Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we learned that the Europeans are very progressive in the area of energy. They bundle heat and power and even broadband and combine them in their utilidor systems emanating from their heating and power plants. Municipal and regional governments provide this service and so does some private enterprise and, really, we’re overdue to recognize that our NWT Power Corporation, our arm’s-length fully owned corporation, needs to be thinking of things like this.

My question is, again, for Minister Roland. We’ll keep him busy today. Basically, will the NWT Power Corporation review include a review of their mandate so we can actually bring in some of these things that we’re learning and some of these things that have been frustrating us for a long time, such as the potential for the Power Corporation to play a role in implementing biomass? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for that question because that gives me the opportunity to say that the Power Corp is involved, to a large degree, on a number of fronts to try to bring best efficiencies forward from going from diesel to gas turbines, for example, in a number of areas. The biomass work and the work that the Members have done and will be coming back to that committee with their work and the report will help us as we move forward on some of our initiatives that Minister Miltenberger spoke of earlier.

As the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, I just recently had a discussion with the chair and the president of the Power Corp in this area and looking at how we would engage ourselves and become part of the renewed energy, in a sense, and focus to where we could go with these initiatives. I think there’s opportunity there that we definitely have to tap into and plug into. That is an area that we’re starting to have our discussions. As we formulate the response and the work that was done, going through that committee, to Minister Miltenberger and our Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee as well, we’ll be able to tap into there and figure out how we’ll be able to deliver on some of these alternatives that have been mentioned. Thank you.

I appreciate that response and I’ll assume that the answer was yes, the mandate of the review, or the review will include the mandate of the Power Corporation, unless the Minister corrects me.

Will the review of electricity rates also include biomass and -- it’s sort of associated with that -- is there any expertise being offered to the review panel or the expert panel in that area? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the alternative energy process we’ve engaged in is one through the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee and Members to look at these alternatives. In fact, we’ve done it so that it doesn’t affect the rates, at this time, of how we implement some of the new technologies into our systems. We have to engage with the Power Corp at that level to see how we would do a full implementation. Again, looking at not impacting the rates of individuals. So that work is to be done.

The review itself that’s happening, looking at the Power Corp, the internal process was one of how it operates in today’s environment. Changes we want to make from their point out, that’s going on, will result at looking at a couple of things: One, we’ve committed to the energy rates subsidy review that’s happening; secondly, the Power Corporation specific review; and, thirdly, the ATCO proposal. At those stages we will be looking at what comes out of there and we’ll decide as to just how much of a change we want to make going forward. So, yes, we can look at the mandate and the structure. Alternative energies, we have a process we believe in and we’re trying to figure out just how we’ll plug it in to our existing frameworks that we have in place on that and when required on the review panel itself. Specific to the Power Corp review, I’m going to be getting Members information on just who that team is and go forward on that basis.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, and thanks again for the response. The opportunities in biomass even affect the review of the ATCO proposal, and the Premier mentioned that proposal. Consideration of selling off our Power Corporation, of course, has been largely because of costs of electricity. We are pretty convinced that there are some opportunities for reducing those costs and at the same time, increasing or enhancing our local economies and, so, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yes, just for confirmation, will the Premier commit that even the review of the ATCO proposal, to the degree that it’s really trying to get at lower power costs, will also consider the biomass implications? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I’ve committed to you and just recently followed up, I believe a letter is going to committee on the latest update there looking at some of those functions and the future definitely would be part of the

conversation and discussion we’ll have. I think, one, let’s be clear, as we talk about partnerships in the energy generation distribution in the North, that’s the process we’re being engaged in with that. We’ve got these other two big ones that we want to do first and the biomass piece, the alternative energies are even a part of those processes as we go forward and need to be as we look at what options are available to us when it comes to trying to stabilize and lower energy costs in the North and look forward to more of that discussion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to raise the issue with the Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, there’s a disturbing trend that’s happening in the Northwest Territories with regard to contracting and I believe that the time to raise the issue is now. What’s happening there, Mr. Speaker, is that we’re getting a lot of southern bidders, they’re coming in with low bids. Mr. Premier mentioned in his sessional statement that it’s an opportunity for government to save money but at the same time the missed opportunity for our local businesses and local employment. I would like to ask what specific programs and/or protection do we offer our communities and businesses, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories still has the Business Incentive Policy in place and operational. It provides a 15 percent preference for BIP approved companies; as well, a further 5 percent local preference for businesses from the local community. If a company comes in from the south and puts in a bid, the local companies have a 20 percent northern preference. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am well aware of the BIP program, but I think the concern is that should our northern companies and local companies lose those bids, they are at risk of laying off local people and at risk of having a negative effect on our community. What I am asking, Mr. Speaker, is how can we protect our local workforce? If a southern bidder gets it, and opportunity to save money for government is fine, but can we ensure that our local businesses and people get employment and opportunities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a number of tools at our disposal. Primarily we have a Negotiated Contracts Policy whereby we can negotiate or limit tenders to northern businesses that we have MOUs, and contracting with a number of aboriginal governments, and also we use the standing offer agreements with local businesses. As well, we can buy locally up to $5,000. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I’m after again is the worst-case scenario. A community loses an opportunity for a bid and it appears that the southern contractor will come in with their own sources and their own resources and not leave any benefits behind. That is what I would like our government to look at and see if anything can be done with that regard. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly we want to maintain and maximize benefits to our northern workforce and northern businesses, so we take whatever steps and tools that are available to us to ensure that we maximize those benefits. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is it possible to write those in the…I think that we do bid offers or request for proposal. Is it possible to advertise it in those requests for proposals and/or bids to let it be known to all the bidders out there that proximity communities and their businesses and their workers should be a priority? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We operate in an environment where we have a number of internal trade agreements and we follow those conventions although we do have, through the Agreement on Internal Trade, the Northern Preference Policy is grandfathered. But certainly our existing programs already recognize what the Member is suggesting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I spoke about the transfer of governments to communities. Now I have questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, has the Minister reviewed the issue of the GNWT deferring maintenance on the buildings that will ultimately be transferred to the communities and has the fact that deferring maintenance on the buildings and the lack of maintenance as a result of that being considered prior to the transfers? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has reviewed the issue of deferred maintenance. It is in recognition of the impact of the deferred maintenance, that being instrumental in MACA securing an increase in its operation and maintenance funding for the community from a whole average of $17 million a year to over $60 million today. In 2006-07, an independent consultant was hired to complete the community infrastructure assessment on the physical condition of community access. It is using that information. That information was provided to the community with the studies for their own infrastructure for their own use in developing their capital plan. Thank you.

I would like to ask the Minister if there is a preventive maintenance program in place for all of the assets, including mobile equipment, that are being transferred from the department or from the GNWT to communities. Thank you.

The department would provide the framework for all the deferred maintenance on all the assets in the community. The community can take that and submit and do their own community preventative maintenance plan based on the framework provided to them by MACA. Thank you.