Wally Schumann

I cannot commit to putting it into Bundle 3. As this Legislative Assembly know, ours infrastructure needs across the territory are huge, and I'll say the same thing here I've said at FPT table. We could take every dollar the federal government has put into infrastructure, all three bundles that the government has proposed and this country could spend every dime of it just on upgrading the road system into Canada. So the limited amount of funds the Northwest Territories gets, we have to spread it across the complete territory to meet the needs of all residents.

If we were to get into a situation where the Louis be serviced in the region, we do have the backup area that the Member alluded to in his Member’s statement that we could probably put in the water and bring into service to meet the emergency needs of that, and then in the long-term, if that was the case, if something drastically happened to the boat, we'd have to look at the long-term plans of how we're going to replace one of these units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, I will have a look at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

I just had to clarify in my head what your whole question was. ATCO is a big outfit and they do have a lot of money, but the problem moving forward for this government is that - it's not the money it's our borrowing capacity moving forward. We need to have engagement with the federal government. If we decide to expand the Taltson Project, we need to have a buyer at the end of the day. This government is engaged in consultation or conversations with other end users who will purchase this power and to do that at the end of the day we believe that the Taltson project is going to require a subsidy...

As I've stated, we use management tools to make strategic operational decisions on our equipment and our assets and we will continue to use that, and moving forward, I will update the Member where this is at in the queue. But, as I've said, we have very limited funds moving forward and we need to stretch these out across the whole Northwest Territories.

Yes, since 2005, we have done a number of initiatives with Wrigley. The contract staff has helped out with marine training for ferry operations in the region and, also, the department has offered airside vehicle operation permanent training as well as nineday summer maintenance and nineday winter maintenance training programs through the Department of MACA.

Yes, I would, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, transitioning away from expensive fossil fuels for home heating and electricity generation will be critical to reducing the costs of living for NWT residents and protecting the NWT environment, but it will take time, innovative approaches and continued investment.

I would like to update Members on some of the work that Public Works and Services is doing this year to support the use of energy efficient technologies, as well as increase the production of renewable and alternative energy in the NWT.

The department will be undertaking several key initiatives...

As I've stated, this is early conversation; the tender has already been awarded; the proponents are starting on the project. If there's other transportation issues the community wants to discuss with the Minister of Transportation I will gladly have a phone conversation and see where this goes from there.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in the House earlier that our staff has gone and met with the community and the band and discussed the contract that was put out to tender. I stand by that. If the community and chief and council want to have a conversation with me I'm willing to open up to have a phone conversation and have preliminary discussions with them in that manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.