Michael Miltenberger

There are two things. We’ve booked the number, a fixed amount as a liability that we have responsibility for, and we’ve built into our yearly budgets to the base at this point roughly $2 million a year to start working away at the remediation of the various sites as the work plan dictates. Thank you.

Yes.

Yes to both questions from the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What will happen in the broad sense is the $25 million will be booked and will be able to be tracked through the public accounts on a yearly basis. We’ll look at the ongoing work during the year.

As far as we are aware, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following letter from the mayor of Hay River, dated May 27, 2015, regarding support for the NWT Power Corporation bid. Thank you.

The government has been very consistent in its approach to energy and to the Power Corporation to how we deliver things, how we deliver power, our emphasis on the cost of living, and it’s very, very simple. The issue that the Member refers to, we have the proof before us. You have one community at 31 cents per kilowatt, you have two neighbouring communities at 21 cents per kilowatt.

Can we effect a positive change? Yes, we can. I believe that we will significantly close that gap if that opportunity is presented to the Power Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member has shown himself to be a very vocal and aggressive defender and supporter of powerful money, multinational interests headquartering outside of the Northwest Territories and clearly today he’s going to vent his spleen on the Power Corporation, which is, I think, a very good corporation that we’d all be lost without.

On the issue of dividends, let’s make the distinction between the Power Corporation and a private company. The people of the Northwest Territories own the Power Corporation. There’s one shareholder. Rather than take a dividend, we reinvest all the...

Mr. Speaker, on April 22, 2015, the federal government announced a $500 million increase to the GNWT borrowing limit, bringing the federally imposed borrowing limit to $1.3 billion; as well, the definition of self-financing debt is being revised. Post devolution this increase in our borrowing limit gives the Government of the Northwest Territories increased flexibility to invest, in consultation with Members of the Legislative Assembly, in much needed infrastructure that will support the responsible development of the NWT and its economy and bring down the cost of living for communities and...

Some would suggest that intervening in a process that’s already underway would be meeting with one of the proponents after the public process has started, as has occurred. However, the issue here is very clear. It’s a political one. I’m the Minister responsible. I’m very well aware of the political sensitivities that this issue has, that if the Power Corporation would have gone ahead without political due diligence we would be in a considerably different situation. Then we would be getting pilloried and vilified and hectored for different reasons. We have covered the bases. We have looked at...