or a small business, progressive changes need to be addressed through their funding source and delivery mechanisms. All the best energy efficiency

ideas do nothing without the support to translate them into real results.

I’ll have questions for the environment Minister later today.