Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the very beginnings can start just as they have with a Member raising the issue of consensus government and our processes. We have touted much about our consensus style of government when we go to other jurisdictions and meet around the issue of consensus government. Many Members from other governments from the opposition parties are very impressed, let’s say, with the ability to gain information from the governing body or Cabinet, so to speak, and share that up front. That also places restrictions on Members when you get that information to hold that in...

It’s exactly the business case we’re working on, is to be able to sell the power to companies in the Northwest Territories that can’t do it for more, or can do it for less, to put it that way. Running the line, other than the scenario that’s been proposed, adds substantial dollars to the project, which would have to go towards the cost of a kilowatt hour, which would make it unaffordable, which means that we don’t have a customer base and that’s what’s driven this at this point. We would have to, as a government, decide if we wanted to do that and look at a different alternative routing that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process that the Taltson expansion has been built on is built on a customer that has approvals, that is on the ground, that is benefiting the North through GDP development as we speak. The other projects that are there, yes, have promise for the future and we’ll need to try to incorporate that as we look forward, but they’re still years away from actually establishing if there’s a secondary industry, which, as we talked with Minister McLeod and questions were answered in this House, that that is one of the avenues we will have to engage in.

Right now the...

The Member uses an example of Wrigley, for example, of having no nurse located in that community, but there are medical services provided to residents within that community, not the same as Yellowknife residents, not the same as residents from Inuvik, but on a level that we can provide those services with an aim to improve them. For example, that’s why the Foundation for Change comes into mind. It is through the business planning cycle -- and that’s a four-year cycle that we’ve initiated in this government -- to look at the way we deliver programs and services across the North and how we would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of factors that come into view as we talk about distribution of services throughout the Northwest Territories and evaluation of those programs and services. For example, there’s the capital standards process the Member alluded to in his Member’s statement of what type of construction that is permissible. In the past, the government also had, under that capital planning process, the size of the community. For example, what type of a water treatment plant fell into a community of 100 versus 500 versus 10,000. Those were in place as well...

Let me first recognize and appreciate the Member’s recognition of the times and challenges we face when we share information on initiatives that we’re thinking about going down and initiating and sharing that information and at times being held to account for information in its earliest days of forming and coming to setting direction as a government. We’ve got examples of that during this government itself, the 16th Assembly, which leads to huge challenges. When other governments in a party system want a direction set, a platform is set at a general election and the governing party can come in...

First and foremost the relationship is through the responsible Minister; in this case at this point in time, myself to the chair of the board, meeting with the board to go over the plan that the board has put in place. Other factors that direct the board and its operation are through the legislation that exists and that is the NTPC Act itself, our Hydro Corporation Act, as well as the PUB and its decisions that have been made over the years that dictates the structure of how it would deal with the customer base. Outside of that, we set the direction in the Assembly. In fact, this government...

Thank you. It’s an interesting and timely question as we discuss the Power Corporation and this process going forward. In fact, at one time in the history of the Legislative Assembly the Power Corp, I’m not sure if it was just the chair or the board chair and representatives of the board and potentially a senior manager or so would appear before the Assembly or through a standing committee. I will look, in fact, at initiating that process be re-engaged as we go forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as well, I’d like to recognize the two Pages down from Inuvik: Ms. Caroline Kaufman and, I hope I get this name right, Evodia Mutua, as well. Thank you.

The Member is aware we have shared the information about alternate routes on the Taltson Hydro Project. We have shared the information about where the breakdown is. For example, out of that $13 million, $2.2 million, or 17 percent, went to engineering; $3.1 million, or 24 percent, when to environmental; $4.6 million, or 35 percent, of that funding went to the regulatory process and the partnership agreement; $1.3 million, or 10 percent, has been spent in that area, and legal and finance makes up the rest of that area. We’ve shared the updates on this project, where it’s gone. We’ve pushed to...