Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s not normal that I would speak on third reading, but I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the vote we’re about to take in this House on an issue that has been a goal of Assemblies back as far as the 12th Assembly and we should appreciate the significance of this bill and what it has done for us. It has helped us create processes working with Aboriginal governments that exist nowhere else and in which we can draft legislation together. It has helped set a really strong foundation for devolution and it has brought our Wildlife Act, as old and archaic as it is...

I just would need some clarity from the Member on what he means by normal and comparable. If he wants to compare it to the Fort Smith rates, we’d be happy to lay out the price breakdown. I will indicate clearly right now one of the big costs that Yellowknife has, that Hay River has and Fort Smith doesn’t have, is the franchise arrangements and costs that flow from that arrangement that communities make on their own call, because of their franchise fee, and we can show and we will be happy to lay that out for the Member to the cent, to the kilowatt hour and have a discussion if that would...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 30, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2014-2015, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make infrastructure expenditures for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As we sit in this House, we are legislators who pass bills and make laws of general application and the Liquor Act is one of those bills. The other thing we do in this Legislature, as one of our guiding principles, is we’ve worked hard over the years to make sure that communities, at their request, have the maximum amount of authority as possible. This particular Liquor Act, which was put in place in 2008 after years of work, reflects where the main concern at the time, which we heard and responded to, was the request for the communities to have the ability to control...

I seek unanimous consent to return to item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills.

---Unanimous consent denied

Thank you, Madam Chair. Over the last few weeks, Members of the Legislative Assembly have been working hard on reviewing the departmental capital budgets for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

As part of their review, Members of this House have recommended amendments and other commitments to the Department of Transportation’s 2014-15 Capital Estimates.

I have considered these recommendations with my Cabinet colleagues and offer the following commitments:

Recommendation for chipsealing Highway No. 1

Highway No. 1 from kilometre 187 to 206 is currently a priority to be resurfaced in 2014-15. The department...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, October 31, 2013, I will move that Bill 28, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2013-2014, be read for the first time.

Mr. Speaker, I also give notice that on Thursday, October 31, 2013, I will move that Bill 29, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2013-2014, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in fact in the last Assembly we did those roundtables and they were based on revenue generation and we did look at taxation. We did it for three cycles, if my memory serves me correctly. The consistent feedback we got from Northerners across the regions, when we brought them to Yellowknife, was that this was not a good time to raise taxes. Thank you.

Every year for months we have budget cycles and, of course, this Legislature and the Members are involved in the budgeting process and if there was a unanimous decision on the other side of the House to say we want to raise taxes here, there or wherever, of course that would have a bearing. But the reality is two things, that they are fully involved and we have listened to the debate and concerns around the North and we’ve been through this House year after year with budgets and we have been holding the line to not add a burden on our businesses or on our residents and we are continuing with...

Everything about energy provision is engineered. It has to be engineered the proper way; it has to be engineered for efficiency for economy and for practicality. What we’ve done with the rate restructuring was to, in fact, bring a greater clarity, streamlining to the rate systems. Instead of 33 rate zones, we have two. We’ve pegged the rate of residential power across the North to the Yellowknife rate. Yellowknife has some challenges, but we have to keep in mind the whole Northwest Territories and these improvements have benefited all Northerners. Is there still work to do? Absolutely, which...