Floyd Roland

We set up a process to undergo a look at rate regulations, distribution of power in the Northwest Territories. We underwent a review process on the Power Corporation itself and we are nowhere close to looking at making that decision. That was brought up earlier, about is there any part of the review that would look at structure and so on. The rate of return is part of the system. The report also suggested the cost to service should be looked at through a number of the zones. So there are initiatives in that report that would allow us to look at overall function of the Power Corporation.

But let...

Mr. Speaker, in the early days of project development of the Mackenzie Gas Project, for example, and others, we have talked about devolution and resource revenue sharing is one way to help streamline the regulatory maze that is out there, as well as streamline the processes we can put in place and capture the benefits of development and keep them in the North. Unfortunately, as the record clearly shows, numerous governments have tried to move this along and we have not been able to get to that last hurdle. One of the issues that I addressed at the last regional leaders’ meeting is we need to...

Mr. Speaker, the legislation is clear. Under advisement of the Cabinet, the Minister can pose a question to the Supreme Court. This is not challenging aboriginal leadership in the Northwest Territories. This is going to provide final clarification on who has authority. That is not taken lightly, because when you have your own Members of the Legislative Assembly raising issue of whose authority, that definitely needs to be cleared up. So we have provided that avenue. The courts have their own process now which will seek input from all of the people that they feel is necessary across the...

Mr. Speaker, as the Government of the Northwest Territories has quite a number of programs through our Minister’s responsibility under ITI, we do a number of things, whether it is through the Business Incentive Policy, so we have contractors in the North taking advantage of the work that we have available as the Government of the Northwest Territories. Our SEED program, for example, that we put in place to help businesses in our smaller communities. So we have done quite a number of things to enhance businesses in the North. We know we need to do a better job.

The other things we have tried to...

Mr. Speaker, the initial report that came out that was presented did show there was a balancing of, for example, corporate costs, the headquarter costs across the board. So there would be some redistribution there. There was some impact on hydro communities as well. That was what was presented.

Since our initial discussions with Members of the Assembly, we’ve looked at other ways of mitigating those costs and bringing forward a process that would lessen the impact on any community of any increases and try to come up with lowering the cost overall and stabilizing those costs. So I would say that...

Mr. Speaker, my understanding, again, through the rate review that’s been ongoing, the cost of service versus a rate of return is one of the areas that has been discussed and some recommendations made around when you look at the different zones that are being contemplated in that report. So that is an area of looking at cost of services versus rate of return. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, if we go back to that day of a fall session well over a year ago when I believe it was a theme day on the cost of energy in the Northwest Territories, there were statements and questions about the cost, delivery, structure and privatization. Talks came out or reported that that could be an initiative. From those talks, we started to look at a number of initiatives. Those are all before Members. We brought back to the table around that and that is the energy rate regulation review piece. We went to committee. We are working with committee on that response; the Power Corporation...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe the rate review work that was done does highlight a number of areas that we could look at when it comes to the way we do business and how we’re structured across the board, and that would include the Power Corporation. For example, rate of return versus cost of doing business, in a sense, is one of those areas that could be looked at. The other work that we were doing is tied to this. We’re still wanting to sit down with committee to go over how we would look at the NTPC review itself. But more specifically, I believe there is opportunity in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The discussions with the representative of ATCO were ones around what we might be able to do when it comes to projects, specific initiatives in trying to move further along our interest as a government in expanding and delivering on increased hydro across the Northwest Territories. Minister Miltenberger did give an opportunity as to that discussion that happened at that time. We also did discuss the event of Copenhagen and climate change as well. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as for direct information, we, at the request of Members, set up a process so Members could be involved in those initiative committees, and that started to happen, but they’ve since changed their approach and said no to that. As I stated, the Strategic Initiatives committees start some of the work of what we will look at and what changes we can make, and then it becomes the Ministers responsible for the department. So, for example, in transportation, where that affects the cost of living in our communities across the Northwest Territories, on the size of planes that can come into...