Thank you. ADM Brennan.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We definitely don't have a list of how much of this money will be spent outside of Yellowknife, partially because, again, it's an application-based program and we don't know where the applications are going to come from. About half of this money, $6.2 million, is for the Arctic Energy Alliance, and certainly, they offer services and rebates to various members and communities throughout the NWT. This money goes to the community governments, it goes to residents, it goes to businesses all across the Northwest Territories, and it will depend and will change every year based on where the applicants come from. With the exception of some core funding we provide to the Arctic Energy Alliance, everything else is pretty much application-based. I think the number will change every year, and we just don't have that information with us right now. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Yes. It would be nice to see some of those numbers, because, again, it goes to my next question. On page 246, there are 28 positions in headquarters, and I'm assuming that's all here in Yellowknife. If the Minister is correct in saying that there are offices around, I imagine they have all the information on the Arctic Energy Alliance, but because it is money from the public purse, it would be nice to know how many jobs the AEA has, or Arctic Energy Alliance has, outside of Yellowknife. They don't have that information, but I'll get it at a later date.
Going back to my more global thinking, I always try to think of new ideas. I brought this up with the Members on another forum, but I talked about server farms. If you look at the R and D here, and I did some homework a couple of days about this, there are server farms all over the world. A lot of tech giants like to choose the colder climates. Like Iceland, they are working on a big project right now. They are going to wire fibre optics out of their country, and it will serve other areas of the world. Finland, the Scandinavian countries, because of the climate, they have favourable conditions. One of the things that's interesting about server farms is: because they generate so much heat, it's an alternative form of energy that can heat buildings, as well. Is that something that this department would be interested in doing and possibly researching and just putting the antenna out there and trying to get some interest in doing that? Is that something that the Minister would be interested in for her department? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm hearing a lot of great ideas today. Unfortunately, they can't really be put in the budget right now, but it is something we can look at if and where there are opportunities for cost savings and look at innovative ideas on how we can save money. You look at some of the costs that we put into the energy strategic initiatives and some of the projects going out, and when you try to balance some of the cost savings, it is different. I hear the Member's concern about trying to get out there and look at some exciting programs and initiatives that are happening all over the world. I also hear the need for a little bit more focus on more, perhaps, research and development in terms of looking at saving money. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Yes. I understand, just in terms of what we're working on here, but it's always good to just start conversations and get that out there and find ways. Like I said, I'm always going to look for ways to try to streamline the way we do business and try to find ways for revenue, and that's working. I'll leave that as a comment. I'm kind of excited about this. I'm going to do more research on this, and I'll probably share that information with my colleagues. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Chair. Just probably a couple of areas. First is the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh talked about the cost breakdown. I'd like to see that, as well. Provide the list for the last five years. The community contribution, it does vary on an annual basis based on the application. For the last five years, we should have a good idea who got what. The $12 million previous years, last five years, if there could be a breakdown of funding contribution, that would give us a good idea of where the money is expended, either Yellowknife or outside Yellowknife, and the regions, as well. If we could get that, Madam Chair?
One of the areas I've been focusing on is the biomass, the $200,000 to assist increase of modern wood-burning technologies to heat homes and buildings in the communities. As you know, we serve a lot of communities that are isolated, high cost of living in the communities, no road infrastructures. Those are real challenges that we're faced with today. I can only speak to the experience that I've had with my own alternative heat in my home. In 2003, we purchased a pellet boiler system. At that time, it cost us $10,000. That was 18 years ago. I'm sure it's way higher now, probably double, almost double. It did cut my heat in half, I mean the cost, on an annual basis. It is beneficial. But $200,000 can only stretch so much. When you serve 33 communities, $200,000 a pot, that's $6,000 per community. That's pocket change for the Government of the Northwest Territories, Madam Chair. We should have that increase over the years. If you talk to people that installed pellet boilers, it's all good news. Wood burning, all great news, but we're still at that low level. Has that been contemplated by this department over the years to increase that funding? If not, why not? Madam Chair, that will be my first question.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We did provide, through the Arctic Energy Alliance program, a lot of funding, which we completed just in the last fiscal year, $5.9 million resulting in some of the energy rebates; some 120 home energy efficient kits; 150 energy audits; deep home energy; 54 wood stoves that were installed; and an additional 66 delivered to the communities. This is not just $200,000, in addition to providing to homeowners who wish to do some of this wood themselves, but we are providing some community work, as well, to some of the communities. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Monfwi.
Madam Chair, obviously, that is good news. A lot of my communities have benefited from wood stoves. I serve four communities, almost 4,000 people, and when the Minister is talking about 54, that's 54 throughout the Northwest Territories possibly. Even my communities, obviously, there's an outcry for wood stoves. A lot of our people are not employed in the community, and they're struggling. Power went out 20 hours in Whati. Some communities were fortunate they had wood stoves, but a lot of them didn't have a wood stoves. Those are real challenges, real stories.
