Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During this Education Week the buzz on the street is about the possible move towards educational reform. I’d like to inform the discussion based on the experience of Finnish educator Dr. Pasi Sahlberg.

When the Finns began retooling their education system 30 years ago, they didn’t set out to be the best, but today it’s one of the most successful public education systems in the world. They just set out to make schools the best possible place for children.

Finnish education is based on three principles: all education is paid by the state, from preschool to primary through...

Thanks for that information. On the $700,000 for pellet boilers estimated to serve about 50 units, I’m very happy to see this. We’ve talked about this for a number of years and I appreciate the Minister moving this forward. Do we know what the anticipated savings… Have we had the opportunity to do that work yet, or is this where we would start? I’m just curious.

Again, have we got locations figured out for this? Would it be in several places or are we talking a couple places where we have a concentration of units? Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister’s comments. I would hope, if and when we do have such money, that there will be a focus to getting something done on the ground rather than just planning. Again, I appreciate the Minister’s comments. That’s all I have at this stage. Thank you.

That’s good information. I missed the date that the asset system was brought on stream or will be brought on stream, but also I’ll throw in my next question. Sort of getting back to the energy side, are the 171 major retrofits, are we taking the time to select those or using all of our information so that we get the best payback, that sort of thing, rather than just sort of methodically going through them from A to B? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our EDI report on fracking provided a start to learn about fracking, but as we learn more, the management challenge grows. In fact, urgent action is needed to make good decisions. We need to adopt best practices, yes, but what are these, will we actually adopt them, and how will we do so and ensure that they are followed? Many jurisdictions profess a similar commitment but have failed miserably to protect their citizens, despite good intentions.

The need for environmental and geological baseline data essential for good management is clear, but are we committed to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think this Mineral Development Strategy is something that’s underway. I know we’ve got a lot of happy industry out there. I’m not sure that that’s totally in line with the public interest, but we seem to be handing the strategy over to them and saying go for it.

But I want to bounce off the Minister the statement that we don’t need more mines as much as we need more residents working in the mines we have, and better economic rent or return from the extraction of our resources and then replacement of mines as they reach the end of production. A good way to do this would...

Was there an internal competition for these dollars? Obviously you had a couple of projects here, economic mineral development strategies. How did that work? Thank you.

Madam Chair, just to follow up on that, is that something we then pass on to that council or is it a benefit to this government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

What standards will be in place in the NWT to govern gas flaring at petroleum exploration and production sites of horizontal fracking operations?

Is the release of toxic emissions, including carcinogenic gases, allowed under regulations, and what will be the regulatory limits for toxic emissions, including volatile organic compounds, carcinogenic gases and other related fracking emissions at flaring sites?

What will be the minimum safe distances for location of homes or human activity from carcinogenic...

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I haven’t myself, either, and I know most of us haven’t. Perhaps some have, and it would be good to hear from them.

I’m wondering, does the Minister agree that, based on what we have learned, the noise involved, the noise levels, the hundreds of thousands of large trucks and generators per frack, the indescribable amounts of water, cement and chemicals used, that based on this, an on-the-ground visit by those involved in regulating and those who are going to experience it on their homeland, an on-the-ground visit to an active fracking site would provide some...