Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have been asked by some Members to respond more specifically to some issues that were raised in some of the opening comments.
One of the issues that Member Bromley raised was the Program Review Office. As I pointed out yesterday, there was a presentation done last March 2010. The committee has yet to respond. The Member indicated there is a huge sense of frustration from Regular Members. We have a letter coming that I am going to be sending to committee
to offer a briefing based on some of the comments. As I pointed out yesterday, there was all the work that was outlined and laid out, and while we can provide the briefing, clearly we missed the window of opportunity to make any substantive changes at this point since the budget is now set and before us.
The issue of the investments in energy reduction are clearly that we are going to be monitoring those. The initial number of $775,000, the plan is to try to set up the table of revolving fund for their initiatives in terms of conservation and to be more effective and energy efficient.
We are, as the Member raised as well, the size and role of government, what do we do? How much can we afford to do? If we are not going to do some things or if we are going to add on new things, what things don’t we do? I can just quickly go through the lists.
There is a concern, of course, by the Member about the provision of basic needs, using northern materials, northern foods, trying to be self-sufficient as possible. We have tried to identify funds to do that. We are working on community energy plans. We are investing hugely in biomass and other alternative energy to control one of our biggest costs, which is our energy costs. The Member made a comment and he indicated he thought I misspoke about lowering the cost of electricity. It depends on how you would look at that particular issue. We have lowered the cost of -- and I think that was the intent -- electricity in the thermal communities or the cost to thermal communities. We recognize that we haven’t come up with a way to generate cheaper electricity at this point, but we looked at a way to make our system fairer and more equitable. By doing that, we believe we made a significant impact on the cost of living in communities, especially for the business, commercial rates which have come down dramatically, which we hope to see reflected in things like the grocery basket costs to individuals in communities. We continue to work on the issue of X-ray, reducing the costs. Clearly, as we invest in alternative energy and as the price of oil surges past $100 a barrel on the Brent scale, which is somewhat higher than West Texas crude costs, but it clearly indicates that those are going to become more efficient and be more economical.
We are going to continue to try to invest -- not as much as the Member would like, of course -- in agriculture and the commercial harvesting of wild foods, the push for communities to grow as many things as they can in their own communities.
Mr. Chairman, those are some things. I appreciate the general support the Member indicated that he would save some of the rest, but there are broader issues. The one that is going to be there for the next Assembly, the Member has identified in his
comments, so there is feedback for the Member. Thank you.