Michael Miltenberger

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.

No, not that I’m aware of.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me the deputy minister of Finance, Mike Aumond; the director of the Management Board Secretariat, Jamie Koe; and Ken Chutskoff, legislative counsel from the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Bill 12, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan Act, which is legislation that was identified as a priority in the 17th Legislative Assembly.

The Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan, or NEBS, is a defined benefit plan similar to the one Government of the Northwest Territories employees have designed for public sector and non-profit employees working throughout the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

There are 42 NWT employers now active in the plan supporting their staff to make retirement plans that will meet their needs. In...

The issue of meters is a critical one. Every jurisdiction has to meter. You can’t manage what you can’t count, and you can’t bill what you can’t count. The issue of are they accurate, from everything I’ve seen and heard there is not an issue with faulty meters. I will, in fact, raise the issue and will follow up with the Power Corp and see if there have been concerns raised in that area and what redress was taken.