Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our second Energy Charrette in as many years begins today. Will we finally get it right? We’ve made no net gains in the intervening time. Another $58 million in diesel subsidies and millions in failed subsidies in connecting power grids, some clearly a waste because results were so predictable. Hardly progress. We must get real.
The Premier, ENR and NTPC may finally be starting to think in terms of keeping the lights on and begin to address energy costs in ways that also gain environmental social benefits, all part of the affordability equation.
Current diesel power subsidies insatiably consume budgets. The public pays the rising cost of government’s attack on our environment through subsidies, carbon emissions and both ratepayers and taxpayers can no longer bear the burden of a monopolistic power provider. Change has become essential.
The plan to go with full-blown renewable energy will not achieve us the gains we want unless communities are involved from the bottom up. Will this Energy Charrette be based on the knowledge that we must invest in community-owned renewable energy tailored to individual circumstances if we are to cut our energy costs, build our local economies and create cleaner environments for our children?
It must be abundantly clear by now that a one-size-fits-all approach has had the opposite effect. Every region has different opportunities and challenges for meeting energy needs and conservation. Whether it’s biomass, solar, wind, or run-of-the-river hydro generation, all have energy efficiency and conservation opportunities. But unless communities are fully engaged in addressing these, benefits and sustainability will be far below what could be achieved.
I’m not saying this is easy and I don’t think a one-day forum will provide the answers, though given proper context, important insights could be gained. But the right guiding principles must be asserted and the right questions must be asked.
We need an integrated energy system that looks at all of our energy needs – power, heat and transportation – and that can grow or shrink into the future as needed. We need a system that cuts costs and provides both social and environmental benefits in this challenging jurisdiction.
Finally, we need to be prepared for solutions that move away from a single provider like NTPC or Imperial Oil.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Finally, we need to be prepared for solutions that move away from a single provider like NTPC or Imperial or whomever. We must address the issue of stranded infrastructure, efficient fossil fuel backup systems, locally derived forms of energy that provide local jobs, and the energy education and training to help us move into the 21st century.
As we hear from every quarter, scientists and our dwindling population, time is running out. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
