Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund is intended to support provinces and territories that take action on climate change and reduce energy use and increase clean economic growth. Now, the federal government in our announcement that we did here a couple of weeks ago was they gave us $23 million, and we're complementing it with $7.4 million from the GNWT coffers. This investment will help enhance the existing Arctic Energy Alliance programs and services and the creation of new programs within that umbrella, including making energy upgrades more accessible to low-income-owner-occupied homes. Funding will also be used to retrofit Marine Transportation Service vessels and ferries to make them more efficient, and to support reforestation in the NWT to help in our quest for carbon neutrality.

Lastly, the funding will be used to support our new government greenhouse gas grant program for the development of community-based emissions reduction projects. I will note that, under this allocation, our allocation is $31 million, and the Government of Canada is currently considering our proposal for $8 million to set up a grant to target larger buildings and industrial greenhouse emissions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks for the response. My next question: can the Minister tell us how residents and businesses in the Sahtu can access this new funding to continue their work on energy efficiency and renewable energy?

As I mentioned, the Arctic Energy Alliance is expanding their programs and services, and residents and businesses and communities in the Sahtu and in the Member's riding can access these things. The programs will help residents and businesses in the Sahtu pay for switching to efficient wood stoves and pellet stoves along with renewable energy, solar systems. There's an Arctic Energy regional office in Norman Wells, and I encourage the residents of the Sahtu region and the communities in his riding to reach out and find out what programs are available to them.

The Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund is also supporting the Government Greenhouse Gas Grant which is an application grant program designed to support greenhouse gas emissions, reduction projects, and initiatives. NWT community governments, municipalities, and GNWT and Indigenous governments can apply, and there's a total of $1.8 million available annually over the next four years ending fiscal March 31, 2022.

The Department of Infrastructure also recently helped flow some federal dollars to the Tulita Land Corporation to build a 45 kilowatt solar farm. Under this arrangement, the community-owned land corporation will operate the system and sell clean power back to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, and into the local grid. That's a great initiative taken on by the Tulita Land Corporation.

As I've spoken in this House before, in the Member's riding we're installing a wind monitoring station in Norman Wells this year to help us understand the feasibility and install renewable wind power to displace diesel fuel in those communities. We are also meeting with Wrigley and Fort Good Hope in the near future to discuss opportunities that integrate renewable energy into the communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.