Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to use the occasion today to ask questions to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I understand that the department is developing a fracking policy, or I should say potentially developing a policy on hydraulic fracking here in the Northwest Territories.
Before we ask specifics about the policy, when will a policy be developed so Members can see it? Is the Minister committed to bringing this policy public at the same time so all members of our territory can have a look at it as to what the government is thinking along the lines of this initiative? This way we can help diagnose if this is an initiative that Northerners want and under what type of conditions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government has been working on a guidance document in a draft form. Initially we started with encouragement from the committee. We have worked with the regulator. We have come up with the draft copy that is now on its way to committee. It is going to capture some of the best practices that we think are critical as we look at the use of unconventional hydraulic fracking that has taken place in the territory and where we anticipate in the central Mackenzie and the Sahtu, it’s going to be a practice that is going to have to be managed carefully. We’ve worked to come up with that, and that will be going to committee. We’ll be awaiting committee feedback, after which we will make the draft document public and we’ll also be sharing with industry for their feedback. Thank you.
On the recent hydraulic fracturing tour that Member Bromley referenced, that we had gone with the Minister and many others, we had heard from Saskatchewan officials, one in particular – I believe he was a bioengineer of some sort or a biochemist – and he put great emphasis on the quality of the water being used and the fact that they’re not monitoring the fracking fluids that go in and come out. In their case, yes, they agreed that they go in and then much of it comes out, but they don’t know where it goes after that.
I suggested, well, why don’t we put tracers or markers in these things so we have what’s called quality assurance programming, so we know what’s happening, and when something does happen, we can trace it back to where the problem is. But the way it stands in Saskatchewan, nobody knows.
I guess my question, if I may sort of pull it together, is simply this: What type of quality assurance monitoring programs will be developed in this fracking policy, and has the policy looked hard enough to ensure that the water monitoring and quality assurance is there, to ensure Northerners are safe and protected? Thank you.
As I’ve indicated, this guidance document, in draft form, has been worked on for quite some time and we are specifically sending it to committee for their review and their feedback. So we’re not in the position, since the Member hasn’t seen the document yet, to have that discussion.
It is on its way to committee and we will look forward to having that feedback and discussion with them on a go-forward basis. Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister’s answer. I think what’s important here today in the dialogue, are these are some of the concerns we’re going to build on, and certainly we want Northerners to give us feedback.
Earlier today it was talked about the Bakken. There was a rupture in the pipeline and 20,000 barrels of crude had spilled. For two weeks no one was informed. That was almost the exact same time this study tour was there.
One of the things that had arisen when we were in Alberta last year, talking to the BC regulators and the Alberta regulators, is about full disclosure of information.
I ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources: Is there a context being considered about a public registry to ensure full disclosure of information from the start to the finish, be it accidents or chemicals or process, to ensure that the public is fully aware what’s happening? I’m going to ask him, are they contemplating a public registry.
Mr. Speaker, we have pulled together a guidance document that captures best practices, and we are looking forward to the feedback from committee, once they’ve had a chance to review it. It contains a whole host of such practices and we will look forward to whatever advice they can give us. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recognizing a point that this is going to be before committee and it’s tough for the Minister to answer all the questions, the one thing I would notice is clear contrast between North Dakota and even Saskatchewan, in this case, and the Northwest Territories is public land ownership versus private land ownership. One of the things they can’t seem to get control of is pace of development. It seems they’re in such a hurry to get it out of the ground, and it’s focused around the interests of these oil companies.
My question for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources is: What type of mechanisms does he envision to help us control the pace of development, so if this is the path we choose, we go at a northern pace designed around what Northerners want and definitely what Northerners expect? Thank you.
We have, and we are going to be taking over April 1st, a lot of the authorities through the Devolution Agreement. We have an environmental assessment process that is in place. There are further regulatory adjustments being made. We have a close working relationship with the Aboriginal governments across the Northwest Territories, especially in the Sahtu where this oil play is taking place.
As a government, we have a stated commitment as we go forward, to this balance between economic development and protecting the environment, which we hold very clear as a priority. So when you combine all of those things and we’re going to work with committee on feedback on this guidance document, for example, I think we have the pieces in place to manage this development as we have managed other developments in the past effectively, and we have learned very clearly from some of the things that have happened in the past; for example, some of the other mining developments. As it comes to oil and gas, we are working very diligently to make sure we’re prepared and ready. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today as a complement to my Member’s statement earlier today on net metering and what huge opportunity this has portrayed with Northerners to think globally and to really act locally. We have an opportunity here as a government to make sure that those customers who have taken this risk, that they get full benefit of their investments, and in doing so, we have an opportunity as a government to make sure that we are staying ahead of the pack with incentives and opportunities for those people who deal with self-generation power initiatives.
My questions today are for the Minister who is in charge of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. To the Minister: Do we know what the actual kilowatt credit dollar amount will be for customers that NTPC will give back to residents that want to put electricity back onto the grid and will there be any difference between a thermal or a hydro zone? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister responsible for NWT Power, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The intent is to provide a reimbursement of the retail rate for the kilowatt hour alternative energy that’s generated and supplied back to the grid. Thank you.
