This is page numbers 83 – 126 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 electoral.

Topics

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start by qualifying before I answer the Member's question about that, the information that I have on hand is just my understanding at this point and hasn't been qualified or researched. I will answer it, but based on my immediate understanding, not stuff that I can actually say I've researched and is factual, but my understanding is that the federal government started building homes in the Northwest Territories. They were built for treaty Indians, actually, and I apologize for the term, but that was the term used in the times from the mid- to the late 1950s. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Mr. Speaker, again, I'm referring back to that same elder. The same elder had indicated that the money had come from the federal government to the GNWT to house people, treaty people – treaty Indians, and that had evolved into something else. I'd like to ask the Minister: when were the first houses built by the federal government that became available to people other than treaty Indians?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Again, I'm going to apologize in advance. Some of the terminology that I'm going to use was terminology of the day; it is not politically correct at this time, but the answer that I have is that the housing programs actually incorporated Indian and Eskimo houses that were built from the early 1960s to about the mid-1960s. Recognizing that, again, that is not the terminology of the day, but at that time, that was the terminology used to name people.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I am aware the state of the social housing and some of the program. I would like to ask the Minister the next evolution beyond the Indian and Eskimo housing. What was the next evolution of housing which eventually led to what we have today?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

As stated earlier, the housing programs expanded in the early 1960s to the mid-1960s to incorporate Indian and Eskimo housing. Then it evolved into Northern Territorial rental units and some public housings were built from about the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Housing Corporation is a vehicle for delivering social housing. I would like to ask the Minister when the Housing Corporation was formed. Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

The Housing Corporation was formed in 1974. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have few more questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation about the modular duplexes. Can she say who is going to build the remainder of this order that Concept Energy Services started? Who is going to fill the rest of this order and over what period of time? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

There are a couple questions there, Minister. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start by actually addressing the question. I am actually glad the honourable Member asked this question. Earlier with her questions, I had promised to give her a contract. I have since learned that, actually, I may not be able to give her the full contract because of the Privacy Act. I will be able to provide her with the information that is on the normal procurement site, but not the whole contract. I just want to apologize for any misunderstanding that I may have given before. In answer to the contract that is being done now, I can state that the tender to complete the units in Ulukhaktok is out now. If they are not out now, they will be within the next week or two. Then the remaining units, we are still looking at our options to determine what we will do with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I appreciate the clarification and I look forward to the more general information. Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, there are 11 units outstanding, and those units are not going to be built by Concept Energy Services. What are the options for completing these remaining units?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

There are many options that we can do at this point. We are looking at them. We can either work with supporting Concept Energy to do them. There are a variety of options. We can put them out to public tender. We can look at negotiated contracts within communities. There is a whole gamut of different options that we can consider. Again, my priority is getting these homes into communities, and we will be looking at the ways we can expedite that in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Can the Minister say when a decision will be made on one of these options?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Yes. We are currently in the process of reviewing all of the options at this point. I know that, within the next two weeks, we will have defined which way or path we are going forward.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was also a contract with Energy Wall in Yellowknife to do one of the standalone two-bedroom units. Can the Minister say whether this unit has been completed? Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I am really glad that question came up because it is important to note that, although we have had some glitches with our manufacturing strategy for modular units, Energy Wall in Yellowknife did complete a successful unit and has received another contract, actually. We are looking forward to working with all northern business in the provision of northern homes for northern people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I had some questions with regard to the Giant Mine Remediation Project, specifically as it relates to some of the power demands associated with that project. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. Maybe what I would like to do is start by asking him, although we know from the Minister of ENR that the freezing of the arsenic chambers is going to take significantly less power demands, certainly a $1-billion project over 15 years is going to require a significant amount of power on various levels. I would just like to simply start by asking the Minister: does he feel that, given the current infrastructure, we can meet the demands of the Giant Mine Remediation Project? In other words, will we be using current infrastructure to meet that demand, or is there some alternative energy sources that we can consider to meet that demand? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for NWT Power Corporation.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, any new major project would likely put a strain on the current system, whether that is a new mine or an old mine. I don't have any new details as to the amount of power that might be required. A major increase in the amount of power used in the system would likely require some changes in the manner in which we deliver power. It may involve the building of additional plants or even dams. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

I appreciate the reply from the Minister. Well then, that is an interesting point because we have heard, actually, from TerraX Minerals in the past that they have shared concerns that energy demand is going to be their biggest challenge. I wonder: can the Minister maybe share with us, has he had conversations with TerraX and does he understand some of the challenges that they are expressing as it relates to having enough power? Are we going to be able to help them meet those demands if, in fact, they go forward with the full-fledged mine?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

I have not had direct contact with TerraX, although I did have the opportunity to attend a presentation that they gave in Yellowknife a year or two ago. I think it is a little uncertain at this stage the amount of power that they will require. Certainly, we would like to assist them. It may be necessary to increase our capacity.