David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ferry service throughout the Northwest Territories is an essential service to deliver goods and services and also for the public to travel, hopefully as long as they can. Mr. Speaker, the ferry operations in the Mackenzie Delta have been closed on the Mackenzie River last week, but there’s been talk about closing the Peel River Ferry at kilometre 74 this weekend, which, Mr. Speaker, I received some photographs from my constituency assistant and sent it off to the Minister to clearly demonstrate there is no ice on the river, it is wide open. Yet, Mr. Speaker, they’re...

I’ll try to repeat the question. My question is that there were eight communities that were not incorporated and would not be able to spend their capital investment dollar because they were not incorporated. They did not have the ability to own assets. I think for ourselves, as a government, before we made this transfer, that problem should have been solved and not told sorry, you are getting a bunch of Building Canada funds but you can’t spend it because you are not incorporated. That is the issue. I think as a government, that should have been solved or find ways to mitigate the problem so...

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witnesses. Can we turn to page 5-2, Public Works and Services, department summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $27.260 million. That will be deferred. To page 5-4, Public Works and Services, activity summary, asset management, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $18.953 million.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witness. We agreed we’ll move on to Municipal and Community Affairs. I’m looking at the department summary, page 4-2 that we’ll defer to page 4-4. Page 4-4, Municipal and Community Affairs, activity summary, regional operations, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $28.002 million. Mr. Bromley.

Does committee agree he brings in his witnesses?

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witness in. Is committee agreed he brings in his witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of ITI, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Speaker, in regard to the importance of the harvesting industry in the Northwest Territories and the important role that it played in developing the Northwest Territories going back to the mid-1800s, I think it’s important to realize that it is still a very good part of our communities and the subsistence dependence that people have is to still trap and still harvest as a means of sustaining themselves.

I’d like to ask the Minister in regard to this government’s programs that they have, we have programs in...

In regard to the comments from the deputy minister, it’s clearly illustrated that if a program is overprescribed, that tells me that people very much want access to the program and, if anything, if a program is overprescribed, don’t you think that we should be putting more resources into that program, increase the amount of money we spend in the program and increase the threshold so it can really accomplish what we’re trying to do? Like I say, this issue has been here as long as I have, going back to the 13th Assembly. Again, it has always come to this Legislature year after year after year...

Just finishing off on my favourite subject in regard to access roads to gravel sources and I think if I don’t respond to it, it won’t be doing justice to the residents of Aklavik. I think that we have to realize that it’s critical that we look at opening up gravel sources around communities and, more importantly, it’s not only for the community, it’s for the regions, it’s for the development of industry, it’s for the expansion of connecting communities, and I think we have to look at these developments in regard to long-term investments. I noted that we have to realize there have been motions...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, in regard to the capital estimates, I think that the Department of Transportation has to seriously look at the high cost of maintenance in regard to our highway systems, but more importantly, with the changing climate and the effects that we’re seeing, especially in regard to some sort of...You know, we talk about dust control, we talk about some sort of a road resurfacing appliance that we can put on our roads. I know there are different products that are out there, but I think, as a government, we have to seriously start testing these products on the highways...