Debates of October 23, 2006 (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to rise to speak on the increase in natural gas for customers in Inuvik. It’s become a real concern to the residents of Inuvik because they feel like they have a forum or a hearing to express their displeasure over the increase in the price of natural gas. The supplier is allowed to make a reasonable profit, but a lot of people up there think that it’s an unreasonable request that they are putting forward, a 16 percent increase when they had to deal with another increase last year and the supplier is saying that they are going to be cheaper than diesel. Well, 1998-99 when this came forward, fuel was like $25 a barrel, now we are up around $60 a barrel. That’s driving the price up. It’s not realistic for people to switch back to diesel after they have already converted to natural gas. It’s expensive and very costly. A lot of people’s concern up there is that the fields are 50 kilometres from Inuvik and they are still expected to pay the high increases to the price of natural gas. The Public Utilities Board has said that there has not been enough evidence of public concern over this issue. I take exception to that because I have been getting a lot of correspondence from people up in Inuvik and I do speak for the people in Inuvik. I would like to think I speak for them. So they are asking me to bring this forward and they want a public outcry. They will get a public outcry minus the tears.

I feel people up there want a forum, they want a hearing, they want the opportunity to hear the supplier’s case for increasing the price and they want an opportunity to voice their opposition to such price increase. The supply, Mr. Speaker, is only 50 kilometres from Inuvik and it’s probably cheaper in Alberta than we pay in Inuvik. Thank you.

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