Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s official: the town of Norman Wells is losing its natural gas. I spoke about this topic earlier and I’m going to speak to it again because it’s a serious issue.
Norman Wells is facing an energy crisis. The Town met in January to form a natural gas committee and discuss options for alternative energy sources. So far the options available are: woodchips, wood, solar, hydro, wind, diesel and propane. The Town is hiring a consultant to help choose the best one.
Later this year all natural gas stoves in Norman Wells will be replaced with electrical models. Already there are concerns about the adequate power supply and the cost of converting to electricity. Restaurants are concerned that the electric stoves will be too expensive to operate. Dryers and other appliances will increase the load. Where is the Government of the Northwest Territories in helping the community meet this demand?
The Town has approached the government and NTPC to investigate the cost of converting to diesel. Earlier in the life of this Assembly the government spent a lot of money and time to reduce the cost of utilities in our small communities. We talk about how we need to get communities off diesel. Now we are proposing to put diesel into a community. This is a step backward that will come at an enormous cost not only to the residents of Norman Wells but to all taxpayers and to the natural environment.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation mandate is to be responsible for electrical generation and distribution in the Northwest Territories, and that includes Norman Wells. We’re facing some big challenges here. All commercial users will be off the system by June 30, 2013, and gas supplies will shut off to the residents as of June 30, 2014. We have a deadline. We can’t count on the Mackenzie Gas Project to solve this problem. We need the Power Corporation to step up and work with the people of Norman Wells to find the solution.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
