David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That was an exceptional circumstance with very high water in the Peel and Mackenzie, in the Beaufort-Delta that year. There were 13 claims that year.

Madam Chair, on the Hydro Strategy and plan, it does fit in with the Energy Plan. We hope to have the work done on that hopefully by the end of this year – by this spring, Peter says – then we can start making some decisions. I think the planning has to go into this.

The Member talks about getting off of diesel and I think that is our primary objective here. We have to find a way to get communities off of diesel, whether it’s hydro or through natural gas development in the central Mackenzie or in the Mackenzie Delta. We have to look at getting communities off of diesel. That has to happen. It...

Madam Chair, for a detailed response I will go to Deputy Minister Vician, but I just met with the BDIC board. There are going to be efforts underway to do the work the Member is talking about. For the specifics, I will go to Deputy Minister Vician.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mentioned earlier, getting close to a deal on devolution, and certainly the Member hit a couple of high points here on the coordination. The proposal may be to look at a reorg and have a department like Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources set up where the coordination could take place inside one department. Those are decisions that are going to be made in the very near future, I would say. We have that to look forward to. I think that has been an issue for some time on the coordination side. This might be an opportunity to correct some of that coordination and put it...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to the Member’s last question, it could be both. It depends on which community and the dynamics of it.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Member for the suggestion. Yesterday I mentioned that the remaining balance in the NWT Opportunities Fund is earmarked for economic pursuits in the territory. I haven’t seen a proposal. I know the department is working on a proposal on where and how that remaining balance should be spent and whether or not it’s on hydro, I would have to go to the deputy minister. We haven’t seen a plan come through FMB and that should be coming through FMB and hitting my desk, hopefully, sometime very soon. As I mentioned yesterday, when that happens our hope is to be able...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have that discussion with my colleague Minister Miltenberger and we’ll get back to the Members on that. We’ll see what we can make happen, Madam Chair. Thank you.

I appreciate the Member’s comments. Those are the type of comments that we’re looking for as we advance the discussion on energy through the Energy Plan.

We recently had the energy charrette. Those are the types of things and comments that we need to hear. We are going to have to present alternatives and options, new options, on how we get this done. I look forward to that discussion. We have to continue moving in the right direction and, again, through planning that’s how we’re going to arrive at the alternatives and make some decisions on where we go next. That has to happen. I thank the...

Madam Chair, absolutely. We certainly will look at suggesting a joint meeting. That could happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my left I’ve got Mr. Peter Vician, deputy minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and to my right, Ms. Nancy Magrum, director of shared services, finance and administration, ITI and Environment and Natural Resources. Thank you.