Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Before we begin, colleagues, for your information and the information of our guests, interpreters in the House this week will be channel two, South Slavey; channel three, North Slavey. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak to our government’s overall approach to energy, and specifically to the processes that are now underway that will help shape the future of the electricity system in the Northwest Territories.

Building upon the NWT Energy Plan and Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the vision and priorities identified by all Members of the 16th Legislative

Assembly, and with further input of all Members, the GNWT released our Energy Priorities Framework last October.

This document clearly

outlines our priorities, from enhanced efforts in energy conservation and efficiency to fundamentally changing our energy supply and reducing our dependence on imported diesel.

As the Minister of Finance outlined in his budget speech, our government has made an unprecedented financial commitment to bring about real change and reduce the cost of living, especially in our remote communities.

Mr. Speaker, we need to examine all opportunities to reduce energy costs and this includes looking at our electricity sector, how our electricity is generated and delivered, and how our electricity

rates are established. Our key process for this is our review of electricity regulation, rates and subsidy programs, which Minister Bob McLeod will be speaking to today.

In the context of the overall electricity review, there are two related processes I have committed to undertake.

The first is a review of the NTPC.

Members of this House and the Association of Communities have called on the government to review the structure and the efficiency of the NWT Power Corporation. Concerned about high electricity rates, customers and leaders have asked the government to confirm that the corporation operates as efficiently as it can. As Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, I plan to appoint an expert panel of industry and audit professionals. Before the end of this session, I will provide the names of the members of the panel to all Regular Members and inform the public.

Mr. Speaker, the panel will examine the financial statements, PUB rate applications, and general operations of the NTPC. I will be asking the panel members to meet with the PUB. A comparison of costs, rates, and practices will be done between NTPC and NUL, so that residents can obtain a fair comparison of community rates and the reasons for differences. The panel members will conduct comparative analyses of similar utilities, though, admittedly, there are few simple comparisons to our Power Corporation.

The panel members will then share the understanding they gain from their detailed analysis by conducting a series of meetings with important stakeholders. The goal of this exercise is to build a common understanding of the reasons underlying our current electricity costs, and to discuss opportunities for change. Our Power Corporation is a valuable asset of this government. If it can be improved, we ought to pursue those improvements. If services can be improved, and rates lowered or at least stabilized, we need to pursue those changes.

Mr. Speaker, there is an important link between the NTPC and electricity reviews. The electricity review is intended to discuss the implications of adding or reducing the number of companies operating in the NWT’s electricity sector. The NTPC review will provide data on the opportunities and implications

of reducing the number of utility players to one, whether it be private or public.

The second is a review of the ATCO proposal for a partnership arrangement in the development and delivery of power in the Northwest Territories, which I announced in January. This review should be considered as due diligence on the part of our government, in response to an unsolicited proposal. I am expecting an initial report in April to help determine whether this proposal should be pursued further.

The ATCO review will help us understand how a merged and privatized utility would operate in NWT, including changes to the way NTPC currently operates. The preliminary review of this proposal will help government understand the issues related to electrical utility privatization, and regulatory implications of additional privatization.

Mr. Speaker, again, there is an important link between the ATCO and electricity reviews. The electricity review will comment on privatization issues within the NWT electricity sector, and the appropriateness of our electricity sector regulation. It will also address how government may need to change its ability to direct its regulatory body, the Public Utilities Board.

I commit to working closely with all Members of the Legislative Assembly as we examine these complex issues and I urge all residents to take an active part in the public discussions that will take place over the coming months. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, as the Premier has noted, our government's

current review of

Review of Electricity Regulation, Rates, and Subsidy Programs will work to identify those values Northwest Territories residents

wish to see

reflected in their electricity system. An examination of the way our system is regulated, how electricity rates are established, and the effectiveness of our subsidy program will help us to collectively shape the future of our Territory's electrical system.

This critical dialogue

with

Northwest Territories

residents, aboriginal governments and key energy stakeholders will be led by a professional team well versed in northern energy challenges and the complex public policy issues that we face.

These individuals represent an expert balance of knowledge and experience in areas of energy policy development and northern affairs.

Mr. Gerry Forrest possesses a great deal of experience in national and provincial electrical issues and has recently been involved in a similar review for the Province of Saskatchewan in addition to being a past chair of the Manitoba Public Utilities Board.

Mr. Doug Matthew’s hands on knowledge of northern energy issues began with his career in Tuktoyaktuk in 1978. His experience and expertise will be a valuable resource for our public discussions on the future of our electricity system.