Thank you. So, what we’re hearing from the Minister is we’re going to be giving a retail rate back. I guess to put things in perspective, how close is that to the production costs to us as an organization to this rate? Is there a difference, or is the retail rate pretty close to what it would cost to produce that rate? Thank you.
Thank you. If the Member is interested, we can pull together what we think the cost will be on a community-by-community basis for the two zone bases, the thermal zone and the hydro zone. But clearly it’s not going to be the full cost that the Power Corporation has to pay to generate hydro, so the retail rate would be different. Thank you.
I welcome that information. I’m sure Members of the committee would recommend that it get that as well.
It is documented in some jurisdictions that net metering credits that customers receive are sometimes in the order of two to three times higher than the standard kilowatt base rate, or we heard today is retail rate. Was this something that was discussed as an opportunity, as an incentive for people to put money into solar power? Thank you.
The rate of power already has a significant subsidy from the government. In addition, we have a significant number of rebate programs that are encouraging people to invest in alternative energy, be it biomass, solar, even wind, buying new stoves, buying the equipment that they need to get engaged in the production of the alternative energy. But there’s no other specific subsidy that’s attached to this net metering. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what we’re trying to do here is think of ways or incentives so that we can entice those people to start making the investment, because it is very expensive and we do appreciate the money that we do give. But has the GNWT talked about any other type of financial incentives to go alongside what is currently available federally, as potentially consumer-friendly loans, remissible grants, tax credits, or even rewards programs for those who want to take advantage of the self-power opportunities? Thank you.
Thank you. When net metering was initially looked at, the focus was to entice and encourage folks in the thermal community, where the costs are very, very significantly higher than the hydro zone. We’ve built this array of supports, but the issue of the taxation, of loans, those types of things have not been considered. We have to wait and see how it works in the hydro zone where we’ll, in effect, be exchanging one type of renewable energy for another as opposed to the thermal zone where we know we’re going to be replacing diesel with solar or wind, whatever other alternative energy is used. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to address my questions today to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my statement where I talked about the amendments to the Education Act. I stated in my statement that the issue of bullying and cyber-bullying is not just an issue that belongs within the Education department or within our schools. It is a societal issue.
I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not – albeit I’m glad that we have these amendments going forward – the Minister and or other departments within the government are considering plans for other legislation. I’d like to ask the Minister how he intends to address bullying in the workplace, for instance. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since there was a request by the standing committee of this Legislative Assembly, we’ve initiated our own research and conducted various analyses, and I’ll say engaged the general public, as well, and also the standing committee went out to seek information and input from the general public. The legislation and Safe Schools Plan have been developed through this process. It is an area that pertains to my Education portfolio, where we’re going to be amending our Education Act.
When we talk about territorial-wide, it’s beyond my mandate. What we’re focusing on is the Education Act alone because it pertains to the schools and the teachers that we’re responsible for. If it’s beyond the other departments, I’m working closely with the Justice department, as well, if that’s the case, to initiate the process. We are working closely with the standing committee on those changes as we move forward. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear an answer to my question there, except I think it was a no. But the Minister said that the amendments that have been developed are dealing with stuff that falls within his department, but I’m sure that this issue was discussed at Cabinet before the amendments were brought forward. So I still put the question out there: How is this government going to address workplace bullying, because it does exist there, and how is this government going to address bullying that happens outside of our schools?
One of the things that is quite evident when you look at the literature around bullying, is that bullying is the result of a problem; that an individual has a difficulty, that they have run into some kind of maybe it’s a mental health issue or another issue, and it needs to be addressed. The root causes of bullying are something which are not really spoken about.
I’d like to ask the Minister what are in the plans of the Education department if these amendments are passed. What are the plans of the department to address the root causes for victims, for bullies and for bystanders? Thank you.
Mahsi. This is, I believe, in my view, a gradual step towards dealing with the bullying issue in our schools. Also, working with the Justice department, because the Justice department works closely with the federal government, whether it be the cyber-bullying, there’s other legislation within the Justice department that we need to work closely with.
At the same time, in 2003 we established the NWT Safe Schools Working Group that consists of DEAs, DECs, NWTTA, MACA, the Human Rights Commission, Health and Social Services and Justice. This is an active committee that is engaged when we talk about the whole legislation. Also, the territorial Safe Schools Action Plan has been developed through this process. So, if we’re talking beyond the schools, then that’s out of my mandate. My mandate is to deal with the Education Act and make some amendments to that, and I need to work closely with the Justice department when we talk about other department jurisdictions, because we have to deal with the Human Resource department as well. Thank you.
I am, unfortunately, dismayed to hear the Minister say, not in my backyard. I would hope that he, as a Minister, that if bullying is important to him, that he would push it with the other Ministers and bring forward some legislation to address the bigger issue of bullying.
One of the things, though, that was in the motion which the House passed in February of 2012, part of the motion spoke to an education and awareness campaign. It was asked for and it was intended to be territory-wide.
I would like to ask the Minister what plans are in place to put in place an education and awareness campaign on bullying and cyber-bullying. Thank you.
