Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Menicoche, any update?

We’ll go to Minister Abernethy as well.

Today, for the first time, we’re hearing a move forward from this government that sounds like it’s putting hydro in the front seat of their decision-making rather than the backseat. I think that’s a very clear message that I’m hoping we can earmark further.

The Minister indicated within the next five months, but yet we’ve already talked about the budget address here. Is there any possibility that the Minister can make a firm commitment that this policy, moving towards a stronger hydro commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories, will be done sooner than later? Five months is a long...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today will be for the Minister of Finance as well as the Minister of the Power Corporation. I think known here was in this agreement. We have seen some pretty good things in the budget address yesterday, especially in areas of community-based alternative energy programs out there. Again, my hat’s off to a lot of those great programs in solar, wind, biomass. I think these projects are definitely needed to enhance our position statement on cost effectiveness for the residents of the Northwest Territories. In a lot of cases, these initiatives are really no...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to welcome the Minister and the delegation, and congratulate the Minister on a very obviously complex couple of months in his honeymoon period. He’s done very, very well in ratifying a lot of our workers out there and I congratulate them and their team.

In terms of general comments before we get into the department, again, earmarking a little bit what was said by the Member for Sahtu, but I’ll try to put my spin on it as well.

Again, depending on how you look at it, cost of living might be the variable here, but we’re seeing an obviously net migration out of the...

I do agree with the Minister that there is great economic opportunity and I’m not disagreeing with the fact that a lot of money has been spent on the project and enhancing it especially for our diamond or mineral sector. The problem we have here is that the residents themselves are suffering greatly. We are seeing some increases in power consumption and rates that will probably push the cost of affordability in this territory to probably one of the highest in the country.

I am really concerned that we need a long-term strategy. We need a legacy project to push power and energy costs at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In yesterday’s budget address the Minister of Finance made a very bold statement about the importance of lowering the cost of living to the access of lowering our power costs generated by hydro. He further referenced the need for an outside-the-box thinking to resolve this dilemma. You know, he’s very right; but does this government have the appetite to make the needed infrastructure investment to follow through with such a bold, motherly statement?

The NWT resident is facing unprecedented costs for living in the North, from high food prices to extreme travel costs to...

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Over to Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’ll go to Minister Miltenberger.