Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Chair, the framework will be done this current fiscal year and we would look to advance it fully into the next ‘14-15 budget cycle.

Mr. Chair, the Member and I have had numerous discussions about the ravages of alcohol and its destructive force across the entire fabric of the Northwest Territories and how he and I, growing old together, still talk about how do we bend the curve on this in a positive way.

Mr. Chair, that has been flagged as we get into devolution and move into implementation and resource revenues start to flow, we have to have the discussion about the money. We are in the position that it should go mainly into infrastructure, paying down the debt and discussion about the Heritage Fund as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We don’t have that level of detail in terms of community consumption of alcohol, but we can commit to get that information for committee. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chair. These mitigate the impacts of the rate shock.

We have a common goal here. We are investing significantly and are going to continue to invest, not only money but planning and policy development in things like biomass and solar. We’re going to be coming forward with a very ambitious hydro project that’s going to allow us to link the grids and have reasonable-cost power available for economic development as well as provide power into some communities that are currently on diesel. We are going to, as well, work with Inuvik and other thermal communities on the Liquid Natural Gas Initiative. We are very committed to that.

We also want to push on...

That’s correct.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, we’ll provide that information.

This arrangement, the Territorial Formula Financing will be a status quo arrangement until 2018-19, the same commitment that was given by Minister Flaherty when we, as well, with the health transfer and the social transfer.

We worked with communities to set up an insurance program for the communities and we invest money in that. A number of years ago we were all being collectively put in the poorhouse by the usurious insurance rates companies were charging, and we went to a self-financing one in the North and we invest in that. It’s cost effective. It’s done through NWTAC.