David Krutko

Mr. Speaker, the committee would like to report progress. I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Mr. Speaker, I also have another written question directed to the Minister of Transportation. The Inuvik region spends a considerable amount of money to upgrade and maintain transportation in the region.

Please provide a breakdown of the operating costs for the Louis Cardinal ferry at the Mackenzie River and the Abraham Francis ferry at the Peel River.

What is the total season’s cost for gravel required at each ferry crossing?

What is the cost of operating the camp for employees at the Louis Cardinal ferry?

Please provide the cost for additional labour hired to construct ice road crossings on the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know how to put this, but services in the Mackenzie Delta communities have declined to the point where it’s actually affecting people’s health. People have been medevacked, people have passed on because of not having a secure health system in the Inuvik region. I think it’s imperative that we talk to those families and individuals that have been affected by the lack of services and the implication that has had on the Inuvik region. They run a $5 million deficit, yet no programs and services are being delivered in the communities.

So again I’d like to ask how this...

Mr. Speaker, it’s fundamental that we do provide programs and services in communities. Simply having a mental health worker, an alcohol/drug worker or even a community nurse.... At least it’s something. But when you do not have any of those aspects in your communities, the services and the people’s well-being are undermined.

So I would like to ask the Minister: exactly why is it that the Department of Health and Social Services in the Inuvik region has a policy as a budget reduction exercise to not fill vacancies?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. These motions that are passed in Assemblies time and time again have to change. We have to ensure that motions really mean something when we pass them in this House with regard to services to our people. It is affecting the quality of life of our residents, the quality of life in our communities and the well-being of those communities to sustain themselves and have healthy communities.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services about this particular motion and those aspects of this motion, because we have to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to get a commitment from the Premier that at least somewhere in going forward we’re looking at a business planning process, pre-budget estimates, capital estimates. I’d like to see somewhere in that picture that there will be mention of the Aklavik access road in the capital project, in future years or whatever. But at least I want to see a name that shows up in the books. Is that a possibility, that we can look at the $50,000 that’s being expended through that infrastructure funding going forward with future capital amounts being listed?

Mr. Speaker, in the meeting that the Premier mentioned in Aklavik, there was a commitment for $50,000 for the committee to begin its work to develop a report so that they can look at the alignment of the access road and the gravel source itself. They would develop a proposal and bring it forward so that we can be able to access the federal infrastructure funding with a proposal moving forward to Ottawa.

I’d like to ask the Premier: is he aware if that commitment has been lived up to in regard to the $50,000 for the committee and the departments to develop that report?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise once again begging for an access road to the Aklavik gravel source. I believe that’s what it’s going to take to get this done.

A motion was passed unanimously in this House. Yet, Mr. Speaker, after meetings with the community and the Minister of MACA, along with the Minister of Finance, in the community of Aklavik where they discussed this issue last spring…. The community has done everything that we were asked to do: formulate a planning committee with people representing the hamlet, the band and the community; work with the departments of MACA, Transportation...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I for one have questions in regard to this process as to how capital has been approved. Yes, we’re into our second year. We’ve concluded one year in regard to the term of this 16th Assembly, so we have only have three years left.

As anybody knows, as long as I’ve been here, if we don’t get anything in capital in two years, it isn’t going to see the light of day until the next election. As a Member who represents small communities and small community infrastructure, there are issues that we’ve been harping about for years and that we fought to get into the capital planning...

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, access for our communities, but more importantly access to gravel sources, is fundamental, especially to communities that are prone to flooding. With global warming these challenges are going to get worse before they are going to get better. We are seeing more and more floods every year. Communities are being affected; forest fires…. I think that as a government we do have to be proactive, reactive. So I’d like to ask the Premier: would he commit to ensure that we have something ready to go to the federal government, hopefully no later than December?