Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Bill 24.
Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 24: An Act To Amend The Revolving Funds Act. Bill 24 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 30, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee On Economic Development and Environment for Review. On September 21, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Infrastructure on this bill and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 24: An Act To Amend The Revolving Funds Act is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Bill 29.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 29: Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act. Bill 29 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 1, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development And Environment for review.
On September 15, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Member For Frame Lake on this private member’s bill and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 29: Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act is ready for consideration in committee of the whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Bill 30. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 30: An Act to Amend the Aurora College Act. Bill 30 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 2, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee On Social Development for review.
On September 9, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing on this bill. The committee completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill publicly with the Minister Of Education, Culture, and Employment on this bill on September 27, 2021.
Mr. speaker, the committee reports that Bill 30: An Act to Amend the Aurora College Act is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Bill 31.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 31: An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act. Bill 31 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 2, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee On Social Development for review.
On September 28, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Health and Social Services on this bill and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill. Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 31: An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Bill 23 received second reading on March 11, 2021.
Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act, received second reading on March 11, 2021 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations (“SCOGO” or “the Committee”) for review. MLA Jacobson introduced Bill 23 as a Private Member’s Bill.
Bill 23 would prohibit a public utility from disconnecting a residential customer’s electricity between October 1 and April 30, or whenever the temperature is forecast to be below 0°C. A customer’s electricity, if it was disconnected during the summer months due to non-payment of bills, would have to be reconnected by October 1, or as soon as practicable. Bill 23 would also prohibit a public utility from installing a load limiter on a residential customer due to non-payment of a bill and would allow a public utility to enter a payment plan with a customer prior to reconnecting electricity service during the May 1 – September 30 timeframe.
I will now turn this over to MLA Bonnetrouge.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Member for Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
On September 29, 2021, the committee held a public hearing with the sponsoring Member and invited public presentations. The public hearing was live streamed on the Legislative Assembly channel.
In advance of the hearing, the committee received five written submissions from:
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC)
Northland Utilities
The Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board (PUB)
Two members of the public
Almost all stakeholder submissions were opposed to Bill 23 (see Appendix A). Public utilities viewed current legislation, which permits the use of load limiters in the winter, as a balanced approach between the needs of individual customers, the utilities’ interest to encourage payment of outstanding balances. They noted that the use of load limiters is common practice in the industry as a last-case scenario. The public utilities expressed concern that the bill would create larger, potentially insurmountable debts for non-paying customers, increase the utilities’ bad debt expense and revenue requirement, and ultimately put upward pressure on electricity rates for all customers. As a result, one Standing Committee on Government Operations report on Bill 23 on November 22, 2021 utility asserted that the Bill is contrary to the 19th Assembly’s mandate priority to “reduce the cost of power.”
Submissions from members of the public expressed similar concern that the bill creates a disincentive for customers to pay their electricity bills in the winter, with the effect of increasing electricity rates for all customers.
I now pass it on the MLA Cleveland.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The committee was grateful for the sponsoring Member’s work to draw attention to and advance solutions for the impacts of unaffordable electricity bills on NWT residents, particularly some of his constituents in Nunakput. The committee admired the advocacy and compassion of the sponsoring Member and was sympathetic to the intentions of Bill 23. However, the committee had concerns about some of the potential impacts of Bill 23, most significantly that the bill would likely increase residential electricity rates for all customers.
The committee noted contrary anecdotal evidence that Hydro One Remotes, a public utility that provides electricity to 22 remote communities across Northern Ontario, did not experience an increase in arrears due to similar legislation in Ontario that banned disconnection and load limiters in the winter.
The committee was also concerned that Bill 23, as a whole, would not address the root causes for which some NWT residents cannot afford their electricity bills. The committee recognized that the root causes of the issue are numerous and complex, and responsibility spans multiple organizations including the NWT Housing Corporation, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the Public Utilities Board, and the public utilities themselves.
Ultimately, the committee was unable to reach agreement on how to proceed with Bill 23, and therefore moves the bill forward for consideration in Committee of the Whole. The committee believes that Bill 23 brings up important issues that require further exploration and action. The committee urges the government to undertake policy work to better understand the root causes of electricity unaffordability and take coordinated policy actions to address the issue. To that effect, committee proposes several recommendations to guide this important work.
The committee is concerned that there are barriers, gaps, and policy redundancies that cause higher electricity bills and make assistance benefits and programs less accessible and less effectual for electricity customers. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT Housing Corporation both design and deliver programs that support NWT residents who may also face difficulty paying their electricity bills. Therefore, the committee recommends:
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment work with the NWT Housing Corporation to address potential barriers that can cause higher electricity bills for people on income assistance in housing units.
