Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 70, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2016-2017, be read for the third time.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member articulately laid out her concern on a previous item similar to this one and we had a good discussion. We agree that we need to try to count better. It's very difficult to anticipate things like low water, the duration and such, but we are looking at how we can better account for the money and the increasing number of extreme weather expenses that we are being obliged to deal with. Thank you.

We will get that information. NTPC tracks it to the litre and we've already indicated that we'd be prepared to compile that on an as required basis, monthly, quarterly, whatever is the wish of committee to provide that information so that we can see how it goes over the course of this fall and winter. Thank you.

As we were dealing with the low water, we were also burdened with a major retrofit of one of the big turbines out at Snare, which is costing in the many millions of dollars. At the same time across the system, if that's the question, we've done things like push for the conclusion in the thermal small communities that the transfer or the completion, sorry, the replacement of existing high use, high cost of sodium vapor lights, streetlights with LED lights. We've, of course, worked with the government to put in alternate energy replacements with solar batteries; we've concluded the operation in Colville; we've entered into power purchase agreement with Lutselk'e and Bullfrog Power is another example. We've funded the final work to see what it would cost in Deline for mini hydro. We also are continuing our work in Inuvik with Storm Hills and another site to see the viability of wind. We've just taken part in helping sponsor a major North American Micro Grid Conference that's going to as well give us a great opportunity to see the technology and the financing support and the opportunities that exist across North America with businesses as everybody gets more and more involved in the opportunities presented by renewable resources, switching to alternative energy resources.

As well, we've also made efforts into areas where we do have some hydro surplus to offer up that hydro to communities like Fort Smith, Hay River and Res that are on the grid down there at a wholesale rate to help cover their costs as communities. Thank you.

There was ongoing discussion in just about every venue about the ongoing water and the need to make a decision. When we finally reached the point of having to make a decision, there was a letter written to committee and followed subsequently a couple of days later by the public announcement about that matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As the appropriation for the previous low water surcharge was spent, the Public Utilities Board wanted to know, given the fact that the low water issue was continuing, what was the intention of the government and what was the intention, then, of the Power Corporation to respond? Were we going to raise rates or was there going to be some other accommodation made. We were monitoring the volumes of flows, the needs, the extent of the low water, and we wanted to be as clear as possible and see what was going to happen. So they wanted to know fairly early in June, if my memory serves me correctly, and we subsequently got three extensions. After the third one it became imperative that we give the PUB some indication by the end of I think it was August, that we were given the latitude of a final six extra days. So we finally had to make the decision to give them the information that they requested, which would become part of the public record in terms of the operations. Thank you.

Yes, Madam Chair. The intent is to do a similar territorial-wide debriefing on the performance and issues and things that need to be identified to follow up on. Thank you.

One of the big areas has been on the preparedness with emergency firefighters and extra crews that were trained and standing by and ready to roll that were there right from the start last year. The year before last we were gearing up just because of the unprecedented nature and trying to recruit emergency firefighters. We had an amazing response, but this year we've kept it in place. We've worked on the training, so we now have a cadre of trained emergency firefighters. We've worked a lot on our communications. We've had the benefit this year of the weather that worked in our favour. We've had some good work with Buffalo in terms of their large land-based air tanker ready to go, the Electra, after a long struggle to get it certified. We anticipate having that one, plus hopefully another one for fire season, which will give us two state-of-the-art land-based aircraft that will help us.

Every year there's a MARS meeting, as well, about all the work that goes on between provinces and territories to see if there are any improvements in terms of equipment as well as the movement of staff and equipment.

So, all in all, I think we've learned some valuable lessons, the big one for me being the communication and having emergency folks ready so we don't have to rely as much on outside resources. Thank you.

Thirty-two million dollars. Thank you.