To deal with the bullying in schools, it is very important to us. We need to eliminate the bullying in schools. As the Minister responsible for Education, it is very important to me.
With respect to the media, how we are going to correspond and the communications plan for education awareness, we are moving forward on those action plans. We need to develop communication tools so we can work with the DECs, MACA, the Justice department, Health and Social Services and other departments that are responsible for their part in this as well. We are doing what we can to deal with the bullying in our schools and also in our communities. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on today, I would like to recognize Mr. Gerald Gerrand in our House today, our Conflict of Interest Commissioner, who is in the gallery with us today. Welcome, Mr. Gerrand.
---Applause
And with him is Mr. David Jones of Edmonton. Welcome to the Assembly, Mr. Jones.
---Applause
Thank you. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for his response. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear in there that we have plans for a territorial-wide campaign to educate not just the schools but the people outside the schools, parents, people in the workplace and so on.
I would like to ask the Minister, he says that there is a communications plan being developed, he talked about a couple of other things that are being developed, I would like to know from the Minister when we can see this communications plan or awareness plan or whatever it is going to be. When are we going to see that rolling out? Thank you.
Mahsi. When it comes to bullying, we have to hear from the students, so we are developing an awareness campaign that will give a voice to the students themselves, and also speaking about the truth and the hurt involved when people are bullied. So these are some of the areas that we are moving forward on, on awareness. With respect to dates, I will have to get back to the Member on the exact date that it will be distributed.
Again, we are working with different departments and different organizations, because when we talk about bullying, it is very broad, so we are moving forward on this through our Education Act amendments. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. I was just informed this morning that ITI is putting on fracking education workshops in Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope this afternoon and tomorrow. These workshops have been, apparently, planned for a long time and yet I have just learned of them today.
I am wondering what role the Ministers of the Environment and Education might have had in developing these workshops. I am wondering: Could the Minister please explain the purpose of these education sessions? Mahsi.
Thank you Mr. Bromley. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to hydraulic fracturing, and the Northwest Territories is no different.
It has been suggested many times that we do more community meetings and workshops when it comes to hydraulic fracturing. At the suggestion of the community of Fort Good Hope, who wanted a third-party workshop to be set up in the communities in the Sahtu – the Member mentioned the communities of Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope – this week. We are also hoping to have meetings take place in Deline and also Tulita. The meeting in Fort Good Hope, folks from Colville Lake will be brought in to that meeting, as well, this week.
It is not a sales pitch by industry. It is being carried out by a third party, a neutral third party. The Indian Resources Council will be delivering the workshop. The more education we can do on the hydraulic fracturing here in the Northwest Territories, the better off we will be.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is fully committed to ensuring people have all the information when it comes to hydraulic fracturing here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister for that response. The Indian Resource Council, of course, is a group that represents oil-producing First Nations. It is not likely that we will get a balanced view from them either. I know that ConocoPhillips is a partner in presenting these workshops, according to the Minister’s information.
Fracking will have wide-ranging impacts in the Northwest Territories, but I totally agree that it is important for the people of the Sahtu to learn more about what is being planned for their region. It is their land and communities that will be most affected, but in looking at the agenda and speakers, I see that the one-sided tour we had in North Dakota is continuing in the Sahtu.
Could the Minister please explain why the people hired to conduct these sessions are all representatives of oil producers, and how the people of the Sahtu are supposed to make informed decisions when they are not being given the full story? I admit it takes effort to get everybody to the table, all perspectives to the table. Thank you.
We needed a neutral third party, and I have to disagree with Mr. Bromley’s assertion that the Indian Resources Council is not a neutral third party. They were brought in at the request of the community of Fort Good Hope and the leadership in the community of Fort Good Hope. Thank you.
I understand that the oil companies are hoping to make a lot of money from fracking in the Sahtu, so they can afford to pay for educational workshops and make everything look so rosy, but the government’s role here is to make sure that people have the best information.
Can the Minister confirm that GNWT funds were used to pay for these workshops and that similar funding is available to bring in people who are not industry lobbyists? Mahsi.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment would have helped communities fund these workshops that have been much anticipated in the Sahtu. For a detailed breakdown of costs and who is paying for what, I will make a commitment today to get the Member that information. Certainly, we have been looking for partners to help pay for these workshops. That is how we have gone about this, is partnerships, and if that’s with industry and communities, that’s how we are going to continue to pursue getting people the education that they need when it comes to making an informed decision about hydraulic fracturing here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really do appreciate that the people of the Sahtu and the people of the Northwest Territories need to be better informed about fracking. We need to consider the economic, social and environmental benefits very carefully.
When will the people of the Sahtu and NWT have an opportunity to hear about the social and environmental impacts and make informed decisions about what is best for their communities? Will the Minister sponsor a public forum on fracking that will include balanced information on both the positive and negative potential impacts? Mahsi.
Anything we do in that regard would have to be done in conjunction with my colleague Minister Miltenberger, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and we would certainly look at getting the information out there. If it is hosting another community education symposium or workshop, call it what you will, that is what we want to see happen. We need to continue to get the misinformation off of the table and the real facts put squarely on the table. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