Yes, Arctic Energy Alliance, there are monies set aside there, but I'm strictly referring to the biomass energy of $200,000 that's to assist increase use of modern wood-burning technologies. I'm referring to a pellet boiler system, and not everybody has or in a position to purchase $10-, $15-, $20,000 worth of equipment to cut down their costs on an annual basis. Even the pellet bags at 40 pound a bag, just imagine transporting that to isolated communities that do not have road access. There's a substantial cost, and I'm just wondering if there's been an appetite to assist those communities at the initial stage. Usually, government turns to individual community members saying, "You buy this, and we'll give you a rebate," but not everybody has money up front. I'm just wondering that because it says to assist increase use of modern wood-burning, how are they assisting, Madam Chair? Masi.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm looking at this program here, the Low Carbon Leadership Economy Fund. Some of the things, the allocation to the GNWT is $31.2 million for an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas, so the total project expenditures, including GNWT as well as third-party contribution, will total about $74.2 million if all the programs are fully subscribed. This funding is allowed for six approved initiatives. I'm not going to go into all of them, or I can but I won't, but one of them is the energy retrofits of public housing. This is just one part of this fund that can assist residents who live either in housing, public housing. I'm going to get ADM Jenkins to speak a little bit more about what are some opportunities, more specifically about what the Member is speaking about in terms of helping individual homeowners to be able to provide some wood stoves. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to speak to a few of the programs that are provided, specifically looking at one that is a new program that's called the low income home winterization program basically designed to help energy upgrades more accessible for low-income-owner occupied homes. That is a new program there through AEA. In terms of providing energy saving products, not particularly in terms of what you referred to in terms of biomass boilers, but ways to basically make homes more energy efficient and potentially save costs, there is, of course, the community wood stove program that is a program that is already existing. Basically, AEA works with, basically, provides programming in communities after installations are done to help in that. There are programs in there. As the Minister mentioned, there is also the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund, and there are grant programs, GHG Grant Programs for governments in the NWT, including community and Indigenous governments, that could be used to fund projects that result in GHG emission reductions. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Chair. Arctic Energy Alliance and other programs, there's always a threshold. Not everybody qualifies. Some people are making just beyond the threshold, and they don't qualify for a wood stove. Those are the individuals I'm voicing for. I'm certainly hoping that the Minister will seriously consider these areas. Madam Chair, the next one I have, obviously, is Community Access Program at $1.48 million. I know it goes directly to the communities. As you know, COVID-19 hit us over a year now, and there've been a lot of cabins built on my area on Highway No. 3. I'm assuming those are community access roads that we're referring to. How many communities or cabins have we covered over a COVID year period, and $1.48 million, is that enough? I don't think it is because I'm seeing a lot of cabins going up. Madam Chair, that will be my question to the Minister.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Community Access Fund is on a yearly basis, like I said, $1.5 million, application based. In terms of the breakdown as to what we give for trails, what we give for access roads, what we give for there, I am going to look to ADM Jenkins to see if he has a breakdown, as he is the guy in charge specifically of that CAP program. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Community Access Program, $1.5 million for access roads, trails, docks, wharves. We have two application periods, the summer and a winter intake. To date, in 2021, we have approved 26 construction projects, totalling just over $1.58 million. We do have a breakdown of the projects that were funded, both in the summer construction projects, as well as the winter construction projects. Broken down by region, it would take a little bit of time to go through, Madam Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Minister, can we get a commitment that we could get a copy of that list for the Members? Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I just looked at the Infrastructure website. The latest document that has the word "biomass" in it is from 2017. It's a fact sheet. I think I heard the Minister say there is some kind of study or strategy that was developed. Can the Minister just tell me very briefly what that is and commit to share it with the committee? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to see if ADM Jenkins has further information, a really quick answer on what that is. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins, really quick.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This would be captured under the Energy Strategy. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Look, is it a separate document, and can it be shared with the standing committee? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking to support staff here to see if we are able to share it. I am seeing nodding. I am going to ask ADM Jenkins to see if that's possible. I really don't know where we're at in that document. I have so many numbers and stuff in front of me here to be able to find it very quickly. It's not going to be very quick. Let's see if he can do this quicker than me. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We will have to look that up on the website and take a look and see if there is a new document there. I am not aware, so I will have to go and do some looking. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks. I just burned up two minutes with what I thought was a simple question, so I think I will move on. I have been here for over five years now. I have never seen a detailed cost estimate for the Taltson expansion project or the Slave Geological Province road. I heard the Minister or somebody say that there is supposed to be an updated cost estimate for Taltson in the first quarter of the new year. Can the Minister commit to sharing that cost estimate with standing committee? Yes or no? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It's going to be a no because I don't know specifically what I committed to or what I said. I am not going to sit here and commit to something that I don't know whether it is shareable or not, so the answer is no. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I will be here three months from now asking for it. Is there an updated cost estimate being prepared for the Slave Geological Province road, or the road to Lockhart, or whatever the heck it's called now? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can the Minister tell me when that study is going to be finished, and can she share it with standing committee? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am wasting some time here but without finding the right information, I am going to look to ADM Jenkins to see if he knows more information while I find that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have $40 million in funding for the Slave Geological Province corridor. We are going through the environmental, regulatory, and other type of information-gathering, which would support regulatory applications. Obviously, we would have to look, as we go through this process, similar to Taltson, and look at the business case for the project. We don't have a time right now. We are looking at hopefully having a regulatory application in for the Lockhart All-Season Road some time in the next year. Thank you, Madam Chair.
