Michael Miltenberger

I’ll commit to the Member to get him a complete list of sites in the Sahtu, federal and territorial, as they currently exist today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are well aware of that. From what I recollect, that is one of the waste sites that the federal government has kept to be remediated. Thank you.

ENR has been doing work all winter and is concluding that work in the coming months to work with the communities, work with stakeholders, getting feedback on last fire season, as well as going around, along with MACA, to look at communities getting fire smarted, getting ready with their emergency measures plans.

We’ve learned from last year. We’re going to be bringing our emergency firefighters on stream sooner, and we’re going to be standing ready, especially in light of the indicators that we’re now getting in regards to snowpack and those types of things, which look to be below normal at a...

I can, Mr. Speaker, and I’d be happy to make sure the Member gets it as soon as I get that update for him. Thank you.

We have a number of documents that are currently available in terms of the energy planning. The Power System Plan for the Power Corporation and, as well, the final formal response to the Energy Charrette, which was in fact the most recent way that people could get involved, citizens could get involved in providing feedback and advice, to which they did in a very quality way that we’re going to look at responding to.

A lot of what we’re going to do is then going to be predicated on the final outcome of our borrowing limit, which will dictate how much we’re prepared to invest in the critical area...

As we discussed in this House previously, one of the areas that we are carefully considering as a government is the request from the Town of Hay River in regard to their franchise agreement to see if we would consider putting a bid in on that. That would have a direct impact on potential structure, distribution structure. We’ve already committed publicly that once our borrowing limit is set, we would be prepared to invest money, significant money into the generation side once again here in Yellowknife.

For example, in Inuvik you could put in, an example would be some of that wind power that’s...

If this House represented by the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning writes to us as a government, to me as the Minister of Finance saying that it is the will of this Legislature that we look at adjusting the prices of alcohol to be more favourable to the producers of the alcohol, then of course we will look at engaging in that discussion. But I would point out it will not just be focused on the business opportunity that may be provided by providing some kind of tax incentive to a micro-brewery, that I would suggest that it would become a much more fundamental policy discussion.

The direction that has been chosen by the government consistently over the many Assemblies that I’ve been here and prior is to see the need to try to control the abuse of alcohol. One of the ways we’ve chosen to do that is to put a tax on it that would be a disincentive to use, in addition to all the education and all the programs we have trying to work with communities for healthy babies and smart choices and active living.

So, we have two issues. The Member wants us to have a very modest tax regime to encourage the production of alcohol, and I’m saying I think we have a broader societal...

I once again recollect flying down, having the benefit of being able to take a tour of partway into Doi T’oh Canyon into Godlin Lake with the Member, and it is truly spectacular country. You can see the remnants from World War II. That is still a federal area. As the Member has pointed out, there is a considerable amount of remediation that has to be done. When that is done to the satisfaction of all parties, then the territorial government will look at taking over the remediated site. Thank you.

If my memory serves me correctly once again, I do recollect the Member sending me pictures of the site, which I sent to the department. We’re aware of the circumstance, but there’s been no active ability to put funds towards the cleanup at this point. Thank you.