Thank you. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Lutselk'e Power Plant, that project involves a replacement and a relocation of the existing plant. The existing facility is nearing the end of its service life. We have received funding from Canada under the ICIP program, and we're looking at project completion as stated in the capital plan of 2021-2022. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi, Madam Chair, and thank you for that response. What is the total cost of this project? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will divert this question over to Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That project is approximately $12 million. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
There's a little bit of a bright light at the end of the tunnel for me in terms of this whole capital plan booklet. I'm glad to see there's some work being done, but as I said, I think there could have been a lot more. I'm just going to turn my attention to some of the various items here on page 49. I just wanted to see if there's any ballpark estimate of what else is being spent in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding in terms of the work being done? Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to ask Mr. Jenkins. He probably has a detailed list there. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We would have to go back and provide a listing of projects. Is the Member referring to, specifically, energy projects in his riding? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, can you clarify?
Marsi, Madam Chair. Yes, I will absolutely clarify. In the various items up here, I'm seeing hydro infrastructure. There's Raven fuel management, renewable solutions for off-grid diesel, Taltson expansion. Those four items, if you can give me a ballpark of what benefits this will be coming towards my riding? Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Some of the items as the Member indicated, we are advancing work on the Taltson expansion project. We have $18 million over three years, a 100 percent funding grant from CIRNAC for that work to advance that. There are a number of other areas in terms of renewable solutions for off-grid diesel, other areas that we would be looking in evaluating through the years potential projects across a number of regions, and we'll make sure that we look at any potential projects in this riding. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you. I don't want to speculate, but I bet if you did look at this, you won't find a whole lot of benefit. It just goes to my point. I've kind of been seeing this over and over, almost like a mantra. It's disappointing to see the lack of help we've been getting. I need to go back to my constituents and tell them why there's a lack of love, for a better word, in terms of contracts, the construction for this year. I want to hear some assurances.
I'll have some questions for the Premier later on, but we need to keep these projects going and spread out so there's more equity because right now there isn't. There's a lot of aging infrastructure in my riding, and we need to keep the upkeep. We still need to keep people working. We still need to keep these infrastructures up and showing the government that they do care for their citizens, right across the board, not just for the larger centres. Again, I'm very frustrated. We're not quite done yet here. Like I said, hopefully, I'll see a little bit more come through down the pipe here for the riding. Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I'm going to go back to the Whati line that my colleague was raising up there. I'm just wondering if Infrastructure has considered routing the line along the TASR road for future planning of development. If we're going to be put in a roadway, the idea that maybe later on, that will spur other development or even homes or things along that roadway. I'm sure we'll see cabins and such pop up. Wouldn't it make sense for one infrastructure corridor? I do understand there are money considerations with coming straight off of the source. However, if we're looking at a longer-term planning, maybe we want to think about that as actually as being a linear infrastructure corridor?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that's an excellent idea. I think the Member kind of understands where the need to be able to capture some of our 2030 strategy and to be able to meet some of our goals. That is something that the department will look into. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Of the projects in the list here on these couple of pages, several of them are denoted as having the federal funding pots, the ICIP and the DMAF. Could the Minister provide us with an idea of which of these projects we have actually secured the 75-cent dollars for and which are just ones that we're hoping to secure the funding for still? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to defer this to Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There are six energy projects under the integrated bilateral agreement for which we've received approved federal funding. That is the Inuvik Wind Project, Snare Forks hydro upgrades, Sachs Harbour diesel power plant project, Fort Simpson LNG project, Lutselk'e diesel power plant project that we just discussed, and the Taltson hydro overhaul. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't have any more questions. Just more of a comment. I'd like for the Minister to commit to no tricked-out vehicles, that many of these ones that are listed in here are not full of all the perks and top end of the line. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. I'll take that as a comment. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I want to follow up on my colleague's questions, colleague from Monfwi, about the Whati transmission line. I raised a number of concerns with this project in the last Assembly in a rather hurried review of the capital budget that was carried out in one day in August of 2019. This kind of project just kind of came out of thin air. I'm just wondering: there was money appropriated in the 2020-2021 Capital Estimates for this project. Was any of it actually spent, and if so, how much? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The budget for this project was about $33 million. I'm going to see if Mr. Jenkins has the amount that we have spent to date. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Minister mentioned, this project is included with our 10-year notional plan, notional at $33 million. To date, funds have been carried over; none are spent. We are working with the Tlicho Government to advance this project, and we have started some consultations on the project and discussions on potential routing. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member.
Thanks, Madam Chair. There was a lot of work done on mini-hydro for Whati using the Lac La Martre falls, very close to the community, and there was some preliminary work also done on mini-hydro for Gameti and Wekweeti, as well. As I understood from the information that I tabled in the last Assembly, you could probably do all three of those communities as mini-hydro for the same cost of this 60-kilometre over from Snare. Has the department looked at the relative costs of those three mini-hydro projects versus the Whati transmission line? Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm trying to find the answer here. I'm going to defer this to Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The GNWT, we are working with the Tlicho Government to advance the Whati transmission line project. The development of this transmission line does not preclude the future development of the 13-megawatt hydro project on the La Martre river that could support future industrial development and electrification of the North Slave. We are also advancing a project, a community hydro project, to serve Gameti. There was hydrology information that has been collected over the last few years. We need to look at that and confirm the hydro resource, have some more additional technical environmental work carried out, in partnership, of course, with the Tlicho Government and the community government, and then make decisions on that project moving forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I think we're jumping the gun here and including money for the Whati transmission line in the capital estimates when we haven't even made an application to the federal government yet, apparently, for this project. There hasn't been any analysis of the cost of a transmission line versus the cost of having three mini-hydro projects that could serve the three Tlicho communities. I just don't understand why this project is being pushed without that kind of analysis. Can the Minister commit to provide that analysis to this side of the House? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Absolutely. If the Member would like more detailed information on the project, that is something we can provide.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Great, yes. I really appreciate it, because it's my understanding that I think we could get mini-hydro projects that each community could actually control and have a self-sufficient energy future. At the same cost of building this big transmission line, they could become self-sufficient and control their own energy future. That's the kind of future I'm interested in, Madam Chair. Of course, that would need to be done in consultation with the Tlicho Government and all of the communities.
I want to move over to the Inuvik wind turbine project. I know that the Gwich'in Land and Water Board just rendered their decision on some issues around the land-use permit that was submitted for that project, and I am furiously trying to skim the decision myself that came out yesterday. It looks like the board has ruled that GNWT can rightfully have a land-use permit, but that they really need to consider this issue of whether the area is really part of the reindeer-grazing reserve. I have kind of a technical question here for the Minister: why did we not change the area that the turbine project is supposed to be located on? Why didn't we change the regulation and take it out of the reindeer reserve before trying to push this project through? Thanks, Madam Chair.
