Thanks, Madam Chair. I will not be supporting this recommendation for a variety of reasons. I tried to work within committee to broaden the scope of the recommendation beyond the Taltson Hydro Expansion to look at building Indigenous capacity and partnerships in general to maximize benefits, which I certainly support. The work proposed in this motion is already underway, so I don't really see the need to make this recommendation.
Natural Resources Canada and Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are providing $619,950 to "support Indigenous engagement" in the Taltson Hydro Expansion as announced in January of 2019. Committee did not seek information on the status of this work. I raised this issue when we were reviewing the supplementary estimates yesterday, and I look forward to receiving that information. I am also of the view that, in terms of critical infrastructure for post-pandemic recovery, Taltson expansion is not a priority and should not be a priority. It is not anywhere near shovel-ready and it will take years of planning, environmental assessment, and permitting before it is ready, if ever. The top priority for critical infrastructure should be improving the broadband Internet connectivity in all NWT communities to Canadian standards, and that is something that I believe the federal government is ready to invest in.
To be clear, I have always supported the use of currently available power from Taltson to build the South Slave regional economy, including use for space heating, electric vehicles, small-scale transmission lines to adjacent communities, and possibly even a submarine line to Yellowknife, depending on the outcome of ongoing studies. However, the full extent of Taltson expansion, we have not yet seen a business case for it. We haven't seen a full project description. There are no confirmed buyers, and I have serious doubts about the financial viability of the full expansion. The most recent cost estimates are over $2 billion, and a recent study showed that the Taltson hydro expansion is also the most expensive option per unit of greenhouse gas emissions saved.
There was a previous attempt at Taltson hydro expansion by Deze Energy. That corporation was one-third owned by NWT Energy Corporation, or the GNWT, essentially, and two-thirds by Indigenous development corporations. There was an environmental assessment of that project that started in 2007, and it was withdrawn in 2013. It's my understanding that about $17 million was spent on that project before it was withdrawn.
In any event, I believe that there are better ways to build energy self-sufficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create more jobs and benefits for Northerners than through the Taltson expansion project. So, Madam Chair, for all of those reasons, I will not be supporting this recommendation from the committee and this motion. Thank you.