This is page numbers 4379 – 4414 of the Hansard for the 17th 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 thence.

Topics

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. That is part of our discussion we’re having now. As I’ve stated in the House, an action plan will be coming by this spring, late spring and it will be delivered to the Standing Committee for their input as well. So that is the process that we’re going through and yes, I will be informing the standing committee. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When mortgage costs are certainly eclipsing the costs of running a household when it comes to heat, power and certainly water, something has to be done. Furthermore, we have to find a way to help our

northern people because there’s just, frankly, no way we’re going to ever attract anybody and it’s hard enough to keep the people we have here.

My first question to the Minister is: What can he do, as Power Corp Minister, to help reduce our power rates that continue to rise at the direction of the NWT Power Corp?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve committed as a government in addition to what the Power Corp’s generating through rates of $33 million to cushion the rate increase since there’d been no rate increase for five years. That’s a distinct investment. As well, we are working into all sorts of areas right to alternate energies. We looked at ways to try to address some of the energy costs. Part of the hope of the grid build-out, as well, is more efficiency and economies of scales that would connect the north and southern grids. We would look to try to continue our investments in solar and those other areas combined with batteries and wind.

So, the costs of energies around the world continue to rise and we are there definitely doing our part. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

The Minister talks about all great and wonderful things in the fullness of time. Global warming is coming sooner than some of the results of these initiatives, and quite frankly, I think we should wait for global warming over those initiatives because they will solve our problem at the speed they’re flowing through.

Has the NWT Power Corp ever done any type of analysis on the burden of the everyday ratepayer in comparison to other cities? So, in other words, have they taken any analysis of what the city of Yellowknife ratepayer would pay on their power bills versus their income versus other cities across Canada?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

There are rate increases going on across the land. Pick a province. We are all challenged with the cost of energy. We are very cognizant about the impact of the cost of energy on the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. We are designing ourselves as a corporation and a government to try to address that issue. We want to work with individuals, businesses, corporations and communities to do all the things necessary when it comes to energy efficiency, conservation, building standards, alternate energy. But there is no doubt that the cost of energy is continuing to rise, especially as we continue to rely so much on diesel.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

The Minister continues to talk about these wonderful platitude solutions. At the end of the day, they’re wonderful. Yes, I agree. But,

frankly, they do nothing for the everyday taxpayer and certainly working families trying to get by. The Economic Opportunities Strategy, again, recently said that the power rates are holding Yellowknife back. It’s a negative, not a positive.

What is the NWT Power Corporation doing to ensure that we can keep our power rates low, because right now, as we all know, there’s a new application before the PUB to further increase them. We should be working to push these power rates down not increase them. We will never attract 2,000 people if this is the direction the Power Corp thinks is the only way to go. Can the Minister do anything to help the everyday working family?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I would suggest to the Member that if we weren’t contributing the $13.8 million that we were to cushion the rate increases over the last couple of years and the next coming years that the impact would be dramatically different, and, yes, the Rate Stabilization Fund, which hasn’t had an increase in five years, requires some replenishment, once again, tied to the cost of energy. We are continuing to do all the things that we can, both as the Power Corporation and as a government, to invest millions to branch out into alternate energy, the issues I’ve already answered in the previous question, and these aren’t platitudes. This is cold, hard cash. These are projects on the ground. These are standards that have been changed. These are projects that are meant to achieve the goals of the government and help contain the cost of energy.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, the Minister can continue to gild the lily on this problem but it’s not changing the fact that the everyday ratepayer can’t afford their power bills. People are leaving and there’s no way we’re going to attract people here to the Northwest Territories.

The last thing I’m going to say is there’s the old saying, death by a thousand cuts, and I think the everyday ratepayers had 999 of them and they cannot take one more. The question to the Minister is: He talked about the Stabilization Fund, is it not time to continue to focus in on other solutions that deliver immediate respite to the everyday ratepayer who’s just the simple, everyday working family trying to get by? Is it not the focus of the government to ensure that people can survive?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Given the Member’s concern about gilding lilies and dealing with platitudes, I would be very interested to know what specific suggestions that he would have to provide that relief that’s not already being considered or done, and we would give them very serious consideration.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement earlier today I talked about how people in the NWT are concerned about fracking, and my questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Many people are concerned and for good reasons. I would like to know: Has the Minister heard these concerns? Does he understand that people are concerned or that he least acknowledge that they might be concerned?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I am aware that there are a wide range of views about hydraulic fracturing. I’ve been a recipient of some correspondence through the Council for Canadians, for example, expressing their concern. I do read the newspapers, listen to the news, and talk to people, and yes, I have heard some of those concerns and I believe I do understand them.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thanks to the Minister for that understanding. The petition I’ll be tabling later today, of course, signatures from at least 24 communities including all Sahtu communities and so on. The MVRMA legislation says that any agency of the territorial government can refer a proposed project to a full environmental assessment. We have literally hundreds of agencies, public health agencies, environmental protection agencies and so on, yet none of them referred the previous fracking application for environmental assessment.

Did our government issue a directive or instructions telling all agencies not to issue a referral or did each agency make that decision on their own?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

My

understanding in regard to the concerns out of the Sahtu about water is the concern is specifically about the water being withdrawn from fish lakes as opposed to being withdrawn from the Mackenzie. I do believe that issue is being looked at and, hopefully, will be addressed.

In regard to was there a directive from government, no, there wasn’t in regard to instructing any agency or part of government to atomically reject or not require environmental assessments of fracking.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I’m glad the Minister understands at least one of the eight major concerns that I read out in my earlier speaking today.

As we all know, devolution will be taking effect as of April 1st . After that date, will any agencies of the

GNWT be permitted to make an independent decision on a proposed project or will all decisions be made by the Executive?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

The intent is to have a made-in-the-North regulatory regime that brings together the regulatory authorities, both the oil and gas through water and minerals, lands, with ITI, ENR and the Lands department. We intend to be very thorough, very rigorous, and we want to coordinate our efforts. There is going to be responsibilities that require the various regulatory agencies and bodies to respond as regulators. There are going to be some requirements for technical responses. We are going to look very thoroughly at all of those project applications that come in and we will, in fact, provide that rigour and timeliness that we have committed to.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll look forward to that on time. The MVRMA gives criteria for determining when a project should be referred for an environmental assessment. I would assume that we use the criteria listed in the legislation, and I’d be happy to give the Minister a reference to that, clause 125, section 1.

I would assume that we use the criteria listed in the legislation, but to be sure, would the Minister commit to making public the criteria this government and its agencies use when deciding whether to refer a project to environmental assessment even if it’s following the legislation?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Yes, we will provide that information to the House.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up with questions to the Minister of Transportation about my initial concern for my riding and the residents of Fort Liard and reconstruction of Highway No. 7. I know that in this year’s federal budget they have indicated a new Building Canada Plan. It’s $53 billion. I don’t know that they had time to talk with the departments, talk with their federal counterparts, and see just how much of that money will be available for our Northwest Territories government in building infrastructure for our Northwest Territories.