Louis Sebert

No, this is quite different in my understanding from other negotiations, because it’s not a negotiation in the normal sense; it goes to a commission. It would be more like a binding arbitration. I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that this is quite different than any other negotiation the government is entering into or conducting at this time and could not be treated as a precedent. Thank you.

Certainly, Mr. Speaker the Power Corporation is interested in keeping rates down. As I mentioned earlier, one of the projects that is a possibility, and this was mentioned in the House yesterday by the Premier, is the possibility of exporting power to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Those discussions are at a very preliminary level as they are governments, provincial, federal, and Aboriginal, involved. But I would expect, should we be able to move forward on that project, that we would hope to obtain significant funds from the federal government. It is a renewable resource, hydro. Provinces to the...

Certainly, there have been increases in power rates over the last five or six years, and we are anticipating increases over the next three years. However, this increase in rates is driven by several factors. The cost of fuel is certainly one of the factors. Also, too, the amount of power that the corporation actually sells is not increasing, and so costs tend to be stable or increasing while the amount of power actually sold is decreasing. Therefore, unless we are able to find a major export market, it would seem to me that power rates may continue to increase.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that the commission looked at was salaries of other judges and I think the salaries of our judges are on a par with other jurisdictions. Mr. Speaker, there are some challenges certainly in living in the Northwest Territories and the judges must travel far more than judges do in the south, so it’s more demanding from that point of view. The salaries certainly are not out of line with the salaries in other jurisdictions. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, one of the hallmarks of a democracy is an independent judiciary. In 1997 the Supreme Court stated that there were three components of judicial independence: security of tenure, administrative independence, and financial security. As a result of that case, every jurisdiction set up a commission, a Judicial Remuneration Commission, including ours, and every four years they give us a report. I think this is the third or fourth report. It’s not a negotiation in a sense but both sides, if I can put it that way, represented by counsel, put their arguments forward. The commission...

The Northwest Territories is an acknowledged leader in biomass heating and ranks second in the country in solar capacity per person. As the House heard yesterday in the Premier’s speech, we are going to be rolling out a new energy plan. We will be seeking the input of the public, Members of this House, interested parties, and we are anticipating in being able to table a new energy plan early in 2017.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. As this House will know, an application has gone in for an increase in power rates of 4.8, four, and four per cent over the next three years. The savings of a million dollars allowed us to keep the application that low. Had that million dollars not been saved, the application would have required a higher rate of return to cover the costs of the board. I haven’t calculated the exact amount, but it would have been considerably higher than the rates requested. Thank you.

I wish to table the following document entitled “Report of the Northwest Territories Judicial Remuneration Commission in 2016.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide Members with an update on recent changes made with respect to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. On May 24, 2016, I appointed six deputy ministers to the board of the corporation. The reasons for taking this action have been documented in the media, but I would like to briefly reiterate these reasons and provide Members and the public with some information on next steps.

First, and most importantly, this change to the board of directors will save ratepayers $1 million per year. In the face of continued cost pressures, power rates for consumers have...

To recognize John Catholique, representing the Akaitcho Territory Government, and Vance Anderson, NWT Metis Nation.