Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members on some recent activities of the Department of Public Works and Services with regards to fuel prices in communities served by its petroleum products division.

Recent changes in the market have seen oil prices go from all-time highs to record lows over the past year. This current market pricing has provided the petroleum products division with an opportunity to lower its costs and pass on these savings to residents.

The lower wholesale prices for fuel have made it possible to pass savings on to residents now, during the peak of the winter heating season...

I don’t have the expertise to indicate here in the House whether or not that would be a solution, but I would definitely go back to the department and discuss a solution with the deputy minister. If there are areas in addition to that one specific area referred to as Georgetown where flooding occurs at all times and the solution is something just south of our border there in the Yukon, we’ll have discussions with them and maybe be able to resolve that problem this winter. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, it will be. We will be moving gasoline into communities on the winter road. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. We were able to lower the costs by seeing that the fuel that we buy is referred to as fuel at rack prices that came down quite drastically over the last few months. We are anticipating that by the time you get the fuel into the community, it will be at a much lower cost. We are sort of blending at this point and lowering the costs. We do anticipate additional costs for heating fuel when we actually deliver the fuel sometime between the middle of this month and the middle of next month. Thank you.

As the Member is aware, back in 2011-12 we put a bit of a delay on the planning study so that we could complete the planning study for Norman Wells as Norman Wells also provides to sort of a regional health centre. Some of the designs that we get from our consultation in Norman Wells will be incorporated into Fort Simpson. We would also be specific to what the community wants in Fort Simpson, as well, so there is certainly room for consultation from the community.

In Hay River, when we built the health centre, there was opportunity for community input, so this will be the same thing. Fort...

Thank you. More of the consultation portion of the work that Public Works is doing is determining what type of items would be associated with planning studies. We’ve looked at the needs assessment, operational plan, functional program and feasibility analysis for the specific health centre. So that was what the initial meeting with Public Works was about and then from there the decision was made to release the RFP to complete the planning study.

Yes. We try to, within the rules and the regulations that govern the revolving fund, we have some flexibility, so as now, when the opportunity comes where we anticipate the fuel costs continuing to go down for a little bit more, we’re lowering the cost of fuel for all of the communities where we provide a service, and the cost is going to be lowered from anywhere from seven cents to nine cents a litre at this time and anticipating some more costs of fuel being lowered when the delivery actually occurs.

Actually, we feel that with these three divisions consolidated under one area of Public Works, it would be easier to develop comprehensive energy policies and strategies. We find that we’ll also be able to synchronize our planning for all of the energy functions. We also will be bringing people from ITI, three positions from ITI that were in energy policy and planning, along with the Northwest Territories Energy Corporation and positions that were there, along with one position from Environment and Natural Resources.

The departments of Public Works and Health and Social Services are at the stage when they are determining what design for the type of community. It’s almost like a little bit of a regional centre. In Fort Simpson that health centre can provide some services to the small communities in the immediate area, so the design will be a little more complex than just a community health centre, which is something that is being built in Fort Providence and Fort Resolution next year. I don’t know the letter associated with this particular design, but it would be a design that is something that fits the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The RFP for a planning study for the Fort Simpson Health Centre will be released this month. Thank you.