This is page numbers 4719 - 4756 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 project.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we consider the difficulties encountered by the Deh Cho Bridge Project and the resulting financial implications for this government, my mind cannot help but jump to another large project that this government is involved in. Of course, I speak of the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project. I, too, will weigh in on this subject today.

We MLAs have had quite a few briefings and updates on the Taltson project over the last two years that I’ve been here. As I cleaned up my office last week I found a few of those update documents. Interesting reading, they were. As mentioned by Mr. Abernethy yesterday, a prominent component of

the project, according to the information we’ve been given, is to examine an interconnected electricity grid. Yesterday the Premier advised the House that an electricity grid is a long-term objective in the government’s Energy Strategy. Fair enough; achieving that objective will certainly take time.

Since 2002 this government has pumped some $13 million into the Taltson project and there’s little sign of any let-up on our giveaways that I can see. What are we getting for the money that we’ve spent? If, as we continually hear, this project is a business enterprise, will the GNWT be paid back for the millions we’ve invested? If we will not, what control do we have over these financial investments? How is that money spent?

A one-third interest in Deze Energy Corporation does not give us much control, from what I can see. The Taltson project is looking more and more like the bridge scenario and I find that very scary. Are we heading down the same path with the Taltson Expansion Project that we followed for the Deh Cho Bridge Project? Will the GNWT once again be left holding the bag of debt for a megaproject, our finance perched precariously on a ledge just waiting for a strong breeze to blow us off into disaster?

In February of last year during a presentation from the Premier on the Taltson Expansion Project one of the bullets stated, “Project needs GNWT backstop for construction.” That sounds way too similar to the parameters of our recently collapsed P3 bridge project. Are we guaranteeing the Taltson project’s debt? What financial safeguards exist for this government in regard to the project and how much are we on the hook for? I will have these and other questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon my Member’s statement is on the carnivals that are starting to happen in the Beaufort-Delta this coming weekend.

We have the Muskrat Jamboree coming up this weekend. I look forward to seeing the dog races, the Isaac Simon 20-mile dog race, the snowmobile races, games on the river, and starting to dance. I see Mr. McLeod’s ready to go dancing soon. We’re looking forward to it and I hope everybody has a safe weekend in Inuvik and has a good time, sees some family and friends.

After that, next week is the Aklavik 100th Anniversary Carnival. Really looking forward to that. The dog races as well, the skidoo races. The best thing about that is you get to see some family that you never see all winter. The sun is back as well.

It’s a lot warmer. I wish everybody to have a good weekend in Inuvik again.

Tuk’s carnival, Beluga Jamboree, is on April 19th this year. I’m really looking forward to that, so anybody in the Leg., if you’re there, drop by for a coffee and I’ll cook you breakfast.

Other than that, I just wish everybody a good carnival season, a safe one, and I look forward to seeing everybody out there.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’ll also throw in a twist to my Member’s statement on the hand games tournament.

[English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend... [English translation not provided.]

...as far as northern Alberta. The community was full of excitement, fully energized. You can hear the drum beat. We as the Dene people call it the heartbeat. You can hear it from miles away.

The event brought families together, friends united, and new acquaintances. It was time to share, time to laugh, time to connect with old friends, time to respect, time to heal and, most importantly, a time to carry on a tradition of our way of life.

First place was Wekweeti; second Tulita; third was Wrigley; then Deline, Behchoko and Fort Simpson.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I’d just like to highlight the results that there’s been a sixth place finishing, as I highlighted. I’d just like to congratulate all the teams and the community of Behchoko for having a most successful hand games tournament... [Microphone turned off.]

...from across the Northwest Territories to this community. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

[English translation not provided.]

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognitions of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. It’s with appreciation I recognize Paige Elkin here in our Assembly.

[Microphone turned off.]

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

[Microphone turned off.] …show that we can compete regardless of where we come from, but again... [English not provided.]

