Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The public interest is represented by the Government of the Northwest Territories as a shareholder through the Power Corporation or through the Hydro Corporation itself. The public interest being served by the fact that there would be revenues accrued from that. The public interest would be in supporting aboriginal governments and building capacity and having long-term revenue sources going into them so that they can build on their capacity. The public interest would be reducing 100 million litres of fuel. The public interest would be 280 kilo-tonnes of CO2 reduced...

I thank the Member for that clarification. In a forward looking position with PPA signed, with energy flowing, with the dividend being paid, and that’s how we would be able to do it. Right now through our Power Corporation, for example, we received a dividend to help offset our Territorial Power Support Program. We could use those funds as a dividend and target it towards alternative energies and enhancing that throughout the Northwest Territories. That is a possibility that we could do that as a shareholder in this partnership and draw down that cash and use it for things of that nature.

The development assessment report that went in for environmental review is the business case to model we have used. They have asked for alternate routes. That information was provided. There has been an acceptance that that is the area that makes the best-case scenario for us. The adjustments that are being looked at are the result of the recent hearings that were held.

If Members want to see this change, then we would have to pull it back. There would be a full additional review done. That would delay anything there. That would run out of additional years of mine life. In some cases some of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to proceed with first reading of Bill 6, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think those benefits in a number of ways are felt throughout our communities. For example, the IBAs that are signed with the mines to do that. More importantly, through the contracts that the mining companies have in a number of our communities, through the growth of our communities, because we have new residents who moved into our communities and bought homes.

It was not too long ago when we looked in our communities and Hay River would be one of those where the housing market wasn’t as strong, has now turned around and is healthy. I wish I could say the same in a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no contradiction. There is, in fact, if the Government of the Northwest Territories wants or this Assembly wants to see alternate routes, this Assembly would have to come up with money to afford that, because, as I had stated, this project has been built on the business case, not offsets from the Government of the Northwest Territories, no subsidies, purely on a business case of the ratepayer being, in this case, the diamond mines. If they don’t sign onto this and make it feasible, then there is no project.

The developer’s assessment report that’s been filed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, March 26, 2010, I will move that Bill 6, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011, be read for the first time.

Since the start of this, the concept of this has been put together. It’s been, I believe, and I’ll have to double check the information, but I believe it’s in the neighbourhood of $13 million of investment since the previous government into the life of this government. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the partnership agreement that is to be signed will spell out all of that detail. We are in the final… There are a couple of months that the Cabinet has requested to review that initial document that has been put together by the partners. We have yet to sign an agreement that would see this go forward, but we have supported the groups coming onside. We fully realize that the investment we have to make up front is from the Government of the Northwest Territories or the Power Corporation to help move it along, because the partners themselves at this present time without a power...

In working with the Alberta government, we have secured, along with the western provinces, a spot at the table when it comes to transboundary water issues. That is over and above the work of the Mackenzie Basin. I don’t have the accurate terminology with me right at this point, but that is the western jurisdiction of Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C., ourselves and the Yukon when it comes to the basin and catchment area of our water supplies and the transboundary issues. The federal government is part of that and our Minister of Environment and Natural Resources is involved in that area as well...