David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to talk about airports, but the real airports that are important to the people in the North and have the ability to medevac people out of our communities so that we can medevac them to Edmonton where, basically, those requirements are essential.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation is improving the access to communities by extending airports up to 4,000 feet in Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Fort McPherson and also in other communities that have been identified. Mr. Speaker, the whole reason for that is to mitigate aircraft weight consistency imposed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Minister’s Statement 65-16(5) be moved into Committee of the Whole.

---Carried

So when can I see it in the... Is the cheque in the mail or when do I get to see it?

My question is more around the activity description of forest management on page 11-8. I think as a department we seem to put a lot of focus on the managing or the forest response or forest repression aspect of the business. We’re not doing anything to really look at using the forest resources and the trees before we have to respond to a fire. To having more of a management plan with regard to managing the forest products and developing forest inventories, looking at the different forest species. I’d like to ask the department if, as he comes forward to forest management, we could look at more...

Again, it’s too late for this ferry season to implement such an idea, but I’d like to ask the Minister if it’s possible for us to see the ferry operations for 2010-2011 taken into consideration so that we do bring our times in line with other ferry operations in the Northwest Territories similar to the ferry operation on the Liard River system, to coordinate it so that people know this is the time our ferries operate in the Northwest Territories. When we post it, people will know that they can have a reasonable time to travel and make their connections, and not put a barrier to the travelling...

Thank you, Ms. Lee. I think the report that was being referred to was the report in regard to the review that was done by Public Works on the infrastructure of the department. If you can get that report, great. Ms. Bisaro.

Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to ask the Minister about the Behchoko long-term care facility, which is going to be added onto the existing health facility. Right now there’s a long-term lease commitment for that facility in Behchoko. I’d like to know, once we make the investment of some $14 million, who is going to own that facility. Will we continue being committed to the long-term lease arrangement for the existing facility in Behchoko?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our public infrastructure includes our airports, highways and ferry operations in the movement of people and goods. The economic driver of our northern Territory is ensuring that these systems all work in conjunction with each other.

Time is money, from the time it takes a person to leave a community to go to a doctor’s appointment or travel to southern Canada. What we are finding with the ferry operations in the Inuvik region is that it’s having an impact and effect on the travelling public and their ability to make their connections at the Inuvik Airport to southern...

Ms. Meade.