Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Public Engagement

On September 29, 2021, the committee held a public hearing with the sponsoring Member and invited public presentations. The public hearing was live streamed on the Legislative Assembly channel.

In advance of the hearing, the committee received five written submissions from:

• The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC)
• Northland Utilities
• The Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board (PUB)
• Two members of the public

Almost all stakeholder submissions were opposed to Bill 23 (see Appendix A). Public utilities viewed current legislation, which permits the use of load limiters in the winter, as a balanced approach between the needs of individual customers, the utilities' interest to encourage payment of outstanding balances. They noted that the use of load limiters is common practice in the industry as a last-case scenario. The public utilities expressed concern that the bill would create larger, potentially insurmountable debts for non-paying customers, increase the utilities' bad debt expense and revenue requirement, and ultimately put upward pressure on electricity rates for all customers. As a result, one Standing Committee on Government Operations report on Bill 23 on November 22, 2021 utility asserted that the Bill is contrary to the 19th Assembly's mandate priority to “reduce the cost of power.”

Submissions from members of the public expressed similar concern that the bill creates a disincentive for customers to pay their electricity bills in the winter, with the effect of increasing electricity rates for all customers.

I now pass it on the MLA Cleveland.