Kieron Testart

Just to return to my first question, the Minister made a comment about overcharging by 115 per cent. The reality is it's a 100 per cent rate versus 114 per cent rate. So are Yellowknifers being charged 14 per cent more than other communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation explain if the corporation is, in fact, overcharging by 114 per cent for the costs of power delivered to Northland Utilities for resale in the Yellowknife market? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, certainly the cost of power is high and that's exactly what we're talking about, and earlier I was pleased to hear the Minister set a new direction for the board to address this issue. Why are there three hydro rates, Mr. Speaker, and why is Yellowknife being charged the most out of those three? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Minister will find these correct once he looks into it, and Fort Smith, his home town, is probably the lowest. Does the Minister know how the Northwest Territories Power Corporation allocates its overhead and admin cost to each rate zone?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Either way, the rates for power generation are far too high in the Northwest Territories. Making the North a more affordable place is an important priority for me and for every Member here. Can the Minister explain what this government is doing and how it's working with the Power Corporation to reduce the high cost of electricity? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister also explain if the Yellowknife rates are being used to subsidize rates in other rate zones throughout the NWT?

Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities set by the mandate of the 18th Assembly is to address our high cost of living. Affordability is the number one issue for Yellowknifers and it affects everything from power, to housing, to even job opportunities. Recently, claims have been made that Yellowknife consumers are possibly being overcharged for power, and frankly, Mr. Speaker, if this is true, I find that most egregious.

Northland Utilities has been driving this public discussion and has stated that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation is overcharging the residents of Yellowknife by setting...

I know exactly where I'm going, where my colleagues are going, and that's advancing the mandate priorities. Our concern, and my concern, is that we are not doing that as effectively as we can. Economic diversification, making business capital available to entrepreneurs, these are things that take cost. Correcting the serious problems with addictions, with housing, these are things that take cost. Ultimately we invest today to lower the cost in the future.

That's exactly the debate we're having right now, Mr. Speaker. My question is, are we taking our leadership from Ottawa on infrastructure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier and the Finance Minister have talked about the importance of infrastructure in supporting the economy. In fact, it's the real tool to drive our economy forward. As the Minister has recently come to this portfolio, is the Minister willing to look at our procurement policies and bring in members of the private sector and procurement experts to find a way to make procurement more effective at boosting our economy and flowing capital into our communities and creating more jobs?

Is the Minister willing to take a look at BIP and our other procurement policies and...

Thank you to the Minister for that. I'm sure his experience as an entrepreneur himself will lend some new insight into our policies. One area that needs to be improved is the availability of investment capital for business opportunities. Right now, it's very hard for entrepreneurs to access investment, and, in a time when the global economy is not opening up to investment, what is our government doing to flow more capital to entrepreneurs and small businesses and allow them to make investments in our economy, create jobs, and diversify a stalled economy that is overly dependent on resource...