Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Northland Utilities has been maintaining a high profile lately to combat what they claim is an expropriation of their assets by the GNWT. That language is a little strong for my liking; however, I understand where they’re coming from. After seeing what happened in Hay River, with the town accepting a proposal from the NWT Power Corporation over Northland Utilities, it’s no wonder they would think that the Yellowknife franchise might be next on NTPC's list. If it goes the same way as Hay River that's essentially game over for Northland Utilities in the Territory. I'm aware that it was the Town of Hay River's decision to accept the Power Corp's proposal. Everyone is tired of the power rates we pay in the NWT and the town can't be blamed for taking what the market offered, but I'm sure the Power Corp's proposal wouldn't have been put forward without political support.
I often wonder why the government chose to take this confrontational approach to dealing with NUL instead of seeking ways to cooperate. Northland Utilities is an ATCO company. ATCO is a global corporation based in Canada with $19 billion in assets. ATCO Electrical owns almost 90,000 kilometres of transmission lines in Alberta, and last year completed and energized the longest transmission line in Alberta's history. That's just one of their successful mega projects. In addition, they know the North; NUL has been here for over 60 years. There's no question when it comes to the company's electrical experience and expertise.
Further, I can attest that Northland Utilities, in Hay River at least, has always been an upstanding corporate citizen. Their employees are active volunteers in the community and NUL is always a prominent sponsor of local events. Despite all this, Northland says that this government won't respond to their emails or return their calls. The government recently announced the creation of another NWT Energy Plan. I assume that part of this plan, as is part of every other plan that's been put forward, will include major upgrades to our hydro-generation and transmissions systems. Despite these recurring aspirations, there's been virtually no major hydro development in decades. Mega projects, hydro and otherwise, are always discussed by the GNWT but rarely come to fruition.
Why, when we have a company like NUL with access to the assets and experience of ATCO, why don’t we strive for more cooperation? I’m not advocating a merger between Power Corp and Northland Utilities, but why haven’t we engaged in talks with them to see if we can tap into some of ATCO's capital and expertise. I'll have questions for the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