Mr. Mark Cleveland’s long career with the Government of the Northwest Territories, and his experience working with communities on northern policy issues, will ensure that our discussions with communities and residents are effective.

Mr. Speaker, the first public meeting for this team is scheduled for the evening of March 4th in Inuvik.

Mayor Lindsay has graciously agreed to host this public meeting and I look forward to hearing the results of this discussion.

Subsequent meetings are being scheduled for the regional centres of Norman Wells, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. We are also working with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities to hold a separate workshop for all non-tax-based communities, in Yellowknife on March 30th and 31st .

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories will be widely advertising our public engagement sessions and we look forward to working closely with communities, residents, and all Members of the Legislative Assembly as we discuss the future of the electricity system in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, as Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I wish to offer my congratulations and best wishes to two well-known women who have dedicated themselves to advancing the lives of northern and aboriginal women.

First, Ms. Bertha Allen was honoured by the Governor General of Canada with the Northern

Medal, specifically dedicated to Northerners whose “actions and achievements have contributed to the evolution and constant reaffirmation of the Canadian North as part of our national identity.” Ms. Allen has been recognized often over the years and such recognition is well-deserved. Her legacy remains strong in the North and in the Beaufort-Delta region through the lives of aboriginal women and their families over the years.

Ms. Allen has suffered enormous tragedy this past year and we wish to say that we think of her and her work and wish her well. The NWT is a better place because of her.

I also wish to recognize Ms. Arlene Hache who has been admitted into the Order of Canada. The Order of Canada was established to recognize outstanding achievement and service and is Canada’s highest civilian honour. Ms. Hache has worked tirelessly throughout the years to advocate for women and children to have programs and services work for them and effect change when change is needed. She is a well-loved woman, a fact very apparent when one visits the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife and meets her “extended” family.

Mr. Speaker, I offer my congratulations and best wishes to both these women.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jackson Lafferty will be absent from the House today, tomorrow and Wednesday to attend the Council of Ministers of Education Canada meetings in Saskatoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Premier Roland. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to draw the attention of the House to the significant contributions that the YWCA of Yellowknife makes to the Northwest Territories and their effort to increase the well-being and independence of some of the North’s most vulnerable people. The YWCA provides emergency

and transitional housing, family violence prevention programs and community support services, as well as after school programs at six Yellowknife schools and the Taiga Adventure Camp for young women.

The YWCA is an NWT-wide resource. It operates the Sutherland House in Fort Smith, which is a shelter for women and children fleeing violence. The YWCA’s programs that help children deal with the impact of family violence are delivered in a number of northern communities.

The Allison MacAteer House is a 12-bed crisis shelter in Yellowknife for women and children up to age 16 who are victims of domestic violence. The shelter offers a safe place for abused women and children as well as numerous support and counselling programs.

The YWCA will also assist in issuing emergency protection orders. Additionally, the YWCA operates Rockhill Apartments in the Great Slave riding offering both emergency and transitional housing units. It is a key resource for homeless families. Most of the residents are often single mothers, but there are also single fathers and close to 140 children. It also operates four supportive housing homes that provide life skills, training, community inclusion and a 24-hour in-home support for adults with intellectual disabilities or chronic psychiatric illness.

The Taiga Adventure Camp, currently operating out of Fort Smith, is a summer camp providing girls from ages 12 to 17 with a fun, positive personal growth experience. The camp helps develop life skills that carry well beyond the summer months and teenage years.

Invited north in 1966 by the Commissioner with the original mandate to provide housing, the YWCA has since broadened its outreach to meet the needs of our communities. Ninety-five percent of people who access the YWCA services are aboriginal. It is the lead agency on pan-territorial research on homelessness in northern women.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

The YWCA’s challenges are great not only to meet the needs of its clientele but also to secure funding for their staff and keep the facilities in good repair. The YWCA is in an excellent relationship with its funders and a broad donor base in the northern business community. However, staff at the YWCA make only 60 percent of a typical government salary, which contributes to the high turnover and constant need for staff training. It also highlights the dedication and

perseverance of its long-time workers and volunteers.

The YWCA has been an important part of our community and a turning point for northern families for over 40 years. Mr. Speaker, I ask Members of this House and the public to join me in offering support and wishing them continued success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of the Environment made a statement from the meeting held in Whitehorse with the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers. In his statement, he made reference that: “I am pleased to advise this House that after six years in development, the majority of CCME members endorsed national standards for municipal wastewater effluent.”

