Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact that the town of Norman Wells’ natural gas will be turned off in 2013 for business and 2014 for residents, the Town of Norman Wells has initiated a process where they want to look at the biomass energy district heating initiative. I want to ask the Minister, and I’m not too sure if it’s the Minister of Finance or one of the Ministers who are the lead on this initiative with the Town of Norman Wells, if they are helping them put together a business case where the town then can go to the federal funders to look at some funding to support their alternative heating energy use.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The officials and staff, in fact Environment and Natural Resources, who are conversant with biomass, have been working with the community of Norman Wells. Now that there’s been an election and a change in leadership, we have to revisit the priorities of the community just to confirm whether those are still the priorities or if there has been any change. But we have been working with the community.
The Town of Norman Wells so far has received a letter indicating that they are still continuing to pursue the biomass energy district heating process. I want to ask the Minister, would his government be supporting that initiative through a letter writing campaign when they formulate their business case to present it to the various funders.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to working with the community of Norman Wells the same as we are working with the community of Inuvik to resolve these critical energy issues. We have been and will continue to work with the community to do that.
The Minister has indicated the government’s commitment. The Town of Norman Wells is compiling a business case and needs the support in writing from the Government of the Northwest Territories, to put together and complete their business case for funding. They are looking at this as urgent, and since it has to go through different levels of hurdles, can we count on this government here to provide some sort of comfort letter that they would give the town for a solid business case?
I’ll commit to have the officials check on the latest status of this proposal. As the Member has indicated, if it’s some type of letter or some type of letter of comfort, then, of course, we will seriously look at that either through Environment and Natural Resources or Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Town of Norman Wells would appreciate hearing from the Minister his commitment on helping them put together a business case for their alternative energy use.
Would the Minister, once it’s asked by the town, see this as urgent and get the support of his Cabinet Ministers to sign off a letter that would be satisfactory to all the parties?
In fact, Municipal and Community Affairs has provided the community about $175,000 to assist them with the work, the technical work, engineering work, as they look at the type of conversion that’s going to best meet the needs of the community.
Once again, I’ll commit that we will make sure, as a government, that we are coordinated and supportive of the community in this process. I will, as well, be talking to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
