David Ramsay

Thank you. I’ll certainly talk to my officials at ITI and Northwest Territories Tourism to see how we can build upon that accolade for the waterfalls route, Alexandra Falls. We certainly have the attractions, we just have to do the best we can to market those and attract more people here. That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve been getting a lot of accolades lately for our waterfalls here in the Northwest Territories. I know the Member spoke of Alexandra Falls earlier today as well as Virginia Falls. Certainly in the South Slave region with the Waterfalls Route along Highway No. 1, we have a tremendous opportunity to market that award and certainly look forward to if the Member has suggestions or Members have suggestions on how we can enhance and promote that waterfalls route, we’d be happy to hear those suggestions. As far as the department having any specific plans to build upon that...

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Sahtu Secretariat in the Sahtu. We also work with communities to develop economic plans. We’ve provided some funding to get people together to discuss economic opportunities in the Sahtu and we will continue to do that. We will continue to work toward that type of activity that currently is taking place in and around Norman Wells and Tulita. We’re hoping that that type of activity expands so that there’s more opportunity in communities like Fort Good Hope, Deline and Colville Lake. Thank you.

I can certainly look to DAAIR, I suppose, for some guidance. I will be travelling to the Member’s riding in April and if there’s an opportunity to sit down to discuss these types of things with the leaders in the Sahtu at that time, I would certainly be happy to do that. Thank you.

Thank you. In my former life as the Transportation Minister I know the Member was very interested in the Deh Cho Bridge, what it meant in terms of tourism opportunities for the community of Fort Providence in his riding. I really do believe that that bridge has tremendous potential to bring tourists to his community and to his riding. Certainly, if there are opportunities to work with the community of Fort Providence to maximize the opportunity to attract people to the riding and to the community of Fort Providence, that’s something we’re very much interested in. Thank you.

Thank you. We have the Deh Cho Connection, which is a partnership with Alberta and British Columbia on the Deh Cho Trail. We continue to build upon that. There’s a diamond giveaway on an annual basis and a passport system that folks get stamps along the route. That’s one way that we promote the opportunities to camp and visit our parks and attractions in the South Slave part of the territory and also into the Nahendeh riding as well. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, our Legal Aid program is one of the best in the country. We are pleased that the Department of Justice and the Legal Services Board have expanded their scope of coverage to provide legal support for civil law matters through the services of a legal aid outreach lawyer. We realize people in need require additional support to deal with family or other civil law matters to reach their full potential.

Mr. Speaker, the Legal Services Board started the Legal Aid Outreach Program as a pilot project in 2010 and it has run continually since that time. Outreach services address legal issues...

During the winter months with the advance of the winter road season in the Northwest Territories, I do know the RCMP are very diligent on stepping up their efforts to look at drugs that are being transported on the winter road system in the NWT.

Also, we have the Not Us! campaign. Important to all of this discussion today in the House is everybody has a role to play in trying to stop the trade of illicit drugs in the Northwest Territories today. We have the Crime Stoppers program, as well, and people can anonymously, if they are aware of illegal activity in their community, a 1-800 number to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his question. Certainly, the prevalence of drugs in the Northwest Territories is something that is a very serious concern for us. We handle the enforcement of the drug trade through the RCMP “G” Division. They do an excellent job for us in trying to combat the amount of drugs that enter the territory. We’ve had some very high profile drug busts here in Yellowknife recently and also in Hay River. We also have the canine unit that helps in that regard as well. I know the RCMP work on a multijurisdictional approach because the drugs have to come from...

I do know that those units are deployed, as the Member suggests, already. As far as a schedule or whatnot, again, I’d have to go back to the department. We wouldn’t want to publicize when a canine unit would be on a specific ice road here in the Northwest Territories, for obvious reasons. But certainly I do know that during the winter months, when the winter roads are in use, that the RCMP do step up their efforts on our winter road system. Thank you.