This should include reviewing the 2018 policy change that transferred more responsibility for electricity consumption from the NWT Housing Corporation to tenants, and whether this change resulted in increased income assistance from ECE or an increased number of customers in arrears on their power bills and value of those arrears.
Mr. Speaker, I now wish to pass the reading of the report to the Member for Inuvik-Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Inuvik-Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee Members heard anecdotal reports from constituents who must improvise methods to regulate the temperature in public housing due to poor build quality, deterioration of the units, and insufficient maintenance. The committee has heard about tenants in NWT public housing whose units do not adequately retain heat in the winter due, for instance, to interior doors being installed on exterior walls. As a result, tenants may resort to using their stove to heat their unit. The committee also heard about tenants in NWT public housing who must open the windows in the winter because the broilers in their buildings release too much heat. Tenants should not have to resort to improvised methods that may be dangerous, energy-inefficient, and financially costly to regulate the temperature of their units. Therefore, the committee recommends:
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the NWT Housing Corporation ensure that all its housing units are fit for habitation, such that tenants are not forced to resort to improvised methods to regulate the temperature of the home.
Committee members also heard anecdotal reports from constituents about high electricity bills caused by the high energy demand of energy-inefficient appliances in public housing. Tenants in public housing do not own the major appliances in their units and depend on the landlord, the NWT Housing Corporation, to install energy efficient appliances that lower electricity bills.
The committee notes that NWT Housing Corporation’s mission statement includes the goal of “implementing energy efficiency technologies” to enhance the long-term sustainability of housing assets. The committee welcomes investments that improve the energy efficiency of units and appliances in NWTHC’s upcoming Energy Strategy. Therefore, the committee recommends:
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the NWT Housing Corporation conduct a review of all household appliances, heating equipment, water heaters, and lighting products in housing units to ensure they meet current federal energy efficiency standards.
I will now pass the reading of the report to MLA Martselos.
Thank you, Member. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Life events such as a loss of employment or benefit income, unexpected medical expenses, or a death in the family can cause electricity customers to fall behind on their bills. As a result, customers may face disconnection or the installation of load limiters. Committee notes that in other jurisdictions, notably British Columbia, there are programs that provide supports to electricity customers experiencing a temporary financial crisis. A similar program in the NWT context merits consideration as a policy response to electricity unaffordability for some customers. Therefore, the committee recommends:
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Public Utilities Board work with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and Northland Utilities to consider and study the implementation of a customer crisis fund, modeled after BC Hydro’s Customer Crisis Fund, to provide grant payments to residential customers experiencing a temporary financial crisis and who have fallen into arrears.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, committee members received numerous calls and correspondence from constituents regarding how changes related to emergency income supports, like the Canada Recovery Benefit, impacted their eligibility to the Income Assistance Program. Constituents were sometimes unaware of these impacts and, as a result, faced unexpected difficulty in paying their electricity bills.
More generally, the committee believes that the public utilities can and should provide clearer, more proactive communication to customers regarding matters that may impact electricity bills, payments, and service. As the regulator and supervisor of public utilities in the NWT, the Public Utilities Board has a key role to promote more client-centered service to NWT electricity customers. Therefore, the committee recommends:
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and Northland Utilities, with oversight and, if necessary, enforcement from the Public Utilities Board, improve communications with customers so that they are clearer, more comprehensive, more proactive, and more client-centered, especially with respect to:
Eligibility for the Income Assistance Program, and how policy changes or new benefit programs, like the Canada Recovery Benefit, may impact customer eligibility.
The terms and conditions of service document regarding details on:
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The types and minimum timeframes of notices that NTPC may send customers;
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The type and operation of power limiters; and
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Customer payment options.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Government Operations’ Report on Bill 23. The committee looks forward to the government’s response to these recommendations.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following five documents: Capital Estimates 2022-2023; Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 2, 2021-2022; Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2021-2022; GNWT Response to Motion 37-19(2): Creation of a Northwest Territories Food Security Strategy; and a Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 500-19(2): Governmental Renewal Initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 29-19(2): Systemic Racism; and Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 717-19(2): Disaster Navigator Recommended for Flooded Communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following seven documents: Minister of Health and Social Services Response to Letters Received from Health Care Providers; Follow-Up Letter to Oral Question 723-19(2) Mental Health and Fatigue; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 725-19(2) Medical Travel Advocate; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 744-19(2) Aging in Place with Dignity; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 763-19(2) Nursing Human Resources; and Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 764-19(2) Cancer Pre-Screening and Self-Isolation Exemptions Data. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Justice.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 13-19(2), Report on the Review of the 2019-2020 Ombud Annual Report; Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 15-19(2), Report on the Review of the Auditor General's 2020 Audit of Early Childhood to Grade 12 Education in the NWT; and Additional Follow-Up for Oral Question 497-19(2), Corrections Workplace Assessment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