Mr. Speaker, it’s a long time coming but it’s also important to realize that this is a major capital investment that has to be made in our communities and throughout the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about 33 communities. Right now we are having a challenge just to put water treatment plants in our communities. For this major infrastructure to be taken on by this government is going to be a major capital expenditure. I think that we have to find a way to work with the municipalities and communities to deliver such a change. I think it’s important to take a close look at the services we do have, especially in a lot of our communities where we do depend on vacuum trucks to take the sewage out of the communities, take it to the lagoon, dump it off, and then return to the community. We do have to find a way to develop infrastructure in our communities, treat the wastewater, and protect the environment of the Northwest Territories and the wildlife.

I’d like to support the Minister’s endorsement on this, but more importantly the issue for me is how we, as the government of the 16th Assembly, are

going to be able to finance such a major undertaking that we have to have a major layout of capital dollars to implement this policy decision made by the Environment Ministers.

At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Environment questions on what he signed and when we are going to see the infrastructure fund flow to the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government-proposed investment in energy is good news for the Northwest Territories. I’m pleased to see that the plans include funding for a feasibility study for the hydro potential on the Bear River and conversion to natural gas in Fort Good Hope and Tulita. These projects, if they move into development stage, will benefit the Sahtu and reduce our dependency on expensive and polluting fossil fuels.

While these projects get ahead in the right direction, it will take many years before they have any direct impact on the residents and the environment. People in the Sahtu want immediate solutions that can help them reduce their energy costs and consumption as quickly as possible. It seems that many initiatives under the energy priority framework will have more immediate benefits to the people who live in the southern part of the Territory. They already benefit from cheaper electricity costs and each year have access to alternative energy solutions like the wood pellet stoves and boilers.

For this energy framework to have real meaning, it is important that the smaller, more isolated communities have the tools they need to use energy wisely and efficiently. I hope that the new Biomass Strategy and other energy initiatives will have direct support for the people of the Sahtu. We need to balance these initiatives with investments that can make an immediate difference for our people in the Sahtu. I’ll have questions for the Minister responsible for the energy corporation at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak again today about consensus government. Last Thursday I asked the Premier a number of questions about Cabinet solidarity and why it was that we conduct business the way we do. In my line of questioning last week I may have hit a nerve with some Cabinet Ministers, but believe me when I say it was not my intention to insult anyone or their abilities in any way. What I was doing in saying and suggesting that, is there is a better approach to how we govern.

With our system of government there is not a consensus manual or a guide. Our system of government was born and has evolved because of its elected leaders. From time to time adjustments need to be made.

Because our system of government is one of convention, it is up to us to make any changes. I appreciate the Premier’s offer to put communications on the table and develop protocols, but our problems run much deeper than what is on the table, as the Premier mentions.

I’m not looking to throw the doors wide open on a constitutional development and I was surprised that the Premier, in answering questions last week, would even suggest that. The fact is we can change the way we operate this government. What I was suggesting last week is all we need to do is take the lock off of Cabinet Ministers. I agree with the Premier that this is about more than protocols. It’s having the courage to change the way we do things. Just because we do things the way we do doesn’t necessarily make it right.

I don’t make a suggestion like this lightly. Believe me that I have given this a great deal of thought. My background and my formal education is in political science and I arrive at my suggestion with the best interest of this House and of our residents in mind; those who are demanding sound decision making from this government, something to be sure we haven’t seen much of in the first 17 months. The good news is we can change this if we want to and it could be the change that gets us back on track, gets us back to the roots and true spirit and intent of consensus government.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House and NWT residents are all aware that every three or four years our communities hold elections for mayors and municipal councillors. These elections are governed by a piece of territorial legislation called the Local Authorities Elections Act, which is currently under discussion for possible changes and updates.

The NWT Association of Communities, representing all of our 33 communities, has been advocating for change to the Local Authorities Elections Act for many years. It needs to be brought up to date and made more efficient and workable.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, in the last six months or so, in conjunction

with a number of non-departmental representatives, has done some work on this outdated act and the department is proposing changes to the act and is looking for input.

