Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, again, Mr. Chair, for this year's budget, there's -- the core programs do remain there. With respect to future funding or future initiatives, obviously any future initiatives come through a business planning process for 2026-2027. And comments duly noted. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, my first question: The item called Northwest Territories energy efficiency projects, it looks in the description that this only funds the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to do, like, internal projects related to its power plants. I also note that there used to be a funding program that was delivered, I believe by Arctic Energy Alliance, offering community governments money to do retrofits and often increase energy efficiency in their buildings. Has the government considered expanding its funding for energy efficiency projects beyond power corporation assets? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, I mean, yes, so this particular line item that was pointed to is specific to Northwest Territories Power Corporation to help integrate the programs and projects that may exist in communities. But, Mr. Chair, a lot of work does happen in the energy strategic initiatives division with respect to some of the planning. So, for example, the micro hydro that was mentioned earlier, the possibility of SMRs. You know, efforts in that space happen within this division, so the staff that are employed there through this proposed budget are the same staff that would be helping to do some of the initial scoping for projects like this. And, you know, the earlier and the more often that we can have conversations with communities, Deline's a good example, where they are -- they've looked to bring on additional assets which requires looking at what we can do at the power corporation but also can involve the department in terms of ensuring that when the pieces are being put together, what their energy requirements are going to be, what is available and, you know, what can the department do, what can NTPC do, what can NT Energy do, that does reside in this division. So, you know, it's not necessarily under individual -- these individual strings of programs or pots that you might find it. It may well be in the actual day-to-day functioning of the department and the staff there who are tasked with ensuring that we're advancing strategic and energy initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And so currently, if there are community governments that want to maintain and upgrade their own buildings and assets, make them more energy efficient, is there somewhere that they can go for help finding money for retrofits? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I mean, as a first point of call, I would certainly suggest that this division of the department is certainly one to speak to. I would also suggest the NT Energy folks who are the sort of strategic branch of NTPC is also a good point of call. As for any particular funding, sort of a funding pot, if I may, I might turn it to Amy Burt and see if she can point us to something quickly and if not, we'll take it under a commitment. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll go to the director.

Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to turn the programs around electric vehicles. I know that one of the commitments in the business plan is to create, like, charging corridors, and there is still a little tiny bit of money under that line item for the electric vehicles fast charger corridor. However, this year, all of the money for the electric vehicles rebate program looks like has been eliminated. And, I mean, we -- committee heard previously that electric vehicle rebate program was one of the most effective programs for actually just reducing greenhouse gas emissions that we have. So I guess my question to the Minister is if we're not supporting people to change to electric vehicles but who do we expect is going to be using the charging corridor that we have spent a whole bunch of money and are continuing to prioritize if we don't have people with the vehicles to actually use the corridor? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, there was certainly at the time that our main estimates were being prepared still a federal program to support consumer choice than to try to incentivize consumer choice towards energy or EV vehicles. Mr. Chair, what we did commit to in our business plan, and what we are providing, is the corridor so that people can actually charge those vehicles. And I can say that from Yellowknife all the way to the Alberta border and over all the way to Fort Smith, there is, indeed, going to be an EV charging corridor. It will be complete this year and so while I can't necessarily provide public dollars -- any additional public dollars in this budget to sway people if they don't want to spend the additional money on an EV vehicle, electric vehicle, Mr. Chair, what we can do ensure that for those people who are making that choice that they actually can charge that vehicle. Because that certainly was one of the concerns that had been raised is that, indeed, folks wouldn't want to make this investment if they were concerned that they wouldn't be able to drive. So we have completed that side of it. Again, with respect to, you know, additional money, there's -- there are those -- you know, federal programs exist, and people making those choices regardless -- they may make those choices too if fuel prices remain volatile which is also out of our control. But, again, we have provided the infrastructure necessary to support those choices. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Now, I know that owners of electric vehicles tend to be, you know, wealthier members of our communities, but I wanted to also highlight, so the program for the low-income program to address energy poverty, it's only $200,000. First, I wanted to ask is this based on applications that, like, individual people have to apply to get something under this program, or is it based on a certain project or a certain community that the government decides, okay, we're going to allocate this money this year to, you know, one project and one community. Can the Minister just clarify how that money is spent, how decisions are made to spend that money; is that application or on specific projects? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So Mr. Chair, this is a program that is administered by the Arctic Energy Alliance. With respect to its individualized functioning at that stage, I'm not well placed necessarily to describe how AEA administers it. I'm happy to commit to getting that detail. We provide this fund, and I know there would be some expectations surrounding its use but, again, I'll have to make a commitment to bring that back here. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I would -- I appreciate that, and I would request too that the Minister helps us understand or finds out, you know, is the program fully subscribed. If it's based on applications, are we even coming close to meeting the demand, or is there a much higher demand but than we're able to satisfy with the $200,000 allocation? I'd appreciate that information coming back to us.

I was going to turn to questions about some of the bigger strategic energy infrastructure projects that this government is undertaking that I don't see specifically listed here under energy and strategic initiatives. So, for example, the Taltson Expansion pre-construction phrase, I know we see that we're receiving in revenues $7.1 million, I assume from the federal government, to keep working on that. I don't see specific mention of it in the energy and strategic initiatives. So is there any GNWT money also being spent on the Taltson Expansion work, the pre-construction work? Does it -- you know, are there staff that are listed in this section who are working on that project, or is it completely separate from everything we see here under energy and strategic initiatives? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, there certainly are staff within the division that are working on this from the assistant deputy minister through to folks who -- the director of energy, director of strategic energy initiatives -- I'll probably get his title wrong -- but folks have travelled recently with me to Lutselk'e to attend a steering committee. There -- I mean, when we see under the energy and strategic initiatives conversation benefits, those folks are working on the Taltson initiative.

With respect to money that is used to support the Indigenous governments from the watershed region and north and south of the lake with their traditional knowledge studies and assisting them with the capacity to attend steering committee meetings and to prepare for those steering committee meetings, that type of funding is fully funded by CIRNAC. That's the additional funding that we do see come in specific to Taltson. So it -- yeah, there's -- I guess in that sense, there's 100 percent funding from the feds to do the very project specific work, but staff within this division whose money -- or I mean whose functionality, if you will, does get funded here, and that is supporting the Taltson work as well as some of the other major capital projects. Thank you.