Debates of Feb. 6th, 2026

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The challenge we find ourselves in is wanting to ensure we do good planning, so the integrated systems planning that's being led across the territory by the public utilities board, the Snare grid modernization which is focused here, and doing that at the same time that there is also a five-year capital plan for Northwest Territories Power Corporation. So we need to keep upgrading the systems immediately. We also do want to be doing this in the context of having a plan. So there is a five-year plan that is rolling out. There are improvements that are taking place every year, and we see them during the capital planning process here. But at the same time wanting to make sure that we do that as we're building out this plan. So those changes are happening already. There are -- again, I don't have -- and I don't have the capital plan in front of me, Mr. Speaker, but there -- that capital plan, as I said, it already has been put forward. I believe it's been tabled as a document as it does get every year, and I'd be happy to provide an update, perhaps, as to what has happened in the last capital planning year and what is upcoming for this year. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister responsible for NTPC. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a nearly four-hour blackout yesterday in the city of Yellowknife. The Minister's well aware. She was -- and very thankful to have her engagement and receive updates from her through that. Can the Minister just speak to -- clearly to the citizens of Yellowknife, Dettah, and N'dilo, what happened to cause the power outage and how was it resolved? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister responsible for NTPC.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, again, I'll just -- I'll put it back the other direction, that it is helpful when people are getting information out to the public. I would always direct people back to NTPC's Facebook page, if they're on social media that is the first point of call. But everyone that was participating -- and that makes it easier for residents to know where to look, where to find information. So that is helpful that we're all out there.

Mr. Speaker, we ultimately were able to identify that this was an issue at the Jackfish substation. And they were -- the crews that were out there were trying to get the system back online using both hydro and diesel. The challenges, and where typically our power outages get resolved fairly quickly, because we can go from hydro to diesel, in this case it was difficult to get the diesel units up and going, and that led to further delays. Eventually, they got the Bluefish back online. But there does take some time to go from where the staff are stationed out to Bluefish. So between all of those things and different efforts, it took longer than has been typical for us. The first customers got their power back around 8:20, and the later customers by about 10:20. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker -- and thank you to the Minister for that and also updates from Naka Power and the City of Yellowknife were very helpful as well. So thank you to everyone who worked hard to get that information out to the public.

Are there not contingency or backup systems to prevent this kind of thing? I know this was a difficult technical issue to solve, but it seems like these -- when these -- many of these power outages are getting longer and longer to resolve. So are we looking at investing in more contingency and backup so when these faults do occur, they're shorter, they're resolved quicker, and they bear less costs to citizens and businesses. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, having access to a diesel generating facility and hydro does create generally a redundancy for the city of Yellowknife. And as such, Yellowknife, in general -- certainly last year, last calendar year -- although we had more frequent outages than other parts of Canada, we actually were well under the average in terms of our restoration time. Obviously last night was certainly an exception to that. And as I just mentioned in my previous response, Mr. Speaker, part of the problem there was because we couldn't get what is the typical backup diesel to be up and running as it was expected to. So that is unusual circumstance. I mean, there's certainly how many layers of backup to backup are necessary. If there was a grid connection that provided a redundant system, then you can move power more seamlessly between the different grids. We don't have that here. And in the interim, Mr. Speaker, we certainly want to make sure that the systems that we have, both the hydro and the diesel, are up functioning and as modernized and as up to speed as they can be. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister responsible for NTPC. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I mean, I guess if we're pretty good at getting it back on, then we need to prevent the frequency of them. So that's the million-dollar question, probably the billion or even trillion-dollar question. So how much is it going to cost to fix this and when is it going to happen? Because Northerners cannot keep living through this. I can't tell you how many messages I received of people saying enough is enough, I am looking to leave the North. And not just tonight, but for many -- over the months leading up to this session, it's getting unbearable, and we need something, and the solutions need to come now, and there needs to be a plan, and there needs to be progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree that for the course of maybe 20, 30 years, there ought to have been integrated systems planning, a Snare resiliency study done, and a connection of our grids. In the absence of that, Mr. Speaker, we are now trying to do all of those things at the same time in the course of this government so that we can deliver on the kind of plan and the kind of intentional plan that this community and the whole of the Northwest Territories needs. We cannot afford as a territory to be behind. It is an issue that I raise frequently with federal counterparts from funding perspective. Interties are on the radar of the federal government. They need to come here and help support this. Because if you want to know the costs, we are in the hundreds of billions of dollars to replace the entire system. That's not reasonable. So what can we do in the meantime? We need to be doing as many things as we can. So a line out to Whati, a line around to Fort Providence, connections of the two grids, building in its systems planning, replacing battery systems, making them so you can integrate your renewables, making it so that you can integrate your home renewables, making it so that communities can have renewables. All of this needs to happen. As I say, Mr. Speaker, those things are moving forward. They are going to take some time, but they are moving forward now. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister responsible for NTPC. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister for ITI.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member also spoke about hope, and I share the same hope that he spoke about in his Member's statement and that desire to see strong economic engines for the Northwest Territories. I have a meeting with the new chair of the IRC this month. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, that's excellent news. Sooner rather than later, I would hope.

Can the Minister commit in that meeting -- and I spoke about now is the time to do an actual robust feasibility study. I understand there's likely funding out there for that so we can likely get that either funded through like an organization like CanNor or the major infrastructure projects office to get now, obviously led by IRC to engage -- when she engages with the chair of IRC to talk about the potential of a feasibility study, a robust feasibility study. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Member that I have not stopped talking about the Mackenzie Delta LNG opportunity. I've talked to federal Ministers about it, Alberta Ministers about it. I've talked to the major projects office. I've talked to the Canada Infrastructure Bank. I've talked to businesses about it, ambassadors, Consul Generals. And so I am definitely along with some of my Cabinet colleagues consistently making sure people both have the pre-feasibility study and idea of the economic potential that exists there. Having those conversations alongside the chair of the IRC would be an incredible opportunity, and I very much look forward to having more conversations about that. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you. And I expect no less, Mr. Speaker. And it's really good news. I just -- I didn't if I got -- she mentioned a pre-feasibility study. But my question was is she willing to look to do -- this government to do a -- in partnership with IRC, a full, robust feasibility study on the heels of that 2021 study. Thank you.

Thank you very much. So, Mr. Speaker, all of the entities that I've mentioned are ways that I am looking to work together to have that funded. We would also need to make sure that we're doing this work in concert, not just with IRC but also working with the significant license holders of that region of which there are five. And so continuing those conversations to pursue that feasibility study is what I am trying to get done here. That is the next step that we need to tackle to make this idea, this opportunity, a reality. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the First Nations and Inuit policing program being implemented and seen as a success within other communities within the NWT, will the Minister of Justice look at implementing this program in the community of Tsiigehtchic in the near and foreseeable future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently, there are -- the FNIPP program has 22 members that we've added in the Northwest Territories, and five of those members are stationed within the Beaufort Delta, one specifically in McPherson that does support the community of Tsiigehtchic. Currently, there are conversations going on with Public Service Canada. There are community tripartite agreements that help to guide the work with all of the communities across the NWT. There are also 33 agreements that have been signed to work on a collaborative approach to how the FNIPP program will be delivered across the territory. So that work continues, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not what I was looking for, but. Okay, for the immediate future, the community identified that they do have a residence where the RCMP can stay for an extended period of time. Will the Minister look at having the RCMP members from the Fort McPherson detachment conduct prolonged stays within the community of Tsiigehtchic for their safety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.