What kind of changes are they? A possible shortening of the election period, which is currently seven weeks, down to anywhere from three to five weeks; allowing for alternate voting methods; allowing for more voting opportunities as voters now only have two days in which they can vote in comparison with up to two weeks for territorial elections in some ridings; allowing electronic vote counting; reconsideration of the process for tie votes and recounts; adding prohibitions on campaign advertising; allowing municipalities to require reporting of candidates’ campaign contributions; clarifying and expanding the powers of the chief municipal electoral officer; increasing offences and penalties related to election signs -- always a hot topic; and increasing fines for elections offences.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has had a discussion paper out for a couple of months now, but the opportunity for input ends soon; February 28th , to be exact. Anyone with an

interest in municipal elections should take advantage of MACA’s invitation to provide their ideas and help to shape the amendments to the act. As a former municipal politician, I know I will be providing my comments and I look forward to seeing the recommendations from this work in short order.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In Nahendeh we are proud of the success of our high school, college, and university students. We want our students to have opportunities to make choices for happy and productive futures. We hope many of our children will remain or return after completing education to work at jobs, including government jobs, in our communities.

In the past, students have had opportunities to work full time for the GNWT in the summer. This has provided them with a number of things: work experience, a better understanding of what kind of jobs are available in our communities, on-the-job skills and knowledge, and money to help them be more self-sufficient.

I call upon the government to support our summer students this coming spring with full-time summer jobs. I think all departments should have student

placements. I hear that cutbacks have led to only half-time positions, but this does not provide the most valuable work experience as time is so limited. Also, it doesn’t provide enough money for students, particularly those attending college and university. I urge our Ministers to be flexible and creative and ensure that full-time positions to our students are available.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to talk about the need to assist Tu Nedhe communities with establishing and operating a freshwater fishing operation. Both Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution are located in prime fishing locations. Lutselk’e is in the heart of the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake where world-class trout, whitefish, and Arctic grayling spawn. Fort Resolution is located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake where cod, whitefish, and pickerel have been fished for generations.

The Great Slave Lake is the ninth largest freshwater lake in the world and the deepest in North America, yet the fishing industry on this great lake seems to be waning over the last few years. With limited employment opportunities in these smaller communities, a modest fishing operation in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution will give residents new opportunities for income. Being a traditional-based activity, many residents already fish, so there will be no problem recruiting and retaining workers for this. Mr. Speaker, currently the two communities have small fish camps outside the community where the local people fish for subsistence purposes where they smoke and dry fish for preservation purposes. In Fort Resolution, the Buffalo River fishing camp sees a lot of tourists during the fall fishing season, thus indicating a small fishing industry can exist.

Mr. Speaker, in Lutselk’e the local people market their daily trout catches when visitors come to the community. Some governments report this could be a small vibrant industry that could keep a few people employed on a seasonal basis.

Mr. Speaker, with some support to Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution for this, the whole North will benefit. In addition, Mr. Speaker, there are many nutritional benefits of fish, diversification of income and, of course, promotion and preservation of an important traditional activity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 3, Members’ statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Arlene Hache, a member of the Order of Canada and a proud constituent in Weledeh.

---Applause

I would also like to thank the Pages for the wonderful care we have been getting from them and recognize Kaitlyn Menard also from Weledeh.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I may, I would also like to recognize Ms. Arlene Hache who has been an advocate in the community of Yellowknife and the North for many, many years and who has just received outstanding recognition and been called into the Order of Canada. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to recognize a Page that we have working from the riding of Kam Lake, Ms. Madison Phillips and also to the rest of the Pages for all the hard work that they do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. It is in regard to the statement made last week by the Minister of Environment in regard to the agreement that was signed in Whitehorse regarding the establishment of

standards dealing with municipal wastewater input. Mr. Speaker, the Minister also endorsed a Canadian-wide strategy on managing the wastewater input and the framework to manage discharge of wastewater infrastructure in Canada. I would like to ask the Minister of MACA, do we have any idea what the cost is going to be to implement this strategy and this agreement, which was signed by the Minister of Environment, in all of our communities in the Northwest Territories to treat wastewater? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are in the early stages of this whole process. As of right now, we are not quite sure of the costing. That is something that, as we go further into this, is going to have to be worked out. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we do have a lot of different types of communities. We have large municipalities such as Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik, which depend on their utilidor systems or their sewer systems which most of them already have some types of infrastructure to deal with treatment, but the other communities we have basically depend on water delivery systems, vacuum trucks and whatnot to deliver water to the community to the homes and then basically dispose of the water into a vacuum truck and dispose of it into a lagoon. Is there going to be a territorial strategy to deal with this issue, realizing that we have different levels of communities which depend on different types of services? Is there going to be criteria that we all have to follow? Is there going to be criteria which is different for smaller communities than, say, larger communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as we go further into the standards and what is going to be required of each community there will have to be a strategy, because one system is not going to work for every community across the Northwest Territories. That is something that, as we go further into the strategy, then we will have to decide what is best for each community at that time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that we have seen and the challenges we have seen with the new water treatment plants that are going into the communities, they are all high tech. They have bells and whistles. They go off every once in a while. You practically need a computer technician to come in and try to reboot these things. I would just like to ask the Minister, whatever system we have, we have to make sure it is user friendly to the North and also that people are trained to be able to provide those services. Is there going to be some

