Mr. Speaker, I wanted to close out the week by pointing to a spark of inspiration that we can hopefully all get energized about, if folks will excuse the bad pun.
This week Det’on Cho, which is the economic development corporation of the Yellowknives Dene, presented their plan to pursue a major renewable energy project that could supply much needed clean power to N'dilo, Dettah, Yellowknife, and emerging critical minerals operations in the region. We are well aware of how unreliable our Snare hydro system has become. While Yellowknife has typically met about 95 percent of our electricity needs with hydro power, over the past five years we've experienced drought conditions, likely related to climate change, and as a result the Jackfish diesel backup generators have been much more than backup. They've been burning diesel more than half the time. And that reliance on diesel not only makes climate change worse and it impacts air quality, it's caused costs to skyrocket both in higher power rates for residents and tens of millions of dollars that this government has had to fork out each year in diesel subsidies. Meanwhile, we have the economy to worry about. Diamond mine closures on the horizon and critical minerals companies with opportunities but not enough clean power to assure investors that this is a promising place to pursue. And instead of sitting back and looking to the GNWT to fix the situation, instead of looking to the government for answers, as is so often our default, this Indigenous development corporation has taken the initiative to find a practical solution. Instead of being paralyzed with fear and anxiety about all that we lack, Det’on Cho saw the infrastructure gap as an opportunity, and they're moving to fill it. It's an opportunity for economic development in a diverse range of sectors, from the building and operation of the power installation itself, to the opening of critical minerals opportunities, the potential for storage or data centres, further electrification of transportation, and more. These are the kinds of opportunities that we've been told for more than 20 years that the Taltson expansion would open up, if only we could just wait for those billions of dollars to fall from the federal heavens.
I want to commend Det’on Cho for not waiting, for taking this initiative, and showing ways that we could be practical, nimble, and cost effective in charting our renewable energy future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
