Robert Villeneuve

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. Just getting back to what I stated earlier in my Member’s statement -- and I did raise it before in this House -- the issue of flooding when the Taltson River, the dam is opening or closing to allow for more power during peak periods and low periods. Mr. Speaker, the Minister came back to me. He did say earlier that he wanted some evidence. I do have some evidence right here, Mr. Speaker. This is evidence right here. It clearly shows that a cabin is flooded out. There are doghouses...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will use my Member's statement to talk about the proposed hydro development expansion project at the existing Taltson hydro facility.

Mr. Speaker, many people, myself included, are fully supportive of this project moving ahead as planned, not only because of the economic benefits and the impact benefits that will be realized by the people in my region but, more importantly, because they are…

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Now we’re getting down to the subsidiary borrowing here with approval of FMB as accounted as debts restricted by limit approved by the governing council pursuant to the Northwest Territories Act. Is there a limit on this borrowing limit also, Mr. Chair, and, if there is, what might that be?

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister and his staff for coming in here and presenting Bill 4, Hydro Corporation Act. I would also like to thank the public for coming out during our round of consultations. It was unfortunate, Mr. Chair, that we couldn’t get into one of the communities that would have liked a consultation hearing held on this bill. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, our concerted efforts to get in there wouldn’t allow us to travel to Lutselk’e at this time. I hope the community will understand that during my extensive conversations with the chief on this bill, they fully...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take the Minister to task on that because, basically, he told me that before and nothing has happened to date. The people want to know that the Power Corporation really does care about what they are doing to the trapping grounds. They would like to see even the president of the Power Corporation go into the communities, have a community meeting there, and let them know when the dams are going to open the floodgates and when they are going to close them. The safety concerns that are raised at the community levels are always coming back to me and the issue of...

Mahsi again, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again I'll use my Member's statement to talk about the proposed hydro development expansion project at the existing Taltson hydro facility.

Mr. Speaker, many people, myself included, are fully supportive of this project moving ahead as planned, and just not only because of the economic benefits and the impact benefits that people will realize in the region but, more importantly, because of the environmental benefits with the large reduction in greenhouse gasses that are currently being spewed into our sensitive northern environment by the mining companies...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We were just humming along there. So I just wanted to ask on the limit on borrowing the outstanding principal of amounts borrowed not exceed $5 million. Is that the borrowing limit for the Hydro Corporation Act? If it is, how would they plan on financing an expansion with only a $5 million borrowing limit?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will thank the Minister for that. I look forward to seeing the letter and seeing some kind of a formal directive to the Power Corporation that this just is not a one-time occurrence. This happens every year, Mr. Speaker, and it is going to continue as long as the dam is there. So this is not just a one-time thing; it has to go on every year. The consultations and the water levels are going to change at different times of the year with this new expansion possibly happening. There are going to be different peak periods happening. So I would like this as an...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I will probably not even be voting on this motion. I haven’t really decided yet, but I would like to hear everybody’s arguments here. I know they are all good ones and they do all have a lot of weight that we have to consider. What I look at also is basically these are intervener positions and resource development impact advisor positions, pipeline positions, whatever you want to call them, whatever title you want to give them, basically they are all pipeline driven. To me, the pipeline is not anywhere in the near future anymore. It is a couple or three years down the...

My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Can the Minister provide a copy of the legal opinion on income benefit agreement payments that stipulates IBA payments should be considered as earned Income for income security clients?

Was this an independent legal opinion or an opinion provided by GNWT legal counsel?

How do IBA distribution payments differ from the Inuvialuit regional agreement distribution payments?

Why is the IBA distribution payment not considered an integral part of the land claims process by income security?

Mahsi.