Caroline Wawzonek

Mr. Speaker, destructive events like flooding and wildfire are top of mind when considering how climate change has challenged the Northwest Territories in recent years. There is, however, another climaterelated challenge affecting many of the territory's residents: delayed winter and ice road construction.

Mr. Speaker, our winter road system connects nine Northwest Territories communities that are not accessible by allseason roads, with highway crews building and maintaining approximately 1,400 kilometers of winter roads, ice roads, and ice crossings every year. To put this in perspective, that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know that there's been any study per se commissioned. I can say the department is aware of the kind of regulatory systems that might exist for large scale infrastructure projects being the Department of Infrastructure. I can say any regulatory process would depend on the nature of the project and depend on the scale of the project. Really being here, typically being Yellowknife, it would largely be the city's processes and bylaws that might be the first point of call as well as potentially some oversight by the utilities board depending upon the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can certainly put it on my colleagues' radar that this may be an item that's coming before them. That said, it likely is more under if it's a heat sale, it may or may not fall under the or under the Public Utilities Board. So what I certainly will commit to do is going back to the department to see where a next step for us might be, but I think further to that would be a conversation with the city, which, again, certainly as the Government of the Northwest Territories, we do have regular conversations with the city. So that might well be the next point...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully that means I have time to answer both. I'm happy to do so. Yes, the department is aware of this study and, in fact, I understand may have had a role in doing some review and support in terms of the work that was in the background on that study. So, in fact, more than merely aware of it. I'm also aware of it. It's on my radar now. I had not read all 109 pages but I've gone through some of it.

And as far, though, as next steps, Mr. Speaker, it's an opportunity where there would have to be proponents. This study is speaking about potentially changing the way...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is quite a lot that could be potentially said here, and I certainly while I don't want to speak for my colleague too much with respect to housing, I am able to happily say that there is already, as of this last year, the Housing Northwest Territories has its own energy strategy. There's also, of course, a variety of GHG grant programs administered by the GNWT. Arctic Energy Alliance has been a longstanding partner with the GNWT. Almost $3 million goes to them for a variety of programs that include rebate programs for folks to make changes in terms of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly can ensure that all of the net revenue from the carbon tax goes is spent on some sort of measure that will assist us in our climate change adaptation and GHG reduction efforts, and those efforts are reported in the public accounts every year. What I suspect maybe actually the Member's after here is some sort of separated fund. The concern of having a separated fund is you then just earmark a handful of dollars when, in fact, Mr. Speaker, we spend far more than just the at this point projected $11 million or so net revenue. 10 percent of that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just firstly for the Members, communities, and residents of that riding and all ridings, the budget isn't parsed out by one community at a time. A large amount of our budget is actually spent on services, programs, so for example health care services, that don't necessarily line up according to our riding line. So I certainly don't want any residents feeling like they don't get a fair shake out of the government.

With respect to cuts, Mr. Speaker, that would certainly always be the last and cuts to programs and services has to be the last thing that we look...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I am tabling the interim estimates that we're proposing, and with that does come an update as to our proposed borrowing. I can say, Mr. Speaker, that we do typically run an operating surplus where available for the government. Now, we do also provide updates in the fall with the capital planning process and normally would be providing the update as well as part of the budgeting process here. We're still waiting on numbers, and we're still coming in from this wildfire season. So the last time we did May estimates, 20232024 Main Estimates, we were...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents: Interim Estimates, Operations Expenditures, April 1st to June 30th, 2024, and Annual Report 20222023 Northwest Territories Power Corporation and Northwest Territories Hydro Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, thrilled again to talk about biomass. This is an opportunity where, you know, communities can come forward. There is there certainly is opportunity, and I would certainly want to extend the opportunity to speak further to communities, whether it's on small scale projects, which there is funding for under the community grants programs, funding under feasibility studies. There may be opportunities through, you know, and I'd certainly like to be able to perhaps resend some information, that I saw go out at the end of the 19th Assembly under the Minister of...