Thank you, Minister. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Madam Chair. Mahsi to the Minister for that, but I think she missed the mark here, the gist of my statement. I am aware of what the government is doing. I see it. I worked in Infrastructure. I know what you've been doing in the new government buildings. You're converting. You're converting just government buildings, only governments. I'm looking at a big picture here, and I said it: where's our research and development to harness biomass energy for use throughout the Northwest Territories? That's why I asked if the energy guy, Mr. Jenkins, could provide us with what they see in this field. Mahsi.
Member, just remember to direct your questions to me, and I will direct it to the Minister. Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We were looking at this budget here, and the title is grants, contribution, and transfers. You look at that line item that the Member is speaking of, and it's $200,000 in biomass energy. I do want to point out that that is a specific $200,000 that is given to Arctic Energy Alliance in order to support biomass in homes, just that project. This area in the budget speaks of grants, contribution, and transfers. That's what the department is transferring, so that's what that line item is. Once we get into some of the other, perhaps maybe even past asset management, where we talk a little bit more about what we're doing in terms of some biomass projects being incorporated into our new infrastructure build, perhaps we can speak about it then. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Madam Chair. I have gone past what's there. I was asking a question. How serious are we, as the GNWT government, to look at harnessing biomass energy for the Northwest Territories moving forward to get rid of the greenhouse gas emissions? Like I say, we spend a considerable amount of financial resources buying fuels, paying for fuels. Are we going to get serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Where do we have a line item within infrastructure for energy and strategic initiatives, energy department, that shows research and development, and are we going to be serious and start putting our thoughts and our energy into that? Mahsi
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I said in answering the first question that we are serious about biomass, and we are serious because we are looking at new infrastructure builds and how we can incorporate biomass into new buildings. However, I think I will direct my ADM to speak a bit more about some of the projects directly related, some of the biomass projects that are happening within our infrastructure. Go ahead, ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, so there's a lot of work going on in terms of biomass energy. The Minister correctly identified the $200,000 that is going out to the Arctic Energy Alliance. Again, wood-pellet boilers, a reliable technology that we are looking to advance, we have a number of projects underway. The GNWT has installed 39 biomass boilers, three of which are under commercial arrangements, so quite a bit of work done there. We have two programs, the government greenhouse gas fund and the building industry buildings grant fund, which again are applicant-based, by individuals, businesses, or governments, other levels of government. That could include district heating, and that is under the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund. There are funds there available for that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Madam Chair. I am just wondering because I know you are just listing what you currently have. I am looking for a research and development section of everything so that we look at biomass seriously. It should be a separate report saying, "Hey. This is what we are looking at," and the different types of biomass energy. I have a problem with just keeping it within Infrastructure because the NWT Housing Corporation needs help to address harnessing biomass energy in our communities up and down the valley. It went from 2,400 units to 2,600 units, and I heard now there was 2,900 units, and hooking them up to a district heating system that we have been talking about.
I think I threw this out when I first got here: we need to see ways that we can save on our heating energy costs using biomass so that the government realizes in the long run significant savings which we can pass back on to the consumers through the cost of living. This has got to hit the Northland Utilities power company and the NTPC power company. Why don't they incorporate biomass instead of just burning up diesel year after year after year? Has anybody talked to them, even the Housing Corporation? We need that crossover so that we have got the energy department working with all of these groups here and really taking a serious look moving forward. We need to be serious about this and do it. I don't want to hear about, "We have got more projects here and there and there." Where is the research and development department to get us where we need to go? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister, did you have any response to that?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I hear where the Member is coming from. Right now, within our current Department of Infrastructure, we do not have research and development embedded in any of our energy budget, and this is perhaps something we could look at going forward, to be able to ensure that we have cost savings in all our energy within the territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the $12.39 million, what percentage of those funds would actually stay in Yellowknife versus going out to projects in the communities? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at the variety of grants, contributions and transfers. It is quite diverse. Predominantly, the majority of these, if not all of them, should stay within the Northwest Territories, but I will just get ADM Brennan. It's a hard question. I do not know. It's not something we have looked at, but I will let him give it a shot. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. ADM Brennan.