…or even allowing for those out there to achieve high results and be able to perform even at the national level, from what we’ve seen at the Arctic Winter Games, because of something I think that we can build on. We have shown that these people can compete, so I’d like to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, are there any programs out there to develop capacity in the communities so that these athletes can continue their participation in the sport that they represent.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are very proud of the fact that during these past Arctic Winter Games, 27 of the 33 communities across the Northwest Territories were represented, and it’s our goal to get the other five communities in so when we go to Whitehorse in 2012 that we will have all 33 communities represented.

We have started the After School Program to try and encourage kids to get into the sport. Some of the money was able to be used for purchasing of equipment. As well, there was the federal money that we had allocated to some of the communities, the recreation infrastructure funding that some of the communities had applied for. We’re continuing to search for alternative funding out there that we could pass on to the communities, because we would like to see the day come when we have more and more athletes from the NWT competing at a national level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister, I know there was a previous program called the Community Trails Program, and I think it was a joint program between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government. So I’d like to ask the Minister, does that program exist and if it does, how much resources are in that program.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, I’d have to follow up on that. To my knowledge, I don’t know if the program exists anymore, but I will follow up

and get that information and pass it on to the Member. Thank you.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I believe that these types of programs do develop community capacity, but more importantly, it allows our athletes to be able to train similar to other athletes in the larger centres but train on facilities that are designed for their activity, regardless if it’s cross-country skiing or snowshoeing or even the ability to be able to use that facility for community usage. So I’d just like to ask the Minister, can his department consider looking at some sort of an initiative that allows communities to work on a program that develops Community Trails so that it can be used for recreational purposes.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, there is the money that we do pass on to the communities through the gas tax and the community infrastructure money that they’d be able to use for developing trails, if that was one of their priorities. I think we’re starting to see the results of a lot of the money that has been expended towards recreational facilities towards the development of our athletes, and I think the fact that we had 27 communities represented in the Arctic Winter Games goes a long way in showing that the money is being invested and is being used wisely by the communities. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I believe there’s a need in our communities also for firebreaks, and I think that’s probably a perfect opportunity for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, working with the Department of the Environment, to use those dollars that are going to be expended to develop firebreaks around communities as, basically, fire protection. So I’d like to ask the Minister, will he consider talking with his colleague from the Department of Environment if there’s such an opportunity for communities to use those dollars to not only develop firebreaks but also use them to develop multi-use trails which could be used as a firebreak and also that can be used for trails and used for ski trails or, basically, snowshoe trails around our communities. Thank you.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, there are also some communities that have some trail programs and there are a lot of ski trails from the old TEST Program that they’re starting to groom again. But for the communities that have put together trail programs, I’d commit to the Member that I’ll follow up on some of his requests and get some information as to how they went about doing it and pass that on to the Member. I’ll also have a discussion with any other departments. We look for any opportunity we can to improve the infrastructure in the communities. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are addressed to the Minister responsible for the Power Corp. I spoke in my Member’s statement about the fact that we continually hear that the Taltson Expansion Project, Deze Energy Corporation, is a business, and that the enterprise and the expansion is itself a business, but the GNWT, as I mentioned, has put quite a few millions into this particular project. I’d like to ask the Premier whether or not the GNWT will be paid back for the millions that we have invested in this project. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the project is indeed based on the business model of a partnership. The partnership of Deze Corporation is made up of our NWT Energy Corporation No. 3, the Akaitcho Energy Corporation and the Metis Energy Company that make up the one-third partners on this project. We have, as the GNWT, over a number of years invested, through the Power Corporation, in the neighbourhood of $13 million, I believe it is, up to this year in getting ready for the environmental phase that we’re in the closing of and that business modelling that was prepared and getting the expertise to help us with that business model.

If the project is to proceed, the dividends that would be received from that project after the initial investment was paid back, we would start to see that return to the Government of the Northwest Territories long term, yes.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister for that explanation. It doesn’t really help me much. It’s going to be an awfully long time before we get any money back, but I guess I have to assume that eventually we will get back our $13 million.

I mentioned in my statement that one of the bullets on a presentation that we received some time last year was that there needs to be the GNWT to backstop this project for construction. I’d like to ask the Minister to explain what that means. Are we providing a financial guarantee to the Taltson Expansion Project? Thank you.