Thank you, Madam Chair. Very interesting, of course, to see this new division in the department, and maybe I could just start off by getting some clarity on how this department will work with others. I see an energy project-focused division that will lead the implementation of local renewable and alternative energy solutions in NWT communities. Obviously, we need community energy systems that would address the cost of living. That’s probably one of the biggest things along with greenhouse gas emissions. So we’re talking, to some extent, community energy systems. I have to wonder how this department will be working with the partners there, communities, say, for heating and perhaps the Power Corporation for power. Then, of course, with Environment and Natural Resource with their mandate on greenhouse gas emissions, particularly the Greenhouse Gas Strategy and the renewable aspect of renewable energy, forests and so on.

So just if I could get a little bit on this new mandate with respect to those aspects. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to have the deputy minister provide that information on the mandate of the new energy division.

Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Mr. Guy.

Thank you, Mr. Guy. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate those comments. The one thing I very rarely hear and I don’t think I heard again, was working with industry, which was, in fact, where our biggest growing use of energy is happening, and we know that our Greenhouse Gas Strategy is absolutely useless in terms of providing guidance for them. We know that we’re doing pretty good internally, but we’re not doing very well with outreach. Of course, the biggest one is industry, which, as far as I can see, is getting nothing in terms of the requirements, guidelines, direction on how to be more efficient and switch to renewable energy. How will this department be improving in those areas?

MR. GUY: Thank you. I think as we move forward with the response to the Energy Charrette, implement some of those recommendations and direction that we’re given through the Minister’s Energy Coordinating Committee, we may have the opportunity to look at some of those things. I think there are some successes on the industry side where we can learn some things. We’ll probably have a lot of things that we can share with industry, as well, particularly in the area of biomass and some of the alternative energy, some of the solar work that’s going on. So I think there are some opportunities going forward through this division to start to look at some of those things. Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate that. So, I would ask the Minister if he would indeed commit to, for example, approaching Diavik to learn about their wind project and how it might be considered in

our communities, or some other model that they would recommend and how we can work with industry to establish standards that they must meet so that this isn’t a one-off thing that comes in towards the end of the life of a project. It is a requirement from the beginning, as the Diavik wind expert has recommended, and some of the other things that the deputy minister recommended, I appreciate sharing and supporting industry, but also putting in place some requirements for industry to participate knowing what we do about the status of climate change and the impacts to our people. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The department would have no problem with meeting with Diavik on their programs or energy-efficient programs. The decision on what type of stipulations that we put on industry in as far as energy conservation will be a government decision, not Public Works and Services’ decision. Thank you.

Could I get the Minister to agree that it is now the lead, Public Works and Services is now the lead in our Energy Policy, as per their description, activity description and that this would be appropriate for them to take on?

Thank you. Certainly, we would take the lead in the initiative. Again, we would work with other departments that are involved in the industry. Thank you.

I would hope so. Thank you. Hopefully, we’ve learned that we have to get all departments working together, but I appreciate this Minister taking the lead. I have taken the opportunity to discuss wind with Diavik. The experts there say wind, diesel and batteries are cookie cutter now. They are not experimental. We are way behind the eight ball on this. The Power Corp has not touched wind in 40 years. I’m very happy to see the work that’s being done in Colville Lake with this model because this model can work with solar as well. So we are doing solar in Colville, which is appropriate; they don’t have the wind power. We have lots of communities that are very, very expensive where wind, in combination with battery storage and diesel, are possible.

Will the Minister be starting to look at these alternatives and hopefully putting some of those on the table very soon, or perhaps passing this on as a highlighted priority to the 18th Assembly to

consider? Thank you.

That would be a big part of the mandate of the energy division within Public Works and Services.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Energy, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Bromley, sorry.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just had one other area I wanted to explore. The science is showing that because of the fugitive, it’s called, and actual emissions of natural gas development from unconventional sources, that’s through exploration, development, decommissioning and transport, and conversion of natural gas into LNG and back and loading it onto trucks, unloading it from trucks and so on, makes LNG from unconventional sources as bad as coal in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. So I see that there’s a commitment here or a mandate for examining the potential for liquefied natural gas to provide a cleaner… That’s the last line in the activity description, “a cleaner and less expensive alternative to the use of imported diesel fuel.” Now, you see, natural gas is as bad as coal when it’s LNG from unconventional sources. That means it’s much dirtier than imported diesel fuel. So, would the Minister follow this up during the life of this Assembly and determine exactly what the situation is and report back to this House in an objective form on whether the science indicates that’s true? This is based on shorter distances of transport than we have in the Northwest Territories, much easier and better conditions for transfer without running into problems and losing more fugitive emissions to the atmosphere. So, would the Minister take that on?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We could look at the information, the science behind the production of liquefied natural gas, as a government and report back to the House on our findings.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that from the Minister and I will look at the Hansard to see the specifics of that request because there are some areas where that wouldn’t apply, like conventional sources. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment. I guess I’m out of time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Energy, operations expenditure summary, $8.456 million.

Agreed. Thank you. Page 430, energy, grants, contributions and transfers, total grants and contributions, $4.488 million.