Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to let you know I would also have a question for the Speaker on the Legislative Assembly.

Thank you again to the Minister for those comments. I think the Minister mentioned the economy. That’s an important part of what we’re about, I think, trying to build and strengthen our local economies. Having the local expertise available will really assist that.

A huge one for me is that we’ve started to see the light and moved into the new Medium Renewable Energy Fund. Now we’re starting to get into some of the bigger projects where some of the biggest gains are to be had. I’m wondering: is the Minister establishing the concomitant level of expertise within this department to enable us to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the statement by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I’d like to briefly start by saying that this is like a breath of fresh air. I think our public is totally ready for this sort of thing. I’ve had a lot of feedback that people do listen to us in the House. They’re interested in what we say. I’d like to pull a little bit more information from the Minister.

I notice in the second paragraph that there were almost 550 applications for new home heating appliances, mostly that they’re more efficient and so on. Has the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the Minister for that commitment. I would suggest probably doing some due diligence and making sure that the city of Yellowknife’s water tests are true for Dettah. Dettah is situated even further out from Yellowknife Bay, so the opportunity for even cleaner water seems great. It just needs to be confirmed, and that the Minister would also meet with the parties involved here, certainly the leaders of Dettah and probably the Minister responsible for housing. Would this Minister commit to those meetings?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under today’s fiscal and environmental challenges we need to be doing things in a more financially efficient and environmentally benign way. With the intake and delivery of water to residents of Dettah, there is a clear opportunity to reduce both financial and environmental costs.

Currently Dettah has to send a truck 16 kilometres two to three times per day to get water from the City of Yellowknife’s pumphouse at the Yellowknife River. They have to pay a full time driver and maintain and operate the truck on challenging road conditions. MACA is funding this at $170,000...

I think I’m just about done for the day here. I appreciate that time very much and, of course, the brief follow-up. When would the Minister be able to arrange for these meetings?

Mr. Speaker, my question today is indeed for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I want to follow up on my statement today on the opportunity we have for replacing the water delivery system in Dettah, saving on dollars and greenhouse gas emissions. Is the Minister prepared to pursue this opportunity to realize the savings on all fronts?

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Do you wish to bring in witnesses?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Unfortunately, we do not have a quorum on the floor, so we’ll ring the bell, unless you have another comment.

Thank you. We do have a quorum. The motion is in order and not debatable.

Motion carried.

I would like to call the committee back to order. We’re considering Tabled Document 93-16(2), NWT Capital Estimates 2009–2010.