Michael Miltenberger

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.

We’ve been looking at talking to the people we have on retainer, the meteorologists that take long-term forecasts. NTPC, in the next couple of weeks, is going to be doing testing of the snowpack in the Snare system just to check to see what they anticipate the runoff might be. Of course, we’re monitoring. With the benefit of satellite imagery now, we’re monitoring the snowpack and we can tell, from everything I’ve heard, that what has fallen so far this year is less than a normal year. To have any positive effect, we need at least double the snow we currently have to date. Thank you.

There was a range of vision, there was a need to replace, there was a discussion with the community looking for appropriate land, and then working through the logistics in terms of the actual project to get it built. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 12, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. As we move forward, we have a lot of the tools already. Depending on how we evolve in terms of distribution and generation, we have to look at things as I raised previously, the role and relationship of the Power Corporation. Right now it’s a stand-alone power corporation with a board. Given our close working relationship and financial investment, is that the best structure, could it be structured more efficiently and effectively any other way? We have to look at the distribution, and the Cabinet is going to be looking at the request from Hay River and responding to that in the not...