Caroline Wawzonek

All right.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have recently concluded an agreement with the local contractor in Inuvik to extend the contract that we had there. That -- and it's been extended only for the rest of this calendar year. I can say, Mr. Speaker, that the pricing system is fairly simple in a way. There's the landed costs of alcohol arriving in the Northwest Territories, there's an NTLCC markup which has not changed. We have an administrative fee NTLCC has not changed. And then there's whatever rate is applied through the commission from our various sales agents. So, again, Mr. Speaker, I...

No, thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Implementation Update and Close Out on the Report on the Review of GNWT Procurement Policies and Practices October and Northwest Territories Power Corporation; and, Northwest Territories Hydro Corporation Annual Report 2023-24. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the territory is in a situation right now where every resident is, I would say, feeling the pinch of increased prices and some much more than others, particularly in smaller communities and in more remote communities, communities that were already paying -- well, the entire Northwest Territories is paying the highest electricity rates anywhere in Canada, which is a message that I have carried to anyone south of the border that will listen. And small communities are paying the highest rates anywhere of those. The Sahtu is paying, as I understand it, the highest rates of anywhere in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we need to increase the transmission connections across the Northwest Territories. We need to not have 20 some individual micro grids, not have two disconnected hydro systems north and south of the lake. So, Mr. Speaker, it is certainly our hope that, again, in this capital budget, we are hoping to get to a place where we can connect the communities of Kakisa and Fort Providence into the southern hydro grid, hoping to advance work with the Tlicho government to see the Whati hydro project connected into the northern grid, and also hoping to see within this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, happy to take that as a suggestion to establish targets. I mean, really, the target is for no project to go significantly over budget, and there's an obligation on all of our project management teams across departments to work to that goal. But, Mr. Speaker, again, always looking for opportunities to continue to do better. There's been a lot of change in the procurement space and the project planning space in the last few years, and again, very happy to take it away and see what more we can do in that regard. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, committed to continuous improvement. And, Mr. Speaker, I want to give a few examples quickly. I know it's question period and the clock is running down, but, Mr. Speaker, Inuvik wind has come up a few times. That is a problem -- project that's had a number of different problems arise over the course of it. I can say that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation intends to do a review of that, intends to do a lessons learned, to ensure that even if we can explain each individual challenge, each and every one of them we should be looking at to try to ensure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the only element in that formula that I read out earlier that's changed is the commission that we're paying to the contractor in Inuvik, and that commission that we're paying to the contractor in Inuvik is the negotiations that would go on with any proponent. And that was when we had to extend -- or sought to extend the contract that they had previously. During that negotiation, the commission that they negotiated for themselves went up, and so the prices have gone up. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I am more than happy to retract those comments. I certainly didn't want to leave any impression that Members of this House don't respect the public service. So I apologize, and I take it back.