Finance Committee on Nov. 24th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Could you ask your question, please?

[Raymond Côté, NDP, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

How much time do I have left, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You have 20 seconds.

[Raymond Côté, NDP, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

That's unfortunately too little time.

Those measures were not implemented. However, they were implemented at the wood pellet terminal. Significant investments were made in that area.

How can you explain this difference between the Port of Quebec and Quebec Stevedoring?

[Véronique Lalande]

The fugitive particle problem—and that is really what's at issue here—applies to all ports and even to the mining industry. Methods used to contain those particles are well documented. In the case of silos, we think that the main measures were taken because the substance reacts to the environment and particles must be contained. A lot of citizen-led action has been undertaken in that area.

I don't know why the same measures are not applied across the territory. I think the only explanation is that profitability takes precedence over human health.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Merci.

We'll go to Mr. Van Kesteren for five minutes, please.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Thank you all for coming.

Mr. Mooney, I get excited about the things that are happening in the Arctic. I think we all do. Before and during this committee I served on the foreign affairs committee, and we spent a considerable amount of time on Canada's role in the High Arctic. You laid out for us pretty clearly why that's so important.

The chair and I both served on the industry committee years ago, and I remember one time we were talking to the forestry people and we asked where the forestry equipment was being made. Quite frankly, Sweden had the good sense to take that upon themselves. Everybody has trees, and they thought it would be a great idea to develop the equipment to harvest those trees.

We're so well positioned as a nation with the extent of the Arctic, with the expertise that we have that can contribute to that as well. Do you see areas in the development of the Arctic—and I'm thinking specifically now of the aboriginal population—where this is going to make a profound difference to their livelihood in future generations?

Maybe you could elaborate on that.

[Stephen Mooney]

The most impact the CHARS could have is on cold climate housing. That affects all nations across Canada and in the circumpolar area. If you focus on solving the housing issue, that will help solve a lot of other issues: education, poverty, and so on.

We know the housing stock in the north could be improved and technology and innovation could easily be used, and is being used, in the housing stock in northern Canada. This leads to the rest of the world. There is terrible housing in Russia. They are still using concrete walls. The energy efficiency of buildings here in the Yukon is much higher than in other places in Canada because we have to deal with it. Our systems and our building practices now are being taken across the north. There is a lot of opportunity just in the building sector.

The other one is food security. In the north, $71 million goes into food subsidies. I think northerners can take control over that and start growing their own food in the north.

Would you like another example?

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Maybe elaborate—no, we can get another one. Talk to me a little about growing food. You need a certain amount of sunlight. Obviously they get a lot of that in a certain period of time, but you'd think the intensity wouldn't be there. Tell us a little more about that, and maybe you could go to the next example after that.

[Stephen Mooney]

In Whitehorse we have build a year-round greenhouse. We have used alternative energy. It's an off-grid greenhouse. Other people are working on them. We have aquaponics and aeroponics, which use very little water and energy to grow food. The future of growing food in the north is in climate control, so you are not using the sun. When the sun is up, yes, take advantage of it, but in the north with LED lights and full spectrum LED growing lights, the cost to run those lights has dropped considerably. I think this is an opportunity for northern communities to take responsibility and grow fresh vegetables locally.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

I want to ask a question that begs to be asked. Are we leaders in this technology? Are there areas in which you see some clear advantages, where we are moving forward?

[Stephen Mooney]

Yes, there are areas, but the challenge is putting the entire package together. There is LED full spectrum lighting. Universities are studying that, but truly, I believe if you are going to solve the food security problem, you need to solve two things first: cold climate housing and alternative energies. We cannot continue to burn diesel in the north. It's too expensive. There are other mechanisms for alternative energy: wind, solar in some areas of the north, not the far North, but if you build a building efficiently so it requires very little heat, then you need very little energy to heat, and that is where we have to start.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Van Kesteren.

On behalf of the entire committee, I want to thank all our witnesses, both here in Ottawa and by video conference, for participating in this.

I want to thank everyone.

Colleagues, I just need one minute. You have a budget in front of you for this current study, a very modest budget in my view. Can I get someone to move this?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS]

I so move.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

It is so moved by Mr. Keddy.

(Motion agreed to)

Thank you so much.

We will see you tomorrow. Please bring your draft reports to the meeting tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.