Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 23, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What we are going to get is some efficiencies and economies of scale where, recognizing that as a large organization, a corporation, there are some core services where you need to have consistency and integration where there is some standard volume directed processes, transaction issues, as Mr. Aumond indicated, where you need that consistency yet you can have more economies of scale. We are better coordinated. We tried to have a very devolved, decentralized type of model, which works in some program areas, but as we’ve discovered with information, IT, with finances...

Mr. Speaker, there is a wide variety of herd sizes. Some are literally in the few thousands to some that are over 100,000. The numbers are not all going to be the same.

We are going to look herd by herd. We are going to work with the co-management boards and all of the appropriate stakeholders. When we have any specific information, we will bring that forward. Thank you.

If the Member will think back, we started on an emergency basis where the running out of natural gas in Inuvik was declared imminent, that there was a need to minimize the load and pressure on the existing gas reserves. That work was done, recognizing that synthetic natural gas was the short-term emergency option. That work was done. In the meantime, the market in the development of liquid natural gas has proceeded in Canada where that type of resource was available. We recognize at the same time, as we move across to the Northwest Territories with our alternative energy, that there is...

The Member has made a harsh condemnation of the House and, by extension, the Legislature. He’s made some sweeping, universal condemnation of this government and the position we take on the balance, the priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly, the balance between protecting the environment and at the same time balancing that with the need to be able to look at having an economy that is resource-based in this case.

We are doing that. When you look at the work we’re doing across the board as a government on water, on the tools devolution will give us, when you look at the work we’re doing on...

That is what is anticipated, yes.

Mr. Speaker, I think we should make the distinction between the two applications, the MGM Energy one and the ConocoPhillips one. The ConocoPhillips application is very comprehensive. It covers a whole host of areas, which is one of the reasons there was a different decision made by the Sahtu Land and Water Board when they looked at the MGM Energy proposal. It didn’t have the same depth and level of comprehensiveness as the ConocoPhillips one does.

The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has coordinated a response to the Government of the Northwest Territories and there has been review by...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 11, Financial Administration and Public Agency Statutes (Borrowing Provisions) Amendment Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, titled “Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund Annual Report 2012-2013.” Thank you.

I would suggest that if folks are interested, businesses are interested, that they look to the subsidies and grants that are available to start up and assist with alternative energy infrastructure; solar, biomass and that type of thing. Those have been increased; the amount of money has been raised; the ceilings have been raised so that the level of support, and I believe where it was $25,000 is up to $50,000. So if they’re just wanting to get started today and they want to think about it, then they’ve got to do their plan and they’ve got to buy the infrastructure and I think that would be the...