So, Mr. Speaker, we've gotten some facts out here around a long-term strategic goal for solving this problem. We're not hearing that in the press. Will the Minister commit to making the Power Corporation's long-term plans for making our energy system more affordable through infrastructure development, through multi-lateral agreements with other governments? Will he commit to making that kind of vision public the same way he's countering Northland's claims in the media? Will he start talking about positive things and not just countering the opposition?

Mr. Speaker, I will promise to this House to talk about positive things.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Let's stay with the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. It's Friday. Mr. Speaker, I heard an interesting point raised earlier today and it was relevant to this number, the 20 per cent cap that would be put on communities in their ability to get themselves off of thermal energy. I have heard that we want to work with communities, and I have heard that we want to get them off diesel, but now I've potentially heard that we're going to stop them in their efforts at 20 per cent. I'm wondering can the Minister provide us a little bit more clarity around that policy, why 20 per cent is the number? Does it only apply to thermal communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister responsible for NWT Power Corporation

They're the experimental and new technologies that are coming along, it is our intention of course to use those first in the thermal communities as we wish to get off of diesel power. But there are other initiatives. We are also encouraging people to reduce the amount of power they use to LED, more efficient refrigerators and so on, so we're hoping that the amount of power that they require is going to be reduced, and this 20 per cent figure which has been referenced several times today is a technical number in the sense that if you're going to have a mixture of diesel and solar, you can't go above the 20 per cent solar without expending a great deal of money for new systems.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Power Corporation is trying to encourage residents of the North to reduce their power usage; however, in efforts that residents have done to reduce their power usage, we've actually heard the Power Corporation come back to us and say you're doing good, but by doing good, we're going to have to up the rates. We've got to charge more; we have infrastructure to pay for. So, Mr. Speaker, is that the reason why there's a 20 per cent cap is because 80 per cent is still required to pay for the thermal infrastructure in thermal communities?

Mr. Speaker, the reason that the solar projects are capped at 20 per cent is that the diesel needs to run at the other 80 per cent. If they run more intermittently as I understand it, they become more unstable.

The Minister keeps referencing to solar only as the alternative source, but earlier it was noted that other potential alternatives energy sources that could be considered to help reduce diesel consumption in the communities would also fall under this 20 percent policy. So just for clarification, if Colville Lake, as an example, was able to throw up a windmill tomorrow, hypothetically, and reduce their diesel consumption by another 20 per cent, would that not be allowed?

Mr. Speaker, one of the issues with solar is that obviously it's not sunny all year round. I would anticipate that if there was a system that could have proper batteries for storage of power or if the wind was so consistent that it provided power throughout the year and we didn’t need diesel at all, we would certainly contemplate that type of system, but currently the technology is not there and it's not cheap.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure that I got an answer to the question. I've already gotten to the 20 per cent. If I found a way in my community to get my reliance on diesel fuel another 20 per cent off by putting up another alternative sources of energy, would that be allowed?

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, the problem is that that this 20 per cent was not simply dreamed up. It was a figure above which the diesel system became erratic or undependable. Now, if we had a system that provided 100 per cent of the power needs and we no longer needed diesel that would be one thing, but it would seem to me that a system that went up to 40 per cent, say between solar and some other system, would exacerbate the problem with the diesel system.

Oral questions have expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committee on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled “Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2016-2017,” “Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2016-2017,” and “Serving Our People: the NWT Public Service Report 2015.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal Annual Report 2015” and “Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission Annual Report 2015 Northwest Territories and Nunavut.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motions. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, Tabled Document 198-18(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2016-2017, Tabled Document 199-18(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2016-2017 with Member for Hay River North in the chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Supplementary Appropriation No. 1, Operations, and Supplementary Appropriation No. 2, Infrastructure, both for 2016-2017, and Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will take a short break and return for consideration of the items. Thank you.

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I will call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 199-18(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2016-2017. Does the Finance Minister have any opening remarks?