Mr. Speaker, as we know too well, the price of fuel and power over the last several years has been continuing to escalate, and the price of crude oil has risen more than 40 percent since January of 2005. This has prompted the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Transportation to take actions to mitigate the impact and to continue to plan for future conservation initiatives.

Transportation has taken a number of initiatives in the past to conserve on energy consumption, including rehabilitation and refits of major buildings. An example includes the retrofit of some of our maintenance garages with many translucent overhead doors to improve our energy efficiency and provide more natural light. We have also undertaken, in partnership with the Arctic Energy Alliance, numerous energy audits to determine what buildings and what retrofits should be considered. These audits resulted in building modifications to conserve energy.

Mr. Speaker, energy conservation is an ongoing issue for Transportation, and a number of initiatives are being pursued with this objective. This includes establishment of an equipment management system to better track equipment utilization expenditures and costs, and the development of an environmental strategy to consider, amongst other items, a wide range of activities to address conservation both in the departmental activities and wider transportation industry.

To address the many concerns for energy conservation, there are a number of initiatives being considered. This includes the implementation of a smart driving program for all operational drivers. The department will work with other GNWT departments in a broader implementation of energy conservation measures.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is also working to address the impact of rising energy costs, not as a direct user but as a key supporter of community governments.

We have seen, through the progressive work of communities such as Whati, where energy conservation and alternative energy use are a priority, that there are innovative ways for communities to reduce consumption and related costs.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the department is working to finalize negotiations with the federal government on the transfer of gas tax funding to the Northwest Territories, and the funding is expected to flow to the NWT communities starting in this fiscal year.

Hear! Hear!

Michael McLeod

Deh Cho

This funding is intended to promote environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure. Municipal and Community Affairs has pushed to broaden the project criteria for gas tax funding so that communities can use it to support energy efficient components of other infrastructure; for example, solar panels on a community office.

Mr. Speaker, Whati has been a leader in exploring options for energy conservation and alternative energy sources. However, Whati is not the only community undertaking work in this area. For example, Jean Marie River is looking into solar panel options for the band office, and Colville Lake is exploring alternative energy sources for the new water treatment plant.

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Mr. Speaker, we may never be able to keep up with the cost of fuel, especially at the current consumption level, so it is critically important to look at alternatives, and to support the community governments to lead the work on this at the community level.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, the departments of Transportation and Municipal and Community Affairs are taking action to address the ever-rising costs of energy. Rising costs will continue to be an ongoing issue, so it is essential that we look for innovative approaches to reduce energy consumption, limit costs and increase efficiency in our use of non-renewable resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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