Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that the Northwest Territories has some of the highest costs in the country. These high costs have a big impact on our cost of living. For example, in Fort Simpson the average personal income is around $45,000. The monthly cost of electricity and heat averages around $600. This means that the cost to power and heat their homes is over 15 per cent of their income. People are struggling to make ends meet and falling further behind because of these escalating costs.
Mr. Speaker, during the last session I spoke about the high energy costs and the impact it is having in our communities. I spoke about the frustration community government leaders have with the cost of electricity and the management of the NWT Power Corporation. This frustration has led to the larger non-hydro communities like Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and Inuvik to consider a number of options, including finding alternate energy suppliers. If these three communities withdraw from the NWT Power Corporation, it could have a serious impact on the remaining NWT Power Corporation customer base and the overall operations of the NWTPC.
Mr. Speaker, community government leaders have met with the Premier, the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, and the Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board and discussed two options they would like the government to consider. One would be to treat every resident in the territory the same and bring in the one rate zone. The second option would be to sell the Power Corporation to another energy supplier with a capacity to develop some of the vast hydro potential in our territory. This alternative would allow the GNWT to rid itself of the debt load associated with NWTPC and lead to a reduction of electrical costs in the communities.
Mr. Speaker, the government will be reviewing electricity rates, regulations and the power subsidy program over the next year. We need to take the recommendations made by our community government leaders seriously and consider all the options when looking for solutions that will provide all residents with affordable energy. This needs to be done as quickly as possible.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