sort of standard system we use across the board that is simple and easy to use and that we don’t have to get some high-tech engineer to come in to figure out our problems every time they go down? Is that something that the Minister can also develop into his strategy?

Mr. Speaker, the lessons that we learn from the water treatment plants are going to be used to go a long way in deciding what kind of systems, if any, we are going to have to come up with for the wastewater part of it. If there is a standardized system that we can come up with across the Northwest Territories, then that is something that we would have to seriously consider. It would be cost beneficial to the Northwest Territories too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, there is going to be a major capital cost to this. I would like to ask the Minister, knowing that we are already expending the $185 million to the Building Canada Fund, is there going to be a special fund from the federal government to deal with implementing this strategy throughout the Northwest Territories and you are talking possibly hundreds of millions of dollars to make these changes throughout the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Speaker, absolutely. We would expect the federal government to have to pony up some cash here, because it is something that using the money that would supply the communities right now. It is going to be quite an expensive undertaking to have this wastewater sewage treatment facility. It is a discussion that we are going to have to have with the federal government and make sure that they come up with some financing, because it would be too expensive for the communities to finance it on their own. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask questions to the Minister of Human Resources. What is the government strategy for continued support of our summer students? Is there an overall target for this coming year? How many students are we targeting to employ? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hiring of summer students is a priority for our government. Every year we work very closely with departments to identify many summer student hiring opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to hear that it certainly is a priority. It is a priority of mine as well. How many students are we targeting in the Territory as a whole? Does the Minister have any details of how many in my riding? Thank you.

Last year we had 281 summer students that worked for us. This is a number that is down. I think the highest we ever had was 351 summer students. Our average usually runs around 315 summer students a year. We are hoping that we will get back to our average this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to hear those numbers are very high. I certainly urge the government to continue that. In my riding, I have done some checking there. We have some .5 positions. I mentioned that in my Member’s statement. Is there a way to not do this, Mr. Speaker? Full-time positions, I think, are critical and should be encouraged. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that we feel it’s in the best interests of summer students to be employed fully for the whole summer and we’ll continue to work closely with the departments to endeavour to increase their allocations for summer students.

For the Nahendeh region I think there are about 15 to 21 summer students that are hired. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to hear that the Minister is willing to work with his colleagues and the other departments to be creative and flexible in looking at that issue of .5 summer students. I’d just like to ask his commitment to work towards that once again, Mr. Speaker.

We are currently working with the departments to identify summer student opportunities and we will endeavour to have the departments increase those .5 summer student positions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister responsible for homelessness. In her statement on Wednesday, February 11th of this year, the Minister

made a statement about homelessness initiatives, talked about a Small Community Homelessness Fund, an application-based program which benefits homeless individuals in small communities. By that statement it specifically excludes the City of Yellowknife. I’d like to know from the Minister, is there an application-based program for larger communities that’s similar to the one for small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for the homeless, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The homelessness small community fund was created because of the fact that there are not any established homeless shelters or programming in the communities so that we could accommodate such programming in small communities. In Yellowknife all of the established agencies like YWCA, Centre for Northern Families, Salvation Army, SideDoor, a slew of organizations, they apply for their funding whether it’s on a per bed basis, per programming, we fund even core funding, so to speak, to YWCA and many other agencies. Thank you.

I guess I would like to then know what kind of funding is available for the City of Yellowknife in the ’09-10 budget. What kind of dollars are we talking about?

The City of Yellowknife, I believe it adds up to over a million dollars. I don’t know if we’re talking about the City of Yellowknife as in municipality because the City of Yellowknife received funding from the federal government, which went straight from the federal government to the municipal government. The Homelessness Coalition in Yellowknife is working with the city to work on city-wide projects. Thank you.

I guess I would caution that we don’t include federal dollars in anything that we assume we’re giving to Yellowknife. Basically, I don’t want us to pad the figures just because it happens to be the city and a million dollars sounds like it’s a lot.

