Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to the firefighting issue, we started training Northerners very seriously last year, so we have at least two levels. We have an elite level trained to the national standard that can be exported if they have capacity as part of our agreement with all the provinces and territories. So if they need to go to Alberta or any other province, they can go just as they ship firefighters up here. They are trained to the national standard, the elite firefighting contingent. Then we have emergency firefighters and firefighters trained not quite to the same stringent...

Yes, Mr. Chairman, that’s the intent. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have had a change to that five kilowatt. The Power Corp has gone to the Public Utilities Board to eliminate the standby charge for solar photovoltaic systems over five kilowatts in size, allowing the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to proceed with up to 75 kilowatts of solar installations in five diesel communities over the next two years.

One of the other things that’s happened, as it was announced earlier in the House, we’ve consolidated our energy functions now into Public Works and Services, and they’re now going to be looking after those types of...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’ll flag this issue for discussions with ITI to make sure it’s clear as we look at this. As the weather conditions and drought continues and the extreme events happen there are going to be hard choices to be made when people choose to live great distances away from fire protection. As the deputy said, we do our absolute best to be there for all the people, but as the number of people living outside of community boundaries proliferates, it’s going to be more and more problematic, but it’s an issue that we will flag at the lodge level with ITI.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The intent would be to use special warrants and short-term borrowing.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is money that is just being transferred over from ITI that was previously administered through that department and flowed into ENR. So it’s not new money. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We encourage all folks that live outside of the community boundaries, if they can get it, to get insurance. If they can’t, then they have to make sure that they take every step to protect themselves, fire smarting their own property, investing in sprinklers, investing in all the things you need in the event that there is a wildfire. Other than that, we don’t have much involvement in what would be in their licence in that regard. Thank you.

I appreciate the Member’s comment. I think if you look at all the things we’re doing as a government, we’re doing, I think, a very significant amount of work as it pertains to climate change. However, I take the Member’s point and we would look to the advice, as we move towards transition, to the Member, to committee as to their suggestions as to things that should be flagged. We will look at this to make sure there is a more fulsome reflection of the things we are doing. We are fully committed to doing a whole host of things as a government and ENR in terms of the climate change, the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Deputy Minister Ernie Campbell and director of finance and admin Susan Craig. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is one of the issues that have come up during the ensuing discussions post-fire season, and it’s one of the themes in terms of the education, prevention and preparation. Yes, we are following up on it. We do it as a matter of course, but there’s added emphasis on it now this year, both in the communities getting individuals to fire smart, take their matters that they can into their own hands, and then we will try to be there as well. So, yes, Mr. Chairman.