Bob Bromley

I’m glad there is a lot of work being done and I’m glad to hear that assurance. I’m just trying to pull out some of that work here, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister realizes, from his comments, that it’s an enormous task, but I’m trying to get at how far along are we at all. What is the quantity and the volumes of things we are talking about? How many furnaces do we need to change over and where are those targets to be established? So what work is actually underway to get down to the brass tacks on what the specifics are on this challenge and its opportunities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my statement earlier today with the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I want to start by saying I was happy to see the Biomass Strategy, but I did note that it was pretty high level. Many actions noted in it were actually started years ago, but of particular concern is there were no targets or plan or basis for evaluation other than sort of a feel-good general review after 18 months from now.

As we’ve seen in Europe, the marketplace became the driving force in the shift to biomass energy after government actually placed some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to see the Biomass Strategy tabled yesterday by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Switching our energy supply over to renewable energy is an important part to the answer to climate change and holds promise for affordable power both with local employment and investment benefits. Biomass is a proven solution and a Biomass Strategy is an essential part of our overall climate change and energy vision.

All Members and Ministers know my position on the need for aggressive action to fight climate change. Government is beginning to respond. A...

Total department, negative $300,000.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I want to take the occasion today to speak about Education Week, and we draw attention to the people at the heart of our education system, our teachers. While the Weledeh riding can’t claim to have a monopoly on teaching excellence, we do boast some of the very best and I’ll name just a few.

Amanda Mallon’s career is a catalogue of achievement: 22 years as a teacher, past president of the NWT Teachers’ Association, four time Canadian Teachers’ Association vice-president, winner of the NWTTA’s Cliff King Award, YK Education District No. 1 executive and committee...

And if I could ask the Minister to introduce his witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Would you like to bring witnesses into the House?

I wonder if the Minister could tell me how this situation developed and is it likely to continue to grow, and any chance that it would spread elsewhere as a virus. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, the payments for contribution funding of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority for increased costs associated with the pension plan and so on, it’s been raised before, I think we’ve dealt with this before. Has the department done an analysis of whether it would be indeed economic to bring these employees into the fold and enjoy some reasonable payback and reduced costs over the longer term? Some of the figures I’ve heard, which were unconfirmed figures, suggested that, yeah, this might be a six or eight-year payback, after which costs would be reduced. So I guess I’m...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 62-16(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2010-2011; Tabled Document 78-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation (Operations Expenditures) No. 3, 2009-2010; and Tabled Document 84-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation (Infrastructure Expenditures ) No. 1, 2010-2011; and would like to report progress, with three motions being adopted and that consideration of Tabled Document 62-16(4), Tabled Document 78-16(4) and Tabled Document 84-16(4) is concluded and that the House concur in those estimates and that appropriation bills to...