Debates of May 15, 2007 (day 7)

Thank you. Mr. McLeod.

…the concept of going to find partners such as CPAWS and the Canadian Boreal Initiative and those types of partners is something we are working on. However, we need somebody to do the actual legwork. We need partners to be able to come forward and help us put the budget together for our water summit, similar to what we have done with the caribou summit where we brought in a number of partners. They have contributed towards a gathering. We need to be able to do that. We didn’t have anything in our budget for this coming year to do a water conference. It’s obvious that we need to have one to get our house in order and have all the different information that is out there to be brought under one roof and to have that discussion.

The Akaitcho, I haven’t heard that they are planning to have a water summit. I know there was discussion to have a water summit in Fort Smith. I am not sure if that is the Akaitcho group, but we would like to talk to them and possibly work with them. However, the focus of the water summit or the water conference would be to bring all the players together from the different areas.

As to the agreement sitting idle while B.C. and Alberta negotiate it is not the case. We need to work parallel. We have agreed to start moving that forward. They’ve recently agreed that that would be the case and it has allowed us to sign the framework agreement. We have to start now doing the actual work on it. We don’t really have the resources and it wasn’t built into our budget to do this. Some of these things have come forward rather unexpectedly and we are trying to develop the resources or put the resources into place to be able to deal with them.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Environmental protect, not previously authorized, $1.979 million.

Agreed.

Forest management, not previously authorized, $195,000.

Agreed.

Wildlife, not previously authorized, $991,000.

Agreed.

Total department, not previously authorized, $3.504 million.

Agreed.

Page 25, Legislative Assembly, capital investment expenditures, Office of the Clerk, not previously authorized, $539,000.

Agreed.

Total department, not previously authorized, $539,000.

Agreed.

Page 26, Executive, capital investment expenditures, directorate, not previously authorized, $154,000.

Agreed.

Total Financial Management Board Secretariat, not previously authorized, $154,000.

Agreed.

Total Executive, not previously authorized, $154,000.

Agreed.

Page 27, Municipal and Community Affairs, capital investment expenditures, community operations, not previously authorized, $818,000.

Agreed.

Regional operations, not previously authorized, $3.750 million.

Agreed.

Total department, not previously authorized, $4.568 million.

Agreed.

Page 28, Public Works and Services, capital investment expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, $2.040 million.

Agreed.

Technology Service Centre, not previously authorized, $862,000. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you. I have a question for the Minister. Mr. Chair, the funding for conversion of the JBT Elementary School and Thebacha Campus for the fuel fire heat to interruptible hydroelectric heat, is that something that is going to be a model for other centres or just a one time for the community of Fort Smith? I just want to know if that’s going to be something that is going to be used in other regions in helping them with their hydroelectrical heat, I guess. Is it a pilot project?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Before I continue, I would like to recognize a couple of people up in the gallery: Tyler Dent and Ben Malmsten. Thank you for coming in today.

---Applause

Thank you. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the area of the work, the conversion on the three facilities in Fort Smith is a pilot project. Based on the results of that as well as the availability of electricity through the hydro facility, they would be looked at once this is completed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the amount that we are spending, the pilot project that is going to be, is this going to be used in other areas in terms of the conversion? I want to ask the Minister that, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the reason this is being looked at is the availability of low cost electricity off the hydro facility by the community of Fort Smith looking to switch off from the oil fire to electric heat. That is why this is being looked at. One of the things we have to look at is the availability, number one in that area, if there is continued availability of the surplus capacity at the Taltson hydro facility. In other communities in the Northwest Territories, it would be more difficult to make this pay because of the high cost of generating the electricity through other communities that are provided through diesel fired generators. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Page 28, asset management, not previously authorized, $2.040 million. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just on the same matter as Mr. Yakeleya was raising but on a different screen, what was the valuation on how much money they would save by switching over when you consider the money of just over $900,000 to do all this conversion? How much money are they looking at saving over what predictable lifespan are they talking about? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, looking at the cost of the electricity through the facility and in comparison to the price of home heating oil, it was felt that the recovery of the cost could be done in three to five years.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That just seems too good to be true. Is he saying that even with the increase in the power bill, the offsetting difference between what is estimated for the fuel price and that, that we would be able to pay for this project within three to five years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, with the information and the work between the department and the supplier of power, it's felt that they could, again varying on the price of home heating oil as it fluctuates, they could recover these costs in a matter of three to five years.

Thank you. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you. Well, I did not believe him the first time, but now that we have this newfound revelation before us, will this be the only project or is he anticipating more projects to come forward in the near future? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the idea is to look at if this in fact can be achieved, and the second piece of this is the availability of the hydroelectricity beyond the window that is being looked at: about six years. Thank you.

Public Works and Services, capital investment expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, $2.040 million.