—-Interjection

In the long term, it’s not a hell of a lot of money. Pardon me, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister also spoke in her statement about an interdepartmental homelessness committee which

has begun the work of revising the GNWT framework on homelessness. I’m really glad to hear that that’s happening. I think it is time that we go back and revisit that framework. I’d like to ask the Minister when we might expect to see a revised framework. Thank you.

I believe the Standing Committee on Social Programs has asked me and other Ministers responsible for the homelessness plan to come and meet with them and it’s scheduled for Monday. I want to say, in answering the Member’s question, that in the most recent year we provided $1.3 million in combination to the SideDoor, Centre for Northern Families, Salvation Army, a whole slew of emergency shelter funding, about half-a-million dollars for transitional housing funding; we provide funding to Bailey House. The Homelessness Assistance Fund and Small Community Homeless Fund are about $100,000 to $200,000, so in comparison, we need to make our inroads into funding smaller communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

I thank the Minister for explaining those numbers so that she can show that Yellowknife is getting the lion’s share. However, that said, when this framework for homelessness is revised can the Minister advise whether or not there’s going to be any extra funding that will assist small communities greater than what’s already there? Two hundred thousand dollars is not much money.

I look forward to having more in-depth discussion on that next week, Mr. Speaker. The short answer is yes. The major thrust of the second phase of the Family Violence Action Plan is to expand the programs in communities and we have a specific program to enhance services in the communities where there are no shelters. We want to work with families who don’t necessarily want to make use of shelters. We want to work with children who witness violence. Also, part of the second phase of the action plan is to stabilize existing shelters because there are some shelters outside of Yellowknife, in Inuvik, Hay River and Fort Smith, that are constantly struggling to maintain their shelters. There are a number of phases to the action plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during my Member’s statement I talked about some sort of support for small fishing industry in Tu Nedhe communities. I have questions pertaining to that Member’s statement today for the Minister of ITI.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to meeting with some of the local -- or his department, it doesn’t have to be the Minister himself -- fishermen in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution to scope out what assistance his department can provide to create some sort of regular income for the fishermen? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Great Slave Lake fishery is a federal responsibility and is administered by the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, but over the years there have been efforts to more fully involve the fishermen from the Great Slave Lake communities. We have a number of business programs that we can work with people in those communities that are interested in becoming fishermen, because certainly we want to revive the Great Slave Lake fishery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think I realize that the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery was more a federal responsibility, however, I was kind of thinking about it from the perspective of developing a small business using this renewable resource for the creation of small business. I wasn’t really thinking about the actual lake and the fish -- that’s kind of weird. Anyway, can the Minister commit to completing some sort of survey like the staff doing some sort of survey of local fishermen in both of those communities so that they can somehow maximize use of this renewable resource? Thank you.

Certainly this is an area we would like to see an increase in activity. Generally, there has to be some indication of a quota or how much of a catch can be sustainable, so we would have to work in conjunction with the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. Certainly we have business programs that have been developed to assist the small businesses in the communities and I think that the number of programs we have would fit the bill for those people that are interested in small fisheries. Thank you.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer. My understanding, in any event, would

be that we are a ways away from the quota. That’s what I understand. I’m fairly certain that the market for these fish can be easily...Most of anything that can be caught by the few fishermen in these communities can be consumed within the NWT.

A question for the Minister would be to see if he could commit to some sort of support, assuming that everything, when moving along and the surveys and everything, seems to be okay and we’re at the stage where the fishermen are able to start to look for marketing distribution opportunities. I was wondering if the department could help the fishermen with that.

Certainly anything we can do to assist, we’d be pleased to participate. We do provide significant funding to the Freshwater Fishermen’s Federation for marketing of their fish, but we’re prepared to look at any avenue that would increase the production.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to thank the Minister for the answers. I think I have the answers I need to proceed with this. I would ask the Minister, just in a general sense, for some sort of support for the fishermen in both Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution to expand their operations. Right now they do go out and catch the fish, but they’re unorganized. Maybe some support there.

One of our goals is to provide for development in all 33 of our communities. We’d be very pleased to assist in Lutselk’e and Tu Nedhe.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the Premier’s statement on his approach to energy and reducing the cost of living. As he noted, enhanced efforts in energy conservation and efficiency to fundamentally change our energy supply and reducing our dependence on imported diesel is a priority for this government.

