00:00on the on the peaker plants the demand for energy is increasing we know that
00:04the demand will increase we know that the grid often feels pressure now during
00:09the winter we had at least a couple days where there was a risk of brownouts in
00:14our in our province so so there needs a response so the response from the the
00:20ISO has been to investigate gas peaker plants this is kind of a national
00:25discussion many provinces are looking at this but I I I believe that that
00:32discussion should be broadened instead of focused on gas we should focus on any
00:39any available options and technologies the battery technology in specifically
00:45but there are other technologies as well but the battery technology is advancing
00:49very quickly and we've seen that from sorry so we've seen that from some of the
00:53RFP responses that they've they've received in Ontario so yeah we we're
00:58asking the IESO to to to broaden the search for what we can do to meet the
01:04demand and make sure Nova Scotia have access to electricity. Is that a formal
01:07directive that you've made under the More Access to Energy Act which enables
01:10government to I haven't signed a directive but they're certainly well aware of our
01:15desire that they that they cast a wider net tonight I'm hopeful that that will be
01:21enough. What's their response been? I think they understand that it's there's a need to
01:28cast a broader net I'm expecting a response. Why did this position or why did your
01:33interpretation of this change at this particular time because this this has
01:38been part of the public discourse for months and months now and it's really
01:41down to the 11th hour with this RFP still we're already well underway. It's underway
01:46but it doesn't close for a while so it's an ongoing it's an ongoing process when
01:51you have more information you respond to that I think the I think I was very
01:55interested in the advancements that I've seen in battery technologies so it's
01:59okay it's never too late to just ask them to cast a wider net and see what comes
02:04back. Was it specifically on the new assumption in their on batteries that the IESO
02:12just recently released about the cost of battery storage? I don't want them to be
02:16specific to batteries. It's certainly my expectation that I don't know that they can amend the
02:23existing RFP but they can issue so they cannot they can? Yes until September 11th.
02:29So they can even even they can either amend it which will be great or they can issue another one
02:33apparently either way we get to the same place but I don't want them where they were
02:39specific on gas before it would not it would be my wish that they're not too
02:45prescriptive again on the second time that they cast a wire net so I know in in
02:51Ontario in a recent hydro 501 RFP process they had I think they had 71
02:57responses 31 were gas 39 were battery one was biomass so there are other people
03:03people raise other technologies to me as well things are working on so let's have it
03:08open and have a real formal discussion on that that would be my wish. How are you
03:12influenced at all by this change that the IESO recently put out that they have
03:16cut the assumed cost of battery storage by I think around 40 percent? There's a
03:21number of things that influenced me I listen carefully certainly in just
03:25interactions with no discussions over the summer I listen carefully to that I
03:28thought there were some good points raised and we'll make sure that it's a
03:31point that what is the plan for that 50 million dollar tariff response fund is
03:37needed I mean we're we have a good understanding of the economy of the
03:41province through various mechanisms and agencies so we'll work with you know some
03:47some sectors are impacted or at risk of being impacted more within those sectors
03:53certain companies are so we're just we're the the representatives of the
04:00government if I can say it that way are speaking with individual companies to
04:04understand and then instead of the government just saying hey here's a
04:07program we're going to do we're just trying to make sure that we're fully
04:10understanding of the impacts we'll be ready ready to respond. Have you tapped into it yet?
