Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I raised the issue of unresolved property damages in Yellowknife, Behchoko and Detah in the wake of an extended power outage on December 29, 2013. As indicated conservatively, 231 residents did come forward with approximately $350,000 in damages directly related to this outage. Now, I realize that regulated public utilities in Canada are not permitted to reimburse customers for property damage caused by weather-related incidents or acts of God. However, I believe in Inuvik some years ago a power surge caused significant damage to which NTPC took ownership and compensated all customers with damages.
So with this precedent in mind, when does the act of God cease and equipment failure begin? Can the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation please explain to the House why it took over three hours to fire up the diesel-powered generators at Jackfish plant on the evening of December 29, 2013?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a triggering event out on the line caused by some of the heavy icing events that occurred prior to the cold snap, causing one of the cross members to collapse. It had a line on it which triggered a series of cascading events. We were not alone in the country as we experienced all of these significant severe weather events. Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and on a comparative basis when you look at the three hours it took here to get things back and running compared to the, in many cases, weeks that it took in other jurisdictions, while it was unfortunate and long, given the cold snap, on a comparative basis I think we were very fortunate that everything was up and running in the time that it did take. Thank you.
I thank the Minister for elaborating on the triggering event and we’ve heard about cascading events, which lead me to believe that we did have faulty equipment that caused an extended outage for no reason. Again, to compare other outages across Canada, minus 30 or minus 40 to minus 3 is not comparable.
Can the Minister indicate whether his office or NTPC has performed a full cost accounting of this recent power outage to evaluate the extent of current and future damage caused either to residents or to business, and if not, why? Thank you.
Thank you. I would suggest that when the power goes out in the wintertime, while the temperature is a variable, when you have no power in some cases for weeks, it is a crisis event. Up in the Northwest Territories, here in Yellowknife and Behchoko, we had the power on in a range of three hours, and we have watched with interest as the Member has solicited his feedback and input from the public about costs. We have some direct contact with folks that have raised concerns, but we did find the letter by the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce that was sent to all MLAs, including the public, that set the framework for what acts of God and how all costs would be put onto the ratepayers helped clarify that issue and was very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you. I’m unaware that we get our directions from the Chamber of Commerce when it comes to our business. But that letter was good, indeed enlightening to read here.
Can the Minister indicate if the concept of an income-tested or a contingency fund disaster relief directly associated with such things as an extended power outage at extreme cold temperatures has ever been discussed with this government? Thank you.
No, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I thought. Given that the reported damages of almost $2 million, and given the fact that we heard today that faulty equipment is to blame for NTPC’s diesel generators not working property, and given that this government has not performed any cost accounting with this recent disaster, how can the Minister sit here in this House and indicate very little to satisfy public outcry for financial help? What is this Minister prepared to do to mitigate the situation? Thank you.
Thank you. The NTPC takes its responsibility as it does very, very seriously about keeping the power on. There was an enormous amount of effort and time put into place to make sure that the power was put on in what I see on a comparative basis a very timely way. The issue of acts of God versus man are a debate we can have separate from this issue and we are learning from this exercise, as well, this unfortunate incident, in terms of adding improvements and more investments into the system. We’re going to continue to provide a high quality of service. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
