Debates of October 18, 2006 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently I received a call from Nahanni Butte and the topic, of course, is power and continues to be a concern over there, the power rates. Absolutely, the single biggest impact for granny from Nahanni is the high cost of power. I'm not too sure who to ask this to there, Mr. Speaker. I know that we have a territorial power support. Is there anything in the plan, are we going to augment it, add to it to help our people in our communities, especially another way of helping out the elders in there? With that, Mr. Speaker, I'll pass it over to the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the area of the Territorial Power Support Program, that program continues to grow just by the fact of volume of people in their own homes and the subsidy we provide to residents outside of the capital. We have no plans of changing that program. It is set at 700 kilowatt hours at the Yellowknife rate, and then the rate zone is charged per community. That's the best we can do at this point and that program has now crept over the $8 million mark. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess one of the other ways that I have been trying to address this issue is the one-rate power zone and it's typically done through the general rate application. I don't know if the Minister of Finance has the information before him, but is there a general rate application going into the PUB shortly or this fall? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the past the government has worked through that and I am aware, from the Minister of the Power Corporation, that, indeed, there is a general rate application going forward in November. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with ways of reducing heat and power rates in the communities, again I'm not too sure if I'm asking the right Minister here, but converting the heat from power plants is a possibility but they're saying the cost is borne on the communities. So is there assistance that our government can help the communities convert the energy that's lost in the power plants? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Roland. Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, that is really a question that should be directed to the Minister for the Power Corporation, so, if I can, I would refer it to him.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Honourable Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have a program that we have joint ventures, of partnerships, through the residual heat concept. Again, it's all based on the costs and it is burdened by the community by way of the way that we bill our communities. It's based on the actual cost to produce that power, but it's also charged on the number of residents in those communities. But we are looking at communities and looking at new initiatives such as residual heat, but also through the new technologies that are out there we are looking at that and we are open to the possibility of seeing exactly what's the economic costs associated with doing these. Again, because of the size of a lot of the small communities, it's just not economically viable to do it; but in the larger communities, it possibly is. Again, we are open to looking at these different possibilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe this will be back to the Minister of Finance, it's just with the territorial power subsidy. Maybe just for clarification, does that include the commercial power rates in the Territorial Power Subsidy Program? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Krutko.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. That question, again as the Member pointed out, should be redirected to the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 125-15(5): Territorial Power Support Program And Community Power Rates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Territorial Power Support Program is aimed at residences, so 700 kilowatt hours per month. I might say, Mr. Speaker, my home in Inuvik with my family, I worked hard at keeping consumption below that because once you get above it you start paying your community rate and that can go up significantly. We do have a commercial portion of it. It is very small and it is application based. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.