Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, one projects we did work with to reduce the fossil fuels and the diesel and revert to solar was in Aklavik. We've had an extensive program that happened in Aklavik where this is just one of many examples where we have reduced diesel consumption and, you know, started to look at solar panel. So that is something that we are doing. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Okay, so the Minister's clarifying that they incorporated solar panels for their plans. It's interesting stuff.
I'm wondering if the extent of this program or look to assist the Housing Corporation and MTS in reducing? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I think I spoke earlier about the partnership that the Department of Infrastructure and Housing has done. We are doing that.
In terms of MTS, I'm not sure what exactly the Member is asking in terms of how we work with MTS in terms of because MTS does not fit within what the grant and program is. Thank you.
Thank you. Member.
I'll just retract that one. Maybe it's steamships maybe on that one, but.
The community government retrofits, was that the one that I was at ... or the energy efficiency incentive program, it provides financial assistance to reduce electrical, heat energy, and water. It's only a hundred thousand. Is that available for community NGOs and local businesses? Mahsi.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm going to my understanding is that it's not but I just want clarification. So I'm going to ask Mr. Jenkins to be able to speak if that's where the department is going with that funding, given it's only a hundred thousand dollars. Thank you.
Thank you. ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So my understanding is this program, this is money that flows out under an application basis. So supports that could to go out through AEA. So a lot of these things, these types of energy efficiency, there's a number of rebate programs across the territories. So thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Community government retrofits, $200,000, to perform energy audits and retrofits to community government buildings. I'm just wondering if these are just government buildings, or are they available for NGOs and local businesses? Mahsi.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is I believe just governments. Yeah, would you okay.
Thank you. ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So the community government retrofits is a contribution to Arctic Energy Alliance, and that's helps to administer a program for energy audits and retrofits to government community buildings. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi. The Tulita Solar Project, I know there's been questions about it where we were asking about other communities. I'm just wondering where this was set up or which organization? Mahsi.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to look at the project. Maybe Mr. Jenkins can answer. Thank you.
Thank you. ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So I believe the Tulita Solar Project was a communityled project. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Further to that line of questioning, I see here there's nothing budgeted for 20222023. Are there no ongoing costs for the Tulita Solar Project? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That project's done. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My next question is in regards to continuing a conversation about electric vehicle pilot project successes that we heard about earlier today. I'm wondering if there is a plan from the GNWT to build electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Northwest Territories?
Our neighbour to the west, the Yukon, currently has 11 charging stations available to residents and an additional five planned for 2022. And so I'm wondering if we can hear about the plans for the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Just remember to wait for your light to come on so the translators have time to catch up. Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So we did launch a pilot electric vehicle program in June of 2020 with the cooperation from the Arctic Energy Alliance which provided $5,000 rebate for new vehicle. And also as part of that, we provided $500 to be able to provide for charging stations in hydropower communities. And that's a tricky thing because, I mean some of these electrical vehicles won't work all across the territories. We recognize that. However, we applied for federal funding to be able to deploy electric vehicle fast charging station along the highway. So this is something that we as a department are working with Canada to be able to look at advancing that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam I can't see I don't have a light anymore so I can't oh, okay, there we go. Thank you. Not sure what light I was looking for. Thank you very much. And my apologies to the interpreters for jumping the gun there.
And I appreciate that the government is going currently back to the feds to work on some agreements for those charging stations. I do note that the investment in energy section of the main estimates has come down by about $4 million. Looking on the next page, I see that that's from the reductions to the Low Carbon Leadership Economy Fund. And the concern there is this is at a time where we really want to be investing in innovative energy solutions for the Northwest Territories.
So can the Minister speak to how they intend to replace that $4 million so that we can continue to grow our investment in energy and not reduce it? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we had a lower uptake in the LCELF. So the department, you know, worked with our federal funding counterparts to be able to arrange some changes to how we can utilize this program a bit more.
The agreement caps contributions to 25 percent for businesses and individuals and 75 percent for governments. So we know that from experience that 25 percent is not good enough to incent GHG reduction initiatives here in the North, and as well as communities that are accessing federal funding.
If I can, maybe just get Mr. Jenkins to speak a little more about that, because I saw that on the line as well and that was a big flag for me. So I mean, we as a government we're able to work with our federal counterparts to be able to ensure that going forward we're able to make use of the project funding. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. ADM Jenkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So we were successful in negotiating an extension to that LCELF agreement to 2024. It would have expired this year. So unspent funds from the program, we're proposing to move those forward over the next few years and we've also proposed some reprofiling. A lot of the programs under here are application based. We've got some experience now in those programs. Some are getting good uptake, and some aren't. And so we've reprofiled some funds. And in particular, reprofiling a number of those funds to AEA programs. And so we are pleased that we're able to continue to provide additional support, in particular to AEA, because those programs have been pretty successful over the next the few years. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Kam Lake.
Yeah, thank you very much for that. And I guess the department, I suppose, has heard that there's definitely support for growth in this area from this side of the House, and I just want to and I value what Mr. Jenkins just said about the AEA program as well but just want to also reiterate, and support the words of my colleague from Hay River South, about investment in Arctic Energy Alliance as well and increasing that line item so that we can see some more funding to innovative energy supports in the territory. Thank you.
Thank you. Didn't have any questions? Are there any further questions under this section? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. On page 248, the large scale commercial and industrial under the Low Carbon Leadership Economy Fund, I think that's supposed to be whatever, why is that bouncing around like a yoyo? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There's the three different variances. So you look at the variance of the Greenhouse Gas Grant Fund, the variance is due to lower than expected anticipated uptake of the program application. So that's the big variance there of 2.237. And then there's a decrease because we had, as Mr. Jenkins pointed out, we had to reprofile the cash flow for this in 20212022. And now you're seeing an increase because we're able to cash flow some of these that are related to an amendment now and an extension. So we went back to the government and requested an extension. So that's why you see it jumping around all over the place.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Yeah okay, thanks Madam Chair. Thanks to the Minister for that. I guess I'm worried about what this does to the continuity and availability of funds, particularly for Arctic Energy Alliance. I see from further up in the table there that they have a flat kind of amount of core funding, it appears, from the Department of Infrastructure of $1.6 million and there's this incremental funds through the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund that kind of go all over the place. So how does that affect the ability of Arctic Energy Alliance to provide funding for its programs? Because I've gotten complaints from my constituents about the money running out quickly for certain programs or and I've raised this in the House before. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at some of the projects. The budget here is it's the same across the board. It is what we've given Arctic Energy Alliance in 1.6, but yet we recognize some of the increases that we're able to divide within the government under different projects.
I'm going to see if Mr. Brennan can speak a little bit more about how we're able to, from a financial perspective, be able to move one line item under grants and contribution and transfers and then be able to recognize in another part of the exchange here the difference. So thank you.
Thank you, Minister. ADM Brennan.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, so in terms of the Arctic Energy Alliance program, we recognize the need there as well. This year, I do believe that there was some funding gaps that we were able to find some money internally. But one of the things we did on their Low Carbon Leadership Economy Fund was take some of the money that wasn't being as much uptake, including the commercial industrial greenhouse gas grants, and move it into the Arctic Energy Alliance. So through that cash flow, we've secured funding of about $1. million for the next two fiscal years.
Our goal is to seek additional federal funding first to try and keep that momentum going, so to speak, with the AEA. And if no federal funding's available, well then we'll have to look in terms of whether or not the GNWT would support some increases in that area as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.
