Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for those remarks. That was, indeed, my point, is that it hasn’t been put into practicality yet here in the Northwest Territories.

Given that we are choosing to spend $100 million in subsidies for electricity rates, what actions will the Minister take to replace the community electricity systems that we know are really expensive, based on fossil fuels, and make the changes required?

Thank you. I heard the remarks from the Minister and yet the WSCC report issued a couple months ago says 8.7 percent increase in electricity costs this year alone, and I am aware of no new community electricity systems in the life of my time as an MLA. We’re into our sixth year here. So that defies what the Minister is saying. Public consultation is about to get underway on a new Energy Plan, I believe yet to be seen, that will chart the future for energy development in the coming years. The Finance Minister set the rules of its fiscal strategy: no new expenses, deferred infrastructure, paying...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. That goes somewhat to explain some of the increases, although it does not excuse them. Obviously, in these days of soaring electricity rates and other basic costs, we can’t keep adding to the burdens of our small businesses, the economic engine of our communities. How can we wonder, again, while they’re throwing in the towel and not coming north? What is the Minister doing to keep rates low and what steps will he promise to correct the imbalance of increased payments being required while safety performance is supposedly increasing?

I have to say thanks to the Minister, but there is something faulty with the reasoning there, because there’s not much activity in our health care costs that we’re going to repress our businesses even more. I’ve mentioned the burden our businesses already have. I have a constituent, as I mentioned, with employees in Class 7, whose rates have leapt from 48 cents to 58 cents per $100 of payroll. The government claims this is a 6 percent, whereas my Grade 3 arithmetic says this is a 22 percent increase. What is the truth here? Obviously, this is a massive increase, but how can the government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I spoke several times in support of our small businesses. We know that our small businesses are facing many costs, but what are they faced with today? This government has professed its commitment to supporting our small businesses and residents by helping with the cost of living and dealing with the basic costs for business. And what are those? Those are things like heating fuel, electricity, red tape, and WSCC employee issues and assessment costs. What are they experiencing in these areas that we have professed to be helping our businesses in, Mr. Speaker?

Let...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a letter to Mr. Richard Edjericon, chairperson of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, from Ms. Joanna Ankersmit, AANDC; and Ray Case, GNWT; on the Giant Mine remediation project closing comments. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just by way of example here, I’ve just got an e-mail here today, mentioning a home ownership unit in Enterprise that sat empty for three years. It has frozen at least twice and has mould in the basement. A person visited Providence recently and the night watchman device was shining brightly, meaning again there was no heat in the unit and it was probably frozen up. Apparently, Fort Resolution has 16 home ownership units vacant. We know about my situation in Detah. Obviously, we need that flexibility in policies.

Can the Minister assure me that we will be not just reading...

Thanks to the remarks from the Minister there. When we talk about getting people into housing, we’re often talking about getting them out of homelessness. The Housing First Movement I’ve referred to in the past points out the dramatic decrease in government’s other service costs. When we meet the lower costs of providing housing, you avoid emergency issues and so on. We need to look at the big picture.

Can the Minister say how the Housing Corporation includes in its analysis of policy, for example, such as we’re discussing the financial benefits of reduced costs of other services when people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to oral questions.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I see no evidence of the active involvement that the Minister speaks of, or to being a voice for the people of the Northwest Territories. That is the very point that the Members are raising today in this House. The co-proponent’s closing comments letter contains no commitment to the preparation of a fully-funded perpetual care plan. Even though site liability supposedly remains with the federal government after devolution, site management will continue forever or until technology is found to eliminate the arsenic. Will the GNWT include the requirement for a fully...