Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, the reason why I ask this is I am just looking at the water regulations now on my computer here, and the highest rate seems to be about $2 per 100 cubic metres of water. That seems to be a pretty low rate. You know, people pay more than $2 for a bottle of water at the grocery store. So has the department done any work to look at comparable rates that are charged by other jurisdictions in Canada for water use? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister again. Lots of talk with the NTPC. That's great, but let's put something in writing in the strategy about what the role is going to be for that corporation moving forward.

The relationship between the NWT Energy Strategy, the Climate Change Strategic Framework, and carbon pricing is not set out in the draft Energy Strategy. A reasonable person would expect to see greenhouse gas reductions linked to specific energy conservation, fuel-switching, technology targets, that would be funded by carbon pricing revenues and federal programs. That is...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Before anybody tries to say that I do not think people are doing their job, that is not the case. These folks have to work very hard. The Minister knows that. He is even laughing when I am saying this because he is probably going to come back on me about it. Those guys have very difficult jobs because they have to deal with members of the public, members of industry, who do not always understand what they are trying to do. I guess, is it fair to say that the water inspectors have a different kind of training and perhaps even a higher level of training and responsibilities...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the Minister for that detail. I want to move back up to the contaminated sites and remediation line item, $319,000, and I believe one of our witnesses talked about how that is really for oversight and administration.

ENR is the GNWT partner on the Giant Mine remediation, and I know we are not responsible for paying for that, but the Giant Mine remediation is going to be the largest project ever undertaken in Yellowknife. I don't know what the cost figures are, because the federal government has not released anything recent, but it is going to be well over a billion...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can someone with the department tell me what the water use fees were, what those revenues were for last year, and what they are anticipated to be for this year? Actually, I think it is found on page 66. It is just up there, isn’t it, so that is the $80,000? Is that what that is? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to the Minister for that, and I look forward to the release of the final versions later in April. In my statement, I mentioned the confusing energy targets in the NWT strategy. Some sectorial targets are related to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, while another is based on increasing renewable energy use, another is couched in terms of energy efficiency, and the largest energy use sector industry has no targets whatsoever. Can the Minister explain this patchwork approach to setting energy targets in the draft strategy?

I guess this is a reduction of over 10 per cent. So, it is coming at an interesting time, where there is some significant closure planning underway for Snap Lake. Diavik is redoing its closure plan. There is stuff happening with the Jay expansion; there are a lot of management plans and things that need to be reviewed in that regard. So it is not like it is not a busy time or anything, so what is the rationale? $50,000 seems to be a rather with round number. What is the rationale here for the cut? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I would like to start with page 78, the $200,000 that is shown under waste reduction. I believe that is for the agricultural strategy, but can someone confirm what that funding is for? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Well, I may be the only one in the room who thinks that there may be some value to this, but I'm going to leave this alone. It's a very particular sort of arrangement. I'm not suggesting that there's anything untoward about any of this. I've worked with some of those staff in the past. They work hard. They do their jobs, but it does put them perhaps in an awkward situation when they're GNWT employees and they have to report to the board, especially if our government comes forward looking for a water licence at some point before the Water Board. I think that's going to put them in an even more...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I'd like to welcome the students from William MacDonald School, which is in the Frame Lake riding, and their guests, the students from Quebec. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.