Bob Bromley

Thank you. I just have a quick question on the general budget here. Each year our CMHC contribution has declined. It is a financial sustainability problem. We have been implementing a new strategic plan through the Housing Corporation with a lot of support from this side of the House for initiatives that have been put forward by the Minister and his staff. I’m just wondering if I can get a quick update on where we are at and how the strategic plan implementation is improving our status in terms of long-term financial sustainability. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have one topic I would like to bring up and that’s the energy initiatives. I know the Housing Corporation has been looking into biomass initiatives and they have other energy projects. We will talk about that under detail, but just in terms of the biomass initiatives, I’m aware that the corporation is facing ever-increasing pressures, as every resident and business is in the Northwest Territories, of heating and power, but on the heating front, I’m just wondering if I can get an idea of where we’re at. I think we’re looking into feasibility studies and I was...

I don’t recall making any such assumptions that we’re not going to need fuel for aircraft and so on. Whati was a bad example. I thought that was one that you were contemplating in the distant future, but I see now it’s actually part of this budget. I was meaning can we look an extra year or two down the road and start doing the work – the Minister said this seems like a reasonable approach – so that we can avoid and even delay and, in those delays, enjoy some savings for a few years to some of this work. But thanks to the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This type of development, fracking well pads every four miles with up to 40 wells per pad now, roads and pipelines criss-crossing the land has never taken place in an area this far north and with the challenges the Sahtu poses. I know the Minister is aware there’s a world of difference between what we saw, for example, in North Dakota/Saskatchewan where you can put in a road in an afternoon and reclaim it in a couple of days.

Could the Minister explain how ENR will decide how much fracking or development associated with fracking is too much, given that we don’t have...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There’s quite a drop in the budget that we see here, especially in the large capital projects in this division. I know this division is possessed about dealing only with fossil fuels and not opening the door to renewable energy, so they have a big expense for fuel tank storage. It needs to be secure. We’ve heard from my colleague about cleanup costs and so on, but there seems to be a lull, which I’m happy to see. Does that mean we have caught up now in our need to do renovations to fuel tanks and so on associated with the petroleum products division and we can enjoy a...

Thanks to the Minister. I’m pleased to hear this government understands sustainable development is not something you just say without meaning anything. I think that people in our communities understand that too. I am surprised that the Minister has already made conclusions about what is sustainable here. I didn’t think we were that far along in our studying up on this subject.

Could the Minister explain the role that ENR has played in making sure that the fracking education workshops – I believe that was the ITI Minister’s term – that are being held in the Sahtu this week provide information on...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up a little bit. First of all, two things really. The Capital Asset Revolving Fund, are we planning on putting a cap on that, or are we going to allow that to build with the savings over time?

We learned that once you start, you have a hard time stopping. Workers and companies come from all over, and local people get priced out of their own communities.

We do need development, but it must be sustainable. Tomorrow I will explore what is the sustainability question here, and suggest an alternative economic development that benefits local economies and every single resident.

I will have questions today for the Minister of Environment. Mahsi.

I would be irresponsible not to ask about the plans for Detah and Ndilo. I don’t see any in the plans here for this coming fiscal year. I know there are needs certainly on the quality of housing, perhaps on the quantity as well. Could I get an indication from the Minister what the plan is for Weledeh?

Are we thinking of that? I mean, are we preparing to respond to that interest in smaller units?