Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 36-16(3), Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2009-2010, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 36-16(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 37-16(3), Supplementary Appropriation No. 4, 2008-2009, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 37-16(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of the committee today I believe is to deal with Tabled Documents 37-16(3), 35-16(3) and 36-16(3). Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that we are in unprecedented times of economic downturn and nobody knows what the next newscast or next bad lot of news is going to be. We’ve seen what the federal government has done in terms of the economic stimulus; small things, even, like the home improvement tax rebate. We’re waiting to see what the infrastructure dollars are going to actually bring to the North. Small things again on the part of our government. I want to thank the Minister of ITI for really looking at the SEED program, Support for Entrepreneurs in Economic Development, through our...

Mr. Speaker, the PUB has already clearly stated in answers to the questions in the past with respect to the types of rate structures that are in place in the Northwest Territories, that they are not in the business of social engineering when it comes to power rates; they are interested in the economic cost of producing power. If the Government of the Northwest Territories, through our policies as the shareholder in the Power Corporation, want to affect rates through our Territorial Support Subsidy Program, that’s entirely up to us. We take the dividends in the Power Corporation, we finance the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have follow-up questions to my previous questions about the various reviews that are being undertaken with respect to power in the Northwest Territories. In follow-up to my colleague Mr. Hawkins’ questions and his reference to secret handshakes and stuff like that, just because ATCO put an unsolicited proposal on the table, I don’t think they should get beat up in this Assembly. They are a company, the founders of whom I know well and they are I think a very much to be respected and admired company from what they have been able to do in the private sector. I just want...

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the people of the Northwest Territories have very little ability, except through conservation, to affect the rates that they are going to pay. I’m not really sure what the going and listening to people in all the communities...We know what they’re going to say. They’re going to say that the cost of energy in their community is too high and it’s our job as a government to figure out a way that we can offset that.

Maybe we need to look at our Territorial Power Subsidy Program. Maybe we need to look at energy conservation measures. But to have all of these reviews running...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member’s statement, I think the public might be getting a little bit confused about all the reviews and studies and analyses we’re undertaking as a government in respect to energy. We all know we have a problem. The problem is that people are finding it difficult to cope with the amount that they have to pay for energy in our communities. That, in a nutshell, is the problem. How are we as a government going to respond to that? Well, I think that all of these reviews, particularly the review of NTPC, might go some ways to figuring out if there’s some way...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I had heard that there were some contractors, rather small contractors, local contractors, that there maybe was an issue with the cash flow on the project and some people who weren’t getting paid. I was just wondering if any of that has been brought to Minister McLeod’s attention. He is the MLA for that area. I was wondering if there were any financial problems being encountered with the drawdown and disbursement of funds to subcontractors. Thank you.

The very thing that makes this a timely discussion is also something quite unprecedented. We’ve just gone through the highest price per barrel of crude oil in history and this necessarily affects production of energy in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, has the government looked at how the increases in the cost of energy here in the Northwest Territories compare with the kinds of increases that have been experienced by Canadians in other jurisdictions? Thank you.