Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today, to inform Members on the work the Northwest Territories Power Corporation is doing to provide a safe and reliable source of electricity at the lowest cost, while pursuing opportunities to increase the mix of clean, renewable energy sources.

NTPC has been working to control its costs in order to lessen the impact on electricity rates for Northwest Territories residents and businesses. A renewed sense of focus at NTPC has led to new levels of cost control and efficiency gains. The corporation has implemented a strategic plan that focuses on areas which...

Thank you. I do understand that there is some consternation out there. I met with the folks from Ducks Unlimited, where they voiced their concern on behalf of the people they’ve been talking to and who they represent. We’ve heard it here in this House today. We’ve seen it in the press where some are trying to imply or impute that somehow after devolution, that this government, which I think is a leader when it comes to environmental issues and alternative energy, wildlife issues, land issues, water issues, is somehow going to turn its back on what the people of this territory have been clear...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a number of hours booked with ENR tomorrow at eight o’clock in the morning and I will confirm that issue, but let me just restate our commitment to the long-term over this process.

We’ve been involved for years. We’ve continued to, and we’ll continue to, be involved in the process. I would like to point out, as well, some of the political changes in the Deh Cho, for example, tend to confuse the issue as well when you start having overlap issues with ADK and other communities, and now the K’atlodeeche, in fact, as well, has indicated they’re pulling out of the...

Thank you. It’s going to be close to the generation site in Inuvik. They’re currently looking at clarifying and finalizing the details on the tankage and vaporization equipment that is going to be required, but it, of course, will be as close as we can actually get it to where it’s going to be used. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the term is five years with a clause in there that would allow us to renegotiate, should a source become available that’s closer to us than is currently the case. Thank you.

The protected area process has eight steps to it. Most of the candidate areas in the Member’s constituency, I believe, are around step five. In my time in government, it has been a process that is… The wheels grind very slow and fine in terms of advancing nominations through the system. We’re committed to that system. We’re going to adjust for devolution, but we’re still fully committed to that. We’re committed to the land use plan in the Deh Cho. We’re committed to concluding our Land Use and Sustainability Framework as a territorial government, so that that broad framing policy gives us the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has been fully involved in the Protected Areas Strategy. We have considerable resources invested in that process. We are intent on carrying on with the intent of that process.

There’s going to be a change in relationships here. The federal government is going to be stepping to the side and we are going to be playing a leadership role. We know in the Deh Cho that we are going to conclude Edehzhie and the other candidate areas. We are going to continue to work with the communities and the other stakeholders. We’ve had discussions...

As Minister I have the authority to act on conservation issues, on emergency issues. Other than that, I am bound and obligated and intend and have to follow the work that’s done through the process involving the various boards, the work that they do that are public boards. They make recommendations and we’re involved in those with our staff as well, but the recommendations come back up through the system. It’s a system that has served us well. We need to make sure that we continue to use that system. We’re going to do that.

These discussions take time. These are very complex areas. They are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve committed a significant amount of money to continue to do baseline work on an ongoing basis on the various herds. There are the major surveys, then there’s the intermediate work that’s done to check the health of the herd. We’ve done that over the summer, as I indicated, over last year and concluding some this year that I laid out in my Member’s statement yesterday. They’ve given us some comfort – more than comfort – some certainty about the herd numbers, to the point where we’re looking at going back to the co-management boards and the consultation processes that...

Thank you. It means, very simply, that there is a federal process and they have put some money aside for candidate areas, that devolution is being negotiated, that we as a territory have tools that we’ve talked about but not used very well and there may be other tools we need to in fact develop as we manage the land and resources.

I have had discussions with the federal Minister about the federal money that is there. This process, this protected area process was in place I believe before I became a Member 18 years ago and it works, the wheels turn very slow and fine. We’re at step five for all...