In the review of the NWT Power Corporation I’m wondering if the review will include the performance of the Power Corporation in the area of innovation and bringing in renewable and cheaper energy from the renewable energy alternative energy standpoint.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ll be looking at all aspects of the operation of the Power Corporation and its review from existing delivery points and methods to what could be looked at. Yes, we would be looking at those types of avenues.

Will the Premier be tabling the terms of reference and will Members on this side of the House have input to the terms of reference for the review?

Before we table them I’d be prepared to sit down with the Members to go over them and discuss if they would be good enough and we could move forward on that basis.

Thank you to the Premier for those comments and that offer. It’s much appreciated. I’m wondering if the panel will include a representative from the alternative energy corporate world, if a representative of somebody with experience at providing small communities with renewable energy systems might be considered for a position on that review panel.

The first step is the review of the existing structures, how they operate, what they’ve tried to do. As well, the Power Corporation has tried to look at some enhancements in a number of communities, so we’re looking for the expertise in the area of how we operate and in comparison to other jurisdictions. We could take that into consideration as well.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again for those comments. The last question is the Premier noted that the review will provide data on the opportunities and implications of reducing the number of utility players to one, whether it be private or public. I’m wondering if he could just provide some more details on his thinking there.

That would come out of the fact that as a small jurisdiction, although spread out across a large area, 43,000 people having the number of structures existing in place in the North, that’s one of the questions we should be asking ourselves is, is that a good system Should we be looking at other alternatives? That’s where that comes from.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the energy initiatives that are happening in the Northwest Territories or are going to happen in the Northwest Territories. My question to the lead Minister for the energy coordinating ministerial committee is how are these funds divided up in terms of which communities will receive these strategy dollars to reduce the cost of energy in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The lead Minister for the Energy Coordinating Committee, the honourable Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In determining the budget that we put forward in this year’s business plan we worked very closely with the standing committees, and I think we all realized that we wanted to see some substantial projects that could be completed in the term of this government. Some of the larger projects take some time to get through the regulatory process and doing the tendering and construction. One of the things that we tried to do as best we could was put in funding for those projects that likely had the most opportunity for success. Then we tried to put something in for every region.

Certainly the key here is in terms of the opportunities for success for businesses. I understand what the Minister is saying. The Sahtu is certainly appreciative of the monies that will be going into the Sahtu region for their initiatives to bring down the cost of energy. However, it’s over a period of a number of years and I want to ask the Minister in terms of looking at the communities and the isolated communities versus the business initiatives that could be generated through these initiatives under the strategy here. Sometimes the communities seem to be the last in line in terms of helping them. I want to ask the Minister when he goes back to the Energy Coordinating Committee if some of these small communities with high power and energy costs can bring forward some type of initiatives that would see the cost of energy reduced in their communities.

There are a number of categories that are seen as territorial-wide funds which communities could apply for. Certainly in the areas of energy conservation, retrofits, and so on.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, certainly with the construction on the books for Fort Good Hope’s new school, certainly I would have liked to see that the school in Fort Good Hope could have got a

biomass initiative going in there with the same school that’s coming up, probably in different sizes, in Yellowknife here where we have a wood pellet initiative happening here. In the smaller communities we don’t have initiatives like that going in there. Why is this?

I’m not totally familiar with the details of the Fort Good Hope school but I would surmise that it probably has something to do with the fact that there’s no locally produced wood pellets and it would have to be transported from up river, probably Hay River or perhaps even as far as Edmonton. Until such time as we have developed our pilot projects to indicate that we can use locally produced biomass to heat some of the large facilities like schools, I would suspect that’s what happened in this case, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, this is one initiative that needs to be investigated the same as with the school here in Yellowknife. You’re looking at a wood pellet boiler here. There is no facility here in the Northwest Territories that can produce it. I understand La Crete is probably the closest in terms of the transportation. I’m looking at this school in Fort Good Hope. Why hasn’t that system been included in the Fort Good Hope school as similar to Yellowknife? I think this is where the government needs to look at the smaller communities because of the unique challenges there that need to be included in their discussions for energy initiatives. Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of ITI when he goes forward with this, can he look at the unique challenges of these issues in the Sahtu that we would receive a fair shake in terms of these initiatives going forward on the energy framework?

