Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “2014 NWT Fire Season Review Report.”

No, they are not the same.

I understand that fact is a standard reference in all franchise agreements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regardless of who the successful

proponent is or bidder is for the franchise agreement, if it’s not ATCO, then there would be a business negotiation that would hopefully take place in terms of the transfer and selling of the assets, recognizing their assessed value, negotiating whatever other premiums and issues might be dealt with. Failing that, there’s an Arbitration Act, I understand, that would kick in if they reach a stalemate and there’s a need to resolve this issue where there would be binding arbitration.

The facts, when you take away all the bavardage and bafflegab, is that there is a 10 cent, 30 percent rate difference between Hay River and Fort Smith and Fort Resolution. The Town of Hay River has made a conscious decision to go out and start a public process to seek providers to distribute power under

a franchise agreement. We, the Power Corporation, are going to put a bid in. There is no guarantee that we are going to get it, be successful. Other bidders may be successful, if they choose to bid. That is yet to be seen.

What we do know is there are issues where there are, according to the town’s numbers, about $3 million a year that goes into the coffers of ATCO in Calgary, their downtown Calgary office, profit. Anything NTPC makes stays in the Northwest Territories. So the issue is very basic and clear. There is a 30 percent difference. Hay River wants to lower their cost of living. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Government of the Northwest Territories have that as a priority, as well, across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Member is making assertions that are erroneous. The rates are set by the PUB. There are challenges across the system. We did have a huge rate restructuring in the last government and we continue to work on managing those cost pressures, both in diesel communities as well as in the hydro communities. Thank you.

We weren’t secretly supporting anything. The rates are there. There is a rate rebalancing process underway. It has been set at a 1 percent increase for this year and 3 percent for subsequent years as we move towards rebalancing. Rebalancing a rate structure that we inherited going back to federal times that is well superseded, in many cases, by the requirement for NTPC and the government to put money into things to protect the rates for all power users in the Northwest Territories, regardless of who provides or who distributes the power. I would refer specifically to things like the $37 million or so that we put towards cushioning rates over the last four years so that people across the Northwest Territories wouldn’t be unduly impacted, or the $20 million low water fee that protected all electrical users across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stand here dressed in purple with my nice flower on and it’s a special day for seniors, I was expecting a few softballs from the Member, but apparently no consideration will be given to the fact that I’m a poor senior too.

With regard to his question, the rates are set by the PUB. Thank you.

We are at work with other jurisdictions mapping the spread of the black legged tick that usually inhabits deer as it moves around. At this point we don’t think it has moved north, but yes, we are monitoring that, the same as we were keeping our eye on the pine beetle to see if that was going to come north into the boreal forests north of 60. We will, as well, continue to do rotating moose surveys in various jurisdictions to keep track of the herd numbers and health of the moose. Thank you.