This is page numbers 5159 - 5190 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.

Wind Farm In Tuktoyaktuk
Members’ Statements

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to clear the air about the plan to build the wind farm in Tuktoyaktuk. I don’t want our community and the whole region of Nunakput to miss out on this opportunity because of misunderstandings.

The plan is to put three wind turbines to generate electricity and feed into our local grid. This will reduce the amount of diesel fuel that we burn, because the fuel costs will be going up in the long run. This will save money as well as give us cleaner power.

The Northwind 100 turbines are state of the art. They are designed to work in cold climates like ours. They’re working very well in Alaska.

This project is a $4 million project and is a win-win for our community, with almost no risk. Our government is committed to financing the deal with the Tuktoyaktuk Power Corporation that ensures a positive revenue stream. It might not be the 15 percent profit, but it will make money and will create two new jobs right off the bat.

These turbines were scheduled to be put up next summer and it should happen without delay. Not only is it good for Tuk, but this project will help other Nunakput communities get theirs started. Most of them have stronger winds and higher electricity costs than Tuk, but in the long run this will cut the price of power in the communities and will put money into people’s pockets. It will mean more businesses, more jobs, more training for the people in Tuk as well as other communities that I represent.

I don’t need to remind you how badly we need good-paying jobs in the small communities. I’ve worked hard to advance this project and I’d like to thank my colleagues for all the support they’ve given me.

We do need the best for our people of Nunakput. We need to get this wind farm built and do the right thing for the future. This is an opportunity for all communities. This is a stepping stone that the other three communities will get after this first project is done.

I’d like to thank the Premier for all the help he’s given me in regard to this, and the ENR Minister.

Wind Farm In Tuktoyaktuk
Members’ Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the students that are here. They are fourth-year nursing students from the Yellowknife Campus of Aurora College Nursing Program. I’ll just name a few of them. Forgive me if I misstate your name. Ashley Crump, Ashley Woytuik, Brittany Marceau-Chenkie, Brittany Jones, Candace Manuel, Frances Sinclair, Gwen Hysert, Hawna Cooper, Leanne Niziol, Malerie Hardisty, Mohamad El Hariri, Natalie Decker, Pearl Martin, Robyn Lavoie, Samantha Digness, Shawn Roper, Soura Munroe-Rosen, Vanessa Vandewater, and Jodi Brennan is the instructor. Thanks for being here. Mahsi.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I believe one of the graduates or nursing students is from Inuvik, so I would like to recognize Candace Manuel.

I’d also like to recognize, while I have the opportunity, our two hardworking Pages from Inuvik Twin Lakes: Ashlyn Hendrick and Tessie Chinna.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

It gives me great pleasure, as well, to recognize a nursing graduate, and that is Malerie Hardisty, who is from Jean Marie River. As well, I’d like to recognize Ms. Leanne Niziol, who’s got Wrigley roots. Welcome.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I’d like to recognize Mr. Mark Bogan, a constituent to the Great Slave riding.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about Highway No. 6 and the work that has

been done and the work that’s planned for the coming years. With that I have some questions for the Minister of Transportation. With respect to future work on Highway No. 6, can the Minister tell me what is planned for 2011-2012 for Highway No. 6?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve been working in the area of the Member’s riding on Highway No. 6 for a couple of years now and there’s been quite a bit of work done in that area. We’ve really been pleased with the cooperation that we’ve had from the community of Fort Resolution. A lot of the work has been focused on reconstruction and chipsealing. There are more dollars identified through some internal reallocation for the next coming year that will focus on more of the same. We expect that some of the work in 2011-2012 will be in the area of kilometre 62 and kilometre 67 around Little Buffalo River. We’ll be conducting some engineering activities, some geotechnical assessments. Our plan is to start right away and we should have them completed by March of this next calendar year. Throughout this winter we expect to produce some gravel for this section of road and other materials that will be required for the base of this highway. We should expect to see a tender coming out in early April.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Can the Minister give me a brief update of what’s planned for Highway No. 6 for future years beyond 2011-2012?

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

That’s a difficult question as there is a considerable amount of work and investments that are required on Highway No. 6. We only have one year left in our term and that’s basically all I can commit to.

The work should continue. We have a plan. We have the resources identified that will be required. It will be roughly around $15 million to complete all of Highway No. 6 and, of course, that will be proceeding as money is available as the next government comes forward and budgets are identified. There is a lot of work that has been done already that will be used as a basis, the engineering and the testing of the road will guide us. That information will move forward as funding is identified in the new government, as I stated previously.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

With respect to the work going on and knowing sometimes that projects are bid without a great amount of consideration given to local businesses, can the Minister commit his department to pay closer attention in the area to ensure that as many local businesses and labour can be used as possible?

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

As with all our projects and the contracts that are out there, we work quite hard to ensure that the community leaders are informed and aware of our plans. We try to get out prior to the contracts being let, to ensure that happens. There’s also that information provided to the labour force and also the contractors in the area and surrounding communities.

We want to continue to work with the successful contractors to ensure that process happens, and that the maximum amount of business opportunities and labour opportunities are provided to the community. Our staff will continue to do that. It has worked quite well.

Of course, any time there seems to be any friction or glitch in the system, we’re always made aware of it from MLAs and other community leaders. It keeps us on our toes and we’re happy to keep working with communities.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Looking at the economies of scale, can the Minister commit to working with the communities so that once the highway from 22 kilometres south, Little Buffalo River to Fort Resolution, has been chipsealed, that the same contractor can continue to chipseal the community?

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

That again is a difficult commitment to make. We do provide the information to communities, and on many occasions the communities have taken the opportunity to piggyback their initiatives along with what is happening on the highway alongside the community. We’ve had good discussions with some of the communities already about chipsealing and other types of road servicing. We have provided the same courtesy to the community of Fort Resolution and they have taken advantage of it and plan to do some chipsealing in their community. We do provide advice, and technical staff are made available so that the communities can ask questions or help guide and plan what their initiatives are. We’ll continue to support that. As for ensuring the same contractor is going to have the contract next year, I can’t guarantee that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about phase II of the Bourque Report that was commissioned in the early ‘90s on the constitutional issues in the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations if he has any indication from a meeting that was held at the

spiritual location, the Trappers Lodge here, on this group going forward with a report to come out asking for a look at phase II of the Bourque Report in the Northwest Territories.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The work that was done at the Trappers Lodge with prominent past leaders and people involved in aboriginal negotiations and self-government discussions did invite myself and Mr. Miltenberger to drop by for a brief discussion. They pointed out the work they had done together and they were going to submit that report. We haven’t received it. I have put it into our system for review, and one of the things I told them is that we would be prepared to sit down with the regional leaders at the end of November to share their work to see what regional leaders would say about that work.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I look forward to the end results of the discussions with the regional leaders on the report that’s going to be discussed with the Members of this Assembly here.

I wanted to ask the Minister on the issue of the draft AIP, would that agreement then require this Assembly to change the Northwest Territories Act to make the commitments in the draft AIP?