Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The biggest factor in cost of living and economic development is the cost and availability of energy. Yet, in terms of progressive energy policy, we are so misled by the use of fossil fuels, which are costly and cause climate change, that we are missing the boat and the world is passing us by. What we do or don’t do in energy policy and planning is pivotal to our success. Our challenges are clear: Skyrocketing cost of fossil fuels, dangerous climate changes, shrivelling community economies, fossil fuel subsidies 10 times that for renewable energy, and uncertain...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this motion as well. I support diversity in all its ways, and one of the biggest ways that we are really strong in, particularly in the Northwest Territories, is our diversity of cultures and languages. There is so much knowledge and ways of seeing the world that we need that are wrapped up in languages, that we need to do whatever we can to help these languages survive and thrive. I back up my colleague from the Deh Cho, noting that there’s a big role for families, and parents and elders in this role.

There’s no doubt now, based on the new science...

Thank you. I’d like to keep the Minister of ECE busy today and I wish we were on solar power right now.

Mr. Speaker, the question to the Minister, I know there has been an Early Childhood Development Program review going on. It’s partly related, of course, to the Aboriginal Student Initiative review, which was completed and is, I think, being implemented now. Could we get an update from the Minister on the Early Childhood Development from the Minister of ECE? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I do indeed appreciate the investigation of that metering by the Power Corporation. Unfortunately, it has set a purchase price at a ridiculously low price and will go nowhere until we establish a feed-in tariff price. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there to investigate this feed-in tariff and put one in place.

The smart grid and time of day pricing have proven to reduce costs and usually increase efficiency of energy systems. An example of that is putting down, taking off the peak power requirement that reduces energy efficiency in our systems to about 20 or 25 percent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of New Energy Initiatives, Mr. Bob McLeod. As mentioned in my Member’s statement earlier today, fossil fuels are failing us in both supply and price, and the trends indicate that those are only going to get worse more rapidly. In contrast, jurisdictions are switching to renewable energy and proving the naysayers wrong in every case, surpassing targets big time. Will the GNWT take steps to inform themselves of this trend and implement such policies here? Mahsi.

In contrast, jurisdictions where power rates are only 6 or 8 cents per kilowatt hour have required payments of 40 or 50 or 60 cents per kilowatt for wind, for solar, for biomass energy, and have turned their energy services around. Clearly, the potential for us to offer such prices for renewable energy and ultimately enjoy reduced costs is immediate. The annual GNWT subsidy for electricity is over $14 million, up 40 percent from 2009-10 to 2010-11 and rising. Why continue such silliness when alternatives are available?

We could choose to continue our headlong pursuit of an inefficient fossil...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS enhancing addictions treatment programs has been identified as one of the Believing in People and Building on the Strengths of Northerners priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS Northwest Territories rates of substance abuse are among the highest in Canada and clearly related to and aggravated by equally high rates of major negative social indicators, and that police report substance abuse as a factor in more than 90 percent of complaints;

AND WHEREAS an innovative addictions treatment approach was piloted in Old Crow, Yukon, in 2004-2005 with a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the timely action NWT-wide with anti-bullying measures. I want to begin by thanking my colleagues Mr. Dolynny and Mr. Yakeleya for their good work putting an excellent motion together. I’d also like to thank Ms. Bisaro for excellent work in coordinating our work to profile this issue in the House today.

I appreciate all the comments in our Members’ statements and here in support of the motion from my colleagues. I think they were very informed, passionate and often experiential. So people are going right out there. I think this is a straightforward...

My questions are directed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it’s on the availability of agricultural lands.

What is the amount of land leased for commercial agricultural use according to total area, number of parcels and average size of a parcel?

What work is underway to evaluate and inventory land that could be offered for commercial agricultural use?

What activities is the department carrying out, including working with municipalities, to increase the amount of agricultural land available and to promote the commercial development and productive use of agricultural land...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, this is a very different situation than the Minister has portrayed here. All those careers don’t require a seat at a university. Anybody with basic education can get in for lawyers and so on. This is a veterinarian seat. There are extremely huge schools in Canada and you need an established seat to get into that program. Obviously, we have a desperate need for veterinarians. Does the Minister agree that this is a bit of an exception compared to the normal professions that we’d like to see our students go into as well?