04:17I think I don't know for certain so I don't want to but I mean we can we can
04:21we can get to it but I know that there are some discussions with specific
04:24companies who are anticipating some pretty significant advice. And just
04:28specific to that point I know you it sort of sounds like it's a case-by-case
04:32thing as opposed to standing up a program what do you need to see that
04:36would make you say okay this is a this is a good area for us to use some of this
04:41money what are you looking for? Yeah so just we're obviously this is a it would
04:49be hard to properly articulate how stressful this is for business owners
04:53some of these are you know small mediums I've been in the family for
04:57generations this is not of their doing it's something happening to them so we
05:04were just having discussions with them about you know direct impacts on their
05:07supply chain on their customer base and what what the what the impact would then
05:14be on their employment base so so we just need to make sure that we're
05:18listening carefully this this could be a longer-term situation than any of us
05:26appreciate and so I think we need to be mindful of that too it's the economy of
05:33Nova Scotia is much bigger than the government of Nova Scotia right so
05:37there's always going to be a limitation as to what we can do we'll always want
05:41to do a little more but we're working very very closely with with companies who
05:46will most likely be impacted. Premier in the past I've often heard you stress your
05:50feeling this was a temporary problem with trade with the United States and now
05:55I'm kind of hearing you today say well temporary would be a relative word I
06:00don't think I'd use that you could you could you could use it and I would say
06:05that I believe there is a risk that the situation could be there as long as Donald
06:13Trump is there so in one sense it's temporary he's at the end you know he said
06:18but but in another sense it's a long-term thing so both of those things can be true
06:23but uh but for our purposes it's the government will do what it can but the
06:30government has limitations because the government is only so big there's only so
06:34many taxpayers and the economy is very large. What impact would you expect a
06:39multiple year trade war to have on the provinces? There's all kinds of estimates on
06:44certainly on employment numbers on GDP numbers and they're significant so I would
06:53say I would be I am worried about a significant impact. I'm going to ask the
07:00finance minister about this as well so I've brought the particulars but it does
07:04seem unusual to be in the house without having already seen a fiscal update often
07:08house settings are a little later in the year and sometimes those updates happen
07:12over the summer. Do you expect we're going to see one before the house rises? I don't know
07:19when the fiscal update is scheduled but the planning of the house is not it's not
07:23about that. I can assure you that. The house will sit for however long the house sits a little bit
07:30beyond my control. I do know personally I have a number of obligations of course I'll be
07:36away next week. The Prime Minister's Investment Summit have other obligations around
07:42representing Nova Scotia and trying to make sure we're working our way through this. I think it was
07:47a function of just looking at the calendar for the fall which is pretty packed and
07:53saying when can we when can when when can we sit the legislature. It's not to do with the
07:58fiscal update. The fiscal update will come. We're not planning around that I can assure you.
08:04You gave us a bit of an insight over the summer into how big the deficit might be. I think
08:09you said it
08:09should be approaching two billion dollars at this point. Wouldn't it be useful for
08:13members to have a better understanding of that? But they're debating all the things
08:18that are before the house right now. Two things I would say. The budget is the budget. I mean we're
08:23working within that budget. For sure. Obviously events. World events trade war. Who knows right? So
08:27so the budget is the budget. The only reason that I am talking about the potential for a bigger deficit
08:34could be a certain is because of a situation with Bill 148. That is the only wild card that I'm
08:41talking
08:41about. So the budget is the budget. Members can can can assume that the province will operate
08:46to that budget. But members can also assume and should assume that we are going to try to deal
08:51fairly with the situation that was left with the Liberal government where their piece of legislation
08:58was found unconstitutional. We will try to reach a resolution on that. I don't want to
09:04presuppose the outcome of those negotiations. I think that would be silly to try to pin that down and say
09:10this will
09:10we're prepared to settle for. So so but the budget is the budget. We're working to the budget. We're dealing
09:15with one wild card.
09:16Just one more thing on Bill 148. Are you aware has the appeal period expired?
09:23It's it is still my understanding is that it is still possible for an appeal. I can't say specifically
09:32and whether there was mutual agreement to extend it or with or when or whether it was still in that
09:36window. But we but my understanding is the ability to appeal remains.
09:42Premier, what supports are you looking at for folks in Cape Breton and which would more details be at least
09:48on that?
09:49Sorry, I didn't catch the point.
09:50What supports is your government looking at for people in fact that funding?
09:54Yeah, so this is this is a this is a devastating event for sure. I mean the the damage to
10:00infrastructure is
10:01it's very significant. So that's the focus right now. There are people stranded. So the focus is making sure
10:08we can get to those people make sure they have what they need their medications their food and stuff. So
10:13really
10:14Really proud of the efforts from the guard
10:18These are Nova Scotians. They're volunteers stepping up and supporting community. It's been tremendous the response from the guard
10:26And also the response from public works and infrastructure and some of the repairs that they've already done
10:32Are breathtaking because when I saw the damage I was like, I don't even know how you fix that some
10:37of them are even fixed
10:38So what I would say to
10:39To people in the impacted areas is that we'll be there first off to make sure that they're safe and
10:44there's access to their homes
10:46And then we'll work with them on other supports that may be necessary
10:51But public safety is the number one priority right now. Can you can you just clarify?
10:55Are you gone all of next week or just part of it for the the PM summit?
10:59I think I go on Sunday and come back Thursday Wednesday or Thursday. Thank you
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