This is page numbers 1389 - 1412 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 communities.

Topics

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am appreciative of a lot of the work that the Department of Infrastructure is doing in regard to district heating and cogeneration. However, this is one of those situations where the technology exists in many jurisdictions. It's proven. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It makes heating bills cheaper, but it requires a system-wide rethink. It requires community plans to ensure that the largest facilities are clustered. It requires making sure our power plants are built next to our water treatment plans so they can share energy. Presently, that kind of coordination is not being done by the GNWT. Another huge gap in this area is breaking into the residential market such that people can heat their houses off of a district heating system. My question for the Minister is: what steps are being taken by the Department of Infrastructure so we can have people heat their houses using district heating? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Infrastructure.

Question 403-19(2): Biomass Energy
Oral Questions

October 22nd, 2020

Page 1404

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a biomass district heating system for several apartment buildings in Yellowknife. The GNWT has $50 million in combined grant funding until 2024, under the Greenhouse Gas Grant program, for governments and for buildings and industry. That is available to support district heating systems across the Northwest Territories. The Arctic Energy Alliance also has funding to support biomass heating, as well.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I am appreciative of that work, and I know the NWT Housing Corporation has been connecting some of its buildings using district heating and putting pellet boilers in. When we do this analysis, the City of Yellowknife knows better than no one. They actually won an award for 2018 for connecting their facilities, and it has saved them money. It's proven to work to get the pipes in the ground. There is no better place than downtown Yellowknife to implement district heating and connect all of those large towers. However, we do not own those towers. The City of Yellowknife is not willing to become a utility, so is the Minister of Infrastructure willing to put a plan together to put district heating in downtown Yellowknife?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I know the City of Yellowknife has looked at this, and they would be eligible for 75 percent of funding under the Greenhouse Gas Grant program for governments if the city decides to undertake that kind of project. We will continue to work with the city if we need to, to be able to provide this assistance to them.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

This is really the heart of the problem is that the federal funding is sitting there. Someone can access it. It reduces heating costs, but we are asking municipalities who are already underfunded to essentially take that on and then start providing heating to people, which requires setting up an entire utility. I really don't think we can put that ask on our underfunded community governments right now. Fortunately, the Minister of Infrastructure is also the Minister for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Perhaps we can give that board of deputy ministers something to do. Is the Minister willing to change the mandate of the Power Corporation to include the option of being a utility for heating?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

At this point, this is not something that is being contemplated. NTPC, the Power Corporation, role is to provide reliable electrical power.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it's a little rich for us to say it's not our mandate to provide home heating and then to tell the communities, which it's clearly not their mandate, to all of a sudden expand and to become a utility. Is the Minister willing to approach the Canadian Infrastructure Bank, where that federal funding is sitting, to fund a territory-wide feasibility study of biomass district heating, and we can find the most cost-effective way to do this for every community in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

It is possible if a suitable project came along that fits the investment criteria. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. GNWT progress on Thaidene Nene seems to have stalled. Meanwhile, on the federal side, Thaidene Nene staff have been going great guns, hiring monitors and a tourism coordinator, first-ever sport fishing system with Parks Canada. These are all welcome events. Then, of course, there was the signing of the agreement between the federal government and Yellowknives Dene First Nation on September 25th. Can the Minister explain why there are still no regulations for the establishment of the GNWT portion of Thaidene Nene and the wildlife conservation area? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to first of all thank the Member for continuing keeping us on our toes on this topic, and I greatly appreciate it. First of all, amendments to regulations for the Thaidene Nene should be completed by the end of 2021. However, what people need to know is EIA, plans, and natural resources department are working to finalize the process for engaging with inter-governmental councils and Indigenous governments and organizations on our legislative initiatives to ensure a consistent approach. ENR is preparing to engage on the Thaidene Nene and to Tuyeta territorial protected regulation developed using the interim inter-governmental council engagement process.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that information. Great that we're going to be working more collaboratively on regulations moving forward. I'll be back here in February asking more questions about Thaidene Nene. I'd like to ask the Minister, though, about progress on management boards for Thaidene Nene seems to be stalled, as well. Can the Minister tell us whether any of the relevant parties have made appointments, and if so, when and who?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

We're in the process of appointing the members for the Thaidene Nene operational management board. Once this process is completed, we're then looking at appointing to our regional management board, so we're in the process and it's getting close.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. Getting close counts in horseshoes but not in this Assembly. I understand that some of the parties have actually made appointments, they haven't been made public yet. I don't know what's going on, but that's what public registry is actually supposed to be doing. Can the Minister tell us, though, if there is a public seat on any of the Thaidene Nene management boards, and if so, how was recruitment carried out?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I agree that close is good in horseshoes, and we are getting really close. I have to say that we're getting close to having a ringer here, so that's a good thing. There is a seat on the operational management board for the Thaidene Nene that is appointed by the GNWT and Lutselk'e. However, there are no specific public seats on the operational management board. There is a government appointee for the regional management board that is to represent the public interest.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. This gets to one of the main points I want to make here is that there is a real scarcity of information on the so-called protected areas public registry. If we're recruiting somebody to sit as a public member, where is the public notice about it? I'll give the Minister another example: he extended the land withdrawal for the Dinaga Wek'ehodi protected area recently. That's not in the public registry, either. There's going to be a lot of correspondence from the management boards. That should be on the public registry. Can the Minister tell us when we can expect to see a real public registry for the Protected Areas Act and when will he get the resources to do it? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

There is a link to the land withdrawal for the Dinaga Wek'ehodi on the public registry. ENR is working to improve functionality of the protected areas registry. The work is scheduled to begin in January 2021. We expect that the new version of the protected area registry will be available next summer. In the meantime, ENR continues to keep the current protected areas registry up to date and compliance with section 9 of the Protected Areas Act. We are looking at how best to post board appointments information on the registry. We are trying to work within our guidelines and within our rules and work with the Indigenous governments to get this up and running.

We've heard from committee and we've heard from the Member that we need more money. We just need to do it right. Presently, we do have the money available to get the job done. It's just going to take some time, and we need to have the patience to do it. I'm more than willing to make a commitment here to meet with committee, meet with the MLA to have these conversations, and explain the process a little further and hear from the Member on how best we can get that registry up and running with what our rules are and what our responsibilities are. It is a bit of a challenge, and we are willing to work with the Member moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Presently, our minimum wage is $13.46. Presently, we are subsidizing everyone in the territory such that no one should be making less than $18 an hour. Will the Minister raise the minimum wage? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Depending on how long I'm here, I'm sure, at some point I might. The way that this works is that there is a minimum wage committee. It's made up of non-governmental organizations, industries, and there are representatives from the GNWT, as well. This group of people look at economic climate in the territory, they look at employment statistics, and they produce a report. That report should have been on my desk already, but the recent report from Finance regarding the effects of COVID-19 was deemed important enough that the committee got back together. They are considering that information, as well. I hope to have that report maybe by next week. I'll have a look at it, see what the recommendations in there are. Perhaps then, I'll be able to have a different answer to the Member's question, but who knows? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.