This is page numbers 4103 - 4182 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 going.

Topics

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thanks to the Minister for the response. In consideration of the life of both governments, I am encouraging the Minister if his staff could accompany us and provide dates of options so the leadership can analyze the dates of option and information provided. Will the Minister provide dates open?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Not here, on the floor of the House, I cannot provide dates. I will look at my schedule and look at the availability of my senior staff who will be able to come in and chat with leadership, not only leadership but also community organizations, any other non-government organizations, as well, that want to participate in creating options. I know that we had the Yellowknife Women's Centre attend a meeting in Behchoko today, actually, and talk about options for Housing First in Behchoko, and we can do something similar in the other smaller communities. Plus, the program that I mentioned, the Northern Pathways to Housing pilot, we are currently talking with the K'asho Got'ine Housing Society on seeing how we can develop that, and we are just in the planning stages.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thanks for the previous invitation. I will take the Minister up on the previous invitation to sit down and discuss available dates so that we can present that to the Sahtu leadership and strike when the iron is hot, here, on the available time to us for the National Housing Strategy and funding resources they provide.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. I will take that as more of a comment to the Minister for consideration. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I brought this issue up a few months back. This question is to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, a few months back, in the winter session, I brought up the concerns from Aklavik that, you know, the transition house, if you will, the four-unit building that was supposed to be put up in the community, was after some more planning supposed to go to a four-bedroom unit, which I don't feel is adequate, so I would like to ask our new Minister here: what are the plans for the four-unit transition home for Aklavik? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday you heard me make a Minister's statement in the House about the Northern Pathways to Housing pilot program. I mentioned four communities, Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Aklavik, as well as, just recently, Fort Good Hope, working with the K'asho Got'ine Housing Society to develop these units. Now, recently, I know the Member mentioned that there was a unit that we were going to fix up to address the transition house, but the current update on that is we met with the Aklavik Indian Band, and I believe that we are going to get materials there this summer and build new construction for a new building in the community of Aklavik. It should be done, hopefully completed, by December of this year.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

That is great news. I know that community was disappointed when I made them aware that the building was going to be renovated, so that is great. Hopefully, we will have some work in the community. Will the Minister ensure that the contract is either negotiated -- I know the community does actually have a working group to try to get as much work in the community as possible.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As the Member knows, the NWT Housing Corporation has been working with the Aklavik Indian Band for a couple of years now in terms of the planning, looking for a lot, looking for where we can put either a new construction or where we can upgrade a current housing unit. As I mentioned, it is a new construction. We will get the materials there this summer. The building, the northern housing unit, should be complete by December of 2018. We will update the Member on a regular basis. We will also make sure that the Aklavik Indian Band does know this. In terms of the contract, I do believe the contract is already awarded, so the work can get started as soon as the material gets over to Aklavik. 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, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is doing some good work as it relates to our responsibility in lowering our emissions and working towards energy efficiency. I think Northerners are doing a good job at the same thing, finding ways in which to lower their energy costs, but businesses, commercial enterprises, they want the same opportunity, Mr. Speaker. They are some of our biggest emitters, after all, and so solar is an enticing opportunity for them, but, right now, when they crunch the numbers, it just does not seem to work out. I would just like to start by asking the Minister: can the Minister maybe explain the rationale for the policy that seems to be limiting alternative-energy projects to 15 kilowatt hours? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 343-18(3): Net Metering
Oral Questions

May 31st, 2018

Page 4120

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the previous Assembly, the Minister responsible for the PUB and Cabinet of the day provided some direction to the PUB to develop some principles when assessing net metering here in the Northwest Territories. Part of that direction included a capacity of 15 kilowatts, as the Member has identified. Those instructions are available online at the PUB's website. In this Assembly, with respect to Mandate 1.4.6, this Assembly agreed that we will support net metering through clear policy direction to the PUB to provide clarity to allow customers to recover their investments in renewable energy.

Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons 15 kilowatts was identified is recognizing that savings realized by residents and business participating in net metering are eventually passed along to residents and businesses who do not have the financial wherewithal to actually invest in privately owned energy alternatives, so we needed to make sure that there was not too much cost going on all the residents who could not afford to necessarily move forward with green technology.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

I appreciate where the Minister is coming from, but one of the things that has been identified recently is the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce has done some work as it relates to a significant recent reduction in small to medium business enterprises, and part of the reason, we have learned, as to why --

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Member for Yellowknife North, we only have six more minutes and we have another Member, so, if you can, get to the question. Also, shorten the answers, as well. Masi.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will do my best. So I guess we are seeing a downturn in small businesses, and one of the arguments is that it's due to energy costs, so it seems to me that changing a policy to allow businesses to become more efficient would be the right thing to do. Will the Minister maybe consider directing the board to increase the 15 kilowatt hour to 50 kilowatt hour to make it more economical for businesses to consider alternative energy?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

In response to the mandate, Cabinet committed to addressing that meeting through a public review of the GNWT's draft energy strategy, and to either amend or reconfirm the previous Cabinet's policy direction around that meeting as required. The public review on the energy strategy is now complete. It is my understanding that no issues were identified which required any revisions to our strategy. We're open to have additional discussion on this, but I will remind the Member that one of the main reasons we supported net metering is to help green, to provide more green energy and get off carbon. I am curious whether the Member is talking about providing net metering to businesses in hydro zones or thermal zones?

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

I appreciate the answer. I'm talking about thermal or hydro. I mean, arguably, Yellowknife is a mix of both. We have spent $30 million in fuel subsidizing our hydro system in recent years. I asked this question during budget deliberations, and the answer that I got was that because we need to preserve NTPC's infrastructure costs. Somehow, we can't allow big generators of power to come online, or else that would interrupt how we operate as it relates to the power corporation. Mr. Speaker, it would seem to me that we would be wanting ---

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Member Yellowknife North, what's your question?

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

The question is: why would we invite other big providers of power to come online and help the Power Corporation to reduce its costs so that we can all get a little bit more affordable power?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

One of the reasons we do net metering, as I've indicated, is to support getting off carbon and utilizing green technologies. In a hydro zone, the cost of providing power is set based on the equipment and machinery we have in place. By bringing in more hydro or solar power, we are actually increasing the cost of those individuals who don't have the wherewithal, financial wherewithal, to actually invest.

If the Member is talking about thermal zones, I am totally open to having the discussion about providing greater kilowatt hour for businesses, but in a hydro zone, it is going to drive up the cost for the net users, which includes everybody who can't afford to put in hydro. For thermal zones, I am available for the conversation.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister of Infrastructure. I want to thank the Minister for attending a constituency tour on May 8th, when we met people in Kakisa, and then we raised the concerns about the dock in their community and its condition. I was very encouraged by the recent announcement by the Ministers of Transportation and Infrastructure in the NWT, particularly the air transportation. My question is to the Minister of Infrastructure: what kind of plan of action does he intend to undertake to follow up from the meeting of May 8th in terms of addressing the concerns of the people of Kakisa? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Minister of Infrastructure.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to inform the Member we have already directed our superintendent to reach out to the community, which they have. They are in discussions. We were going to provide assistance with the community on how to prepare their CAP proposal for this project through the Department of Infrastructure, and we will be working with them closely, and I will be following this project closely.