Excuse me. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I need the Member to repeat the question. I never heard the full question. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member, can you repeat your question?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. We are looking at total contributions of $12.388 million, and I am just wondering what percentage of that amount stays in Yellowknife for Yellowknife projects versus what ends up in the communities for support to the communities. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Mr. Brennan.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't think we have that number available with us today, but most of these programs are application-based programs. The actual amount that is paid every year would depend on the applications that we received. If you look at the community access program, for example, I think that normally 100 percent of that money is outside of Yellowknife. The other programs, we would have to go back to our funding agency, such as AEA, to get a list of the people of where it went. We definitely don't have it here with us tonight, so my apologies. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to see those, see where that distribution is because, when you go outside of Yellowknife and pretty well predominantly First Nations Indigenous communities, I just want to see what the buy-in is in those communities and the understanding as well of these programs and if they actually know they are available. The other thing that I would like to know, as well, is: I have got no problem with energy and strategic initiatives. I think we have to look down the road, and as much as I am an oil and gas guy, I realize I have to adapt and change. I would like to know: have we looked at what is the cost savings, or are we getting value for our dollar by switching over to alternate types of energies in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Within our bigger strategy of the 2030 energy strategy and action plan, within there, we have targets, and within our targets, we are able to kind of match where we are at every couple of years, to be able to see if we are on target. I am just going to see if ADM Jenkins wants to elaborate a little bit more in terms of his views on whether or not we are doing any savings. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the one that we have right in front of us that we could provide this evening is some of the savings associated with some of the biomass energy initiatives that we have ongoing. In 2019-2020, there was a utility savings of $1.85 million, and that is based on the use of using 7,400 tonnes of wood pellets. In essence, we are displacing diesel, and these projects displaced almost 4 million litres of diesel. Ultimately, we are working towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, reduced over 10,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas in reductions. I think that is the one that we have at hand tonight that we could provide. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The question I have now is for smaller communities. I am just wondering if the research is being done to see the savings in the smaller communities, as well? Because I know that we look at the Housing Corporation and we say they should sometimes upgrade their houses, make them airtight, and all this. That causes mould problems. It causes a whole bunch of things which we pay for down the road, and then there are really no cost savings. I just want to make sure that what we're doing here isn't creating more problems that will cost us in the end, anyway. If the Minister can comment. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll take that as a comment.
Thank you. Any further questions, Member for Hay River South?
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the $12.38 million, the government has changed over some of their energy requirements to biomass. How much of that cost, or does any of it, come out of this $12.38 million? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The short answer is no, but I will get ADM Brennan to talk a little bit more about why it's a no. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Brennan.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The money that we save by putting it in biomass boilers basically just frees up money in the budget for other GNWT initiatives. This money here is funding that the department provides to various agencies or applicants for taking on their own initiatives. No, there are no savings in this $12.38 million. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Basically, this $12.38 million goes towards projects that are accessed probably mainly by residents and businesses, private businesses? Is that correct? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. If you look along the list of contributions, it varies. You look at one example of the community access program, where it's proposal-based, and we put requests for proposals out twice a year, we get applicants, and we go through the department to be able to deliver that type of funding. You look at the Arctic Energy Alliance, where we provide direct funding to the Arctic Energy Alliance Coalition, and they determine that. It varies. Looking down the line, I want to say it's quite a mix of both providing either just contributions or perhaps just transferring some money or a grant. I'm not sure if the Member is wanting to go into all 20 of them or whatever and determine what are grants, contributions, and transfers. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member.
Thank you, Madam Chair. No, that's fine. I can look at it, and if I have further questions, I can ask the Minister at a later date. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Madam Chair. I'll try to break this down to something more regional, and then I'll probably speak to something broader in terms of globally. I'll start by looking at page 244 just as a whole. I circled a few items that were sunsetted, the Arctic Research Foundation, the Tulita Solar Project. Understandably, that was sunsetted for the Tuktoyaktuk highway study, the Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative. Then looking at this, it just seems like, in terms of research and development outside of Yellowknife, it just kind of all stopped. My first question to the Minister is: I don't want to sound anti-Yellowknife here, but I want to see how many of all these line items on page 244 are based in Yellowknife? What percentage of that? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't know if I have that level of detail, on whether or not. I'm assuming that, to pick on Arctic Energy Alliance, most of the regions have an Arctic Energy Alliance office that does their own work. I'm looking to ADM Brennan to see if he wants to take a look at this, to be able to determine it. I'm pretty sure the majority of the list on the contributions are either administered by a department in Yellowknife or perhaps maybe some of them are delivered at a community level. I'll just see if the ADM wants to try to answer that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
