Mr. Speaker, this is a very complex subject as we struggle here in the Northwest Territories to find the most efficient means to deliver reliable energy to the communities of the Northwest Territories.
Again we’re faced with the remote and rural nature of many of our communities, the far distances we have to haul fuel to feed diesel generators, the disparity that’s created when some communities are able to be supplied from hydro — all of this within the context of a relatively small territory in terms of population. We struggle with all of these things, but we need a very comprehensive review of everything related to the production, distribution and creation of energy and power here in the Northwest Territories.
I’ve heard some of my colleagues refer to privatization. I think that we should leave no stone unturned. I think we should look at everything. We talk about regulation. We talk about a monopoly. We talk about community empowerment and communities taking on this role. We talk about a single rate zone, levelized rates, the overhead of NTPC, the fuel costs which are out of our control, community based rates and power subsidies. All of these are very, very complex issues.
Although in a community like Hay River, we are probably the envy of other communities when it comes to our power rates. I want to assure Members that even in Hay River the residents do struggle with the cost of energy and with our cost of living there. We still are a northern community. We have a very cold environment to deal with. I know that compared to Mr. Jacobson’s riding, maybe it sounds like we don’t have a lot to worry about.
An idea was brought forward — not my idea but one of my colleague’s — which I thought had some merit. Rather than raising the 700 kilowatt per hour limit for communities where the costs are higher than Yellowknife’s, perhaps we should look at the communities whose cost are lower than Yellowknife’s, and we should put a cap of paying the market rate up to 700 kilowatts. Perhaps again, this could be considered in a review of our power rates. Perhaps those communities which have the lower rate would be willing to pay a premium on their consumption over the 700 kilowatt hours, which could be then redistributed to assist those folks who are operating on community based rates and very much struggling with their energy costs.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
