Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As has been pointed out, we’re here at the will of the House. We’ve identified an issue that we think has some urgency in being addressed, which is why it’s here. There are a number of factors that caused us to get here, not get involved or inserted into the budget process. So, if this is not proceeded with, then we will be one year further behind in terms of addressing some of the key issues tied to improving our communications infrastructure. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are cost of living issues here. There are decisions being made in a community that’s interested in lowering those costs of living challenges, and it’s an issue for the territorial government. The Power Corporation is a vehicle for all people in the Northwest Territories, a Crown corporation with 42,000 shareholders. That’s the underlying impetus here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a highly competitive area, especially economic-based immigration, so we have to look at what’s available in Canada, what may be available elsewhere, and we have to be able to make sure that the people who have the skills we need are where work’s possible, probable and available in the Northwest Territories, and all that requires some of the seed money to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “2014 NWT Fire Season Review Report.”

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Member’s comments and I would just make the observation that having been in now my fifth Assembly pre-division, post-division, pre-devolution, post-devolution, every Assembly I’ve been in there’s a struggle with communications. Having gone through all these big transitions and transformations and now compound that with the speed of light change to the infrastructure in a world and the demands of individuals, MLAs, the public, this is an issue that has been unaddressed for a long time. We would hate to lose another year because we didn’t want to make...

We’ve got $100,000 identified for a communication campaign. There’s $30,000 identified for communication materials for the campaign strategy; $15,000 for website change, revisions and ongoing maintenance; French translation, website and all other materials is $20,000; immigration, legislation and regulatory training is $10,000; travel and transport, NWT and national, is $20,000; and international travel and transportation is $20,000. Thank you.

I understand that fact is a standard reference in all franchise agreements.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a considerable review done on this, which is one of the reasons it took so long. As Mr. Bromley pointed out, the initial report, if it was accepted at full face value, would be coming forward with dozens and dozens of new jobs, which we knew in our day and age of ongoing fiscal restraint was not sustainable, supportable or acceptable, so we’ve worked at how we could address this and do some of the improvements. We’ve taken over, once again, $65 million worth of new programs, hundreds of staff, in addition to the fact that it has been clearly pointed out to us...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The update on the NWT Growth Strategy is on its way to committee. I just signed the letter at the break and we will be tabling it before the end of session by Thursday.

What is contemplated here is to deal with the increased number of seats that we have, spots that we have with the Immigration Program and to be able to ramp up the recruiting and the advertising and getting the required immigrant staff or folks who are interested in coming or immigrating to the Northwest Territories to get them into the system, through the system under the new Express Program that has...

The facts, when you take away all the bavardage and bafflegab, is that there is a 10 cent, 30 percent rate difference between Hay River and Fort Smith and Fort Resolution. The Town of Hay River has made a conscious decision to go out and start a public process to seek providers to distribute power under a franchise agreement. We, the Power Corporation, are going to put a bid in. There is no guarantee that we are going to get it, be successful. Other bidders may be successful, if they choose to bid. That is yet to be seen.

What we do know is there are issues where there are, according to the...