Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier. They bounce around a little bit, but I’d like to follow up on my statement about the Taltson project and some of the implications.
I’m glad to see this project being reviewed, but given that there have been early indications, the early studies showing that all of the power produced by the Taltson project could be absorbed effectively within the local and regional communities in the South Slave, will the Premier ensure that the hydro corporations, whoever is doing the review of the Taltson project now, ensures that it focuses on meeting local and regional markets that both efficiently displace fossil fuel and help to reduce the cost of living and doing business in that region? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’ve done our work around the previous draft Hydro Strategy and beginning to look at that strategy once again, the issues of connectivity in the grid, to greenhouse gases, to helping reduce the cost of living are all those pieces that will be looked at as we look forward to a solution that will work for an expansion to the Taltson.
I appreciate those comments from the Premier. I think it’s a better way of going about business, a good comprehensive approach. I’ve noticed that many of our development projects that are proceeding are happening slowly, often with five to 10-year time frames, perhaps even longer. With this is an opportunity for suitable hydro development options to be proposed and considered and assisted. Yet we seem to either go for the huge, get-rich-quick schemes, like the Taltson to the mines, or we sit idly by and allow time to pass so that they’re finessed into using diesel generation. Will the Premier commit, will he direct our Hydro Corporation, our Energy Corporation to start assisting in identifying options for these projects on the appropriate scale that will ultimately leave a legacy for our communities?
In fact, the Power Corporation with the new chair and the new president/CEO are beginning to look at the ways the Power Corporation can be more involved across our Territory with the customer base, whether it’s residential or industry side, to look at a balance and to see how we can be more proactive in looking to the solutions that we may be able to find here in the Territory and provide that it meets a number of targets that we would set towards a Greenhouse Gas Strategy, towards reducing the cost of living in the North and being sustainable.
I again appreciate the comments from the Premier. The Premier mentioned the greenhouse gas already. I’m wondering, could the Premier confirm what I’ve heard, I believe from the Minister of Finance before, that GNWT does indeed have the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from development in the NWT should they choose to use it.
I believe that is affirmative that, yes, as we begin to look at that area and establish our strategies and implementation of those strategies, we are able to put targets in place and the requirements to meet those. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources along with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment are working on coming forward with a strategy as soon as this summer, I believe.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve often been told that only the federal government can regulate industry proposals through the environmental review process, but here we now have evidence that there are two ways to skin a cat, so I appreciate that. Will the Premier ensure that in fact the Greenhouse Gas Strategy does include the ability to regulate carbon emissions from the development project as one of the key tools obviously required in such a strategy?
The work that’s being done with the consultations that need to go out, with the work with Members of this Assembly, all the avenues I think we’ve had discussions about will be looked at in one degree or another, but the final product needs to go through our system of working with committee members and getting feedback from the residents of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