In the near future we would hope that every community that has biomass material in the vicinity would be able to stand alone and be self-sufficient. In the meantime, we’re developing pilot projects to show that it can work in every community. Also, you need a sufficient mass of customers or people who will use wood biomass for heating their homes. When you look at Yellowknife there’s quite a large group who are using wood pellets so it’s feasible here. I think that would be part of the issue. With pilot projects we foresee a day when every community will be utilizing biomass. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for Public Works and also Housing. Mr. Speaker, the community of Aklavik is presently in the process of conducting a community gravel haul. They’ve received all the permits in regard to road access and the grader permits if needed to abstract the gravel. Mr. Speaker, I was alarmed to hear in a phone call I received this morning from the community that the Housing Corporation is in the process of putting out a tender for some 1,500 cubic metres of gravel. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the community is working together to try to basically use as many resources as they can for this gravel haul because it is somewhere in the range of $60,000 to $70,000 just to put the road into the gravel source and get the gravel in. I’d like to ask the Minister exactly why is it that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is not working with the Department of Public Works and Services to identify the gravel needs of all government departments so that we can all do a gravel haul together and save everyone money rather than having to go out on your own? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe I got the same phone call as the Member did this morning and I want to assure the Member that the Housing Corporation is working with the community as of a couple of hours ago. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are running out of time here. I don’t think we can afford to have a tender go out, because whoever gets the contract has to get a permit from the Gwich’in Land and Water Board and also they have to get an access agreement from the Gwich’in. I think that with about a month left for this year’s season to haul the gravel, to get it out and get to the gravel source, that we’re running out of time. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can work along with the Minister of Housing, who is now the Minister of Public Works, and see if somehow they can connect together here and work to simplify this process and make it not so tough just to get 1,500 cubic yards into a community. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly recognize the Member’s concerns. As of a couple of hours ago we have talked to the Corporation officials and Public Works has also been able to communicate with our guys at the Housing Corporation and have decided to partner

up with the community and Public Works and all the others that are involved in the gravel haul. Providing they can still provide the allowance for us to be involved in that gravel haul, we will not go to a public tender for the Housing Corporation portion. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think it would be great if the Minister can work with the other departments but, more importantly, work with the Members on this side of the House and keep us in the loop on how much gravel is needed in our communities so that we also can tell the contractors in the communities that this project is coming up in the next couple of years, this is how much gravel you’re going to need. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can find a way to give us that information that he receives when the departments coordinate their efforts to find what the granular needs are in all our communities so we know what’s needed and what’s out there. Thank you.

I certainly can commit to doing that. I think this issue today really points to the need to have better communications. We need all the partners involved in the gravel hauls and stockpiles to communicate better. I certainly will bring that information forward to the different departments that I represent and provide the information to the Members as we move through our strategy and identify the areas that we’re going to be doing stockpiles and work of this nature. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to address my questions to the Premier in light of the statement that he made today in regard to energy and the reviews that are currently ongoing. The Premier mentioned two reviews, the review of NTPC and a review of the ATCO proposal. My question to the Premier is whether or not either of these reviews will look at the operations of Northland Utilities Ltd. on whether it be here in Yellowknife or south of the lake. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWTPC or Power Corporation review would be specifically on the Power Corporation. There would be a comparison between how we operate under our structure and the NUL, what they go by. An actual review of NUL would not be in our work unless we decided to proceed, for example, with the ATCO proposal. Then we would have to start to

get into further work as to how they operate versus how we operate. Thank you.

I think everybody in this room as well as any residents who happen to be listening who live in Yellowknife will know that over the last several months we’ve experienced a few problems with our power bills and Northland Utilities. There are inconsistencies; there are increasing numbers. I would like to know from the Premier, for a customer like myself, who’s seen my bill change only upward over the last several months, what exists for me when I have a problem with a private industry like Northland Utilities where I believe that in this case, for instance, that my usage numbers are wrong and I’ve been overbilled? What exists for me to deal with this? Thank you.

I’d have to get some information on their operation. I’m not familiar with NUL, their billing process, complaints, customer relations. I would expect there would be a similar approach that customers of the NWT Power Corporation would have as their avenue. The only thing we find is that because this government is a shareholder, we tend to get the issues addressed right up into this level as well.

Thanks to the Premier. So I guess you’re telling me that there is no avenue of appeal to the government per se. It’s a private business and even though they are, well, they’re not a subsidiary of NTPC. Okay. So there’s no avenue. So I’d like to know from the Premier, then, whether or not he would feel there is an opportunity here for some sort of an appeal mechanism, whether it be an appeal board or an ombudsman, which has been referenced by myself earlier in the last session. Because it’s a private industry, because the client gets absolutely no help when they have difficulty, what kind of an appeal, what kind of ombudsman office might be put in place?