The July 5, 6, and 7 energy conference being organized by the GNWT can be a step in the right direction.
The Energy Strategy, 43 pages long, done by the Department of Infrastructure, and the Climate Change Strategic Framework (CCFS), 156 pages, done by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC), two inextricably linked issues, are the focus of the conference. That is 199 pages filled with government action words like “explore,” “enhance,” “promote,” “develop,” “support,” “plan,” “monitor,” “research” and “evaluate” — long on process, short on clear action.
The CCFS, while not perfect, has had more work and thought put into it by ECC. The Energy Strategy lacks ambition, innovation and commitment. The six principles in the Energy Strategy are identified as things the GNWT “should” do, not that they “will” do, making them optional not imperative, which totally undermines an already weak strategy focusing more on why they can’t do things rather than what they can and will do.
This makes it seem the GNWT is not speaking with one voice, causing confusion. The Council of Leaders, and the rest of us, should be concerned. In this time, and after all these years, you would expect there to be a detailed region by region review rather than the skyscraper overview of the strategies, making it hard to be relevant at the community level — a case of lots of sizzle and smoke but not much steak around the kitchen tables of the NWT.
It is the critical task of the diverse conference invitees to:
a) accept or amend the political vision for the NWT in the two strategies;
b) identify the conditions needed for the vision to happen;
c) identify what specifically can be done, and;
d) identify specifically how they can be implemented.
1.
The road to political hell is paved with high-minded visions that are not clearly linked to the hard reality in the communities and avoids the clear internal look at why the existing system is failing us.
The Legislative Assembly (LA) and the GNWT have acknowledged that when it comes to energy and climate change, the current strategies are not coordinated in terms of quality or message and are therefore not adequate. What they have not acknowledged is that the status quo that led to these inadequate strategies is not working. We need to know that the LA and GNWT are serious about the necessity of fundamental change when it comes to the crushing problems of energy and the climate crisis and that everything is on the table as we look for solutions.
2.
We need to remember that all of the current institutions, structures, laws, regulations, policies and practices, have been created in the NWT and can be fixed by us, which was one of the goals of devolution. What it takes is the political will of the MLAs of the 20th LA to listen to their constituents, then come to Yellowknife and exercise that political will to make things right.
The June 26 column will deal questions C and D and the meat-and-potato issues that need to be addressed when it comes to energy — things like governance; the outmoded structure of NTPC; laws, regulations and policies that encourage and enable renewables rather than restrict them; looking for an energy silver bullet in the NWT that does not exist; full electrification in the South Slave and microgrids, for full electrification, in all diesel dependent communities.
I will touch on these issues and others to show what is possible if the LA and GNWT first create the conditions that encourages and promotes this critically needed forward thinking on energy and everything related to it.