Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot has been said in this House in recent days about the proposed highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. There has been so much talk about cost overruns that I was starting to wonder if I had missed the start of construction. Of course, we know that the decision has not yet been made. Critics of the project are so fixated on costs that they downplay the most important fact: The Inuvik-Tuk highway is a great investment in our economy and future. The benefits are huge. There will be hundreds of jobs building the road for people in the Mackenzie Delta, Inuvik and...

Madam Chair, I just have a couple of short questions. I would just like to congratulate the department on putting in an additional RCMP member in Tulita. When will the community of Tsiigehtchic actually see at least one member in the community? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Speaker, if the project does get approval, what will this government do to ensure that Gwich’in contractors get a fair share of the work building the Inuvik-Tuk highway? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up from my Member’s statement, I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation a question. The cost estimate of the Inuvik-Tuk highway is about $300 million. How much of that is expected to stay in the Northwest Territories economy through businesses and job opportunities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Madam Chair, our goal for the 17th Assembly is to actually have safer communities. We are just not seeing that happen in Tsiigehtchic. The people there don’t feel safe. A good example is if the community experiences a shutdown at the school, which I’m glad that we haven’t yet, but I’m just thinking of their response time that those students would face having to wait anywhere up to two hours for a response from Fort McPherson. Will the Minister look at having a community constable in the community of Tsiigehtchic? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question under the seniors home heating subsidy. I’d like to ask the Minister if the department has been doing any plans to actually increase the amount elders could make. I’m getting a number of concerns from the communities I represent. As you know, the cost of living is almost double up in the Mackenzie Delta riding, and for five gallons of gas it’s between $40 and $50. We have elders that like to go out on the land and also to buy groceries. It’s double what we pay here in Yellowknife. I’d like to ask the department, are they planning to increase the...

Thank you. I’d just like to ask the Minister, will we see those changes this year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is March 4th and a respected elder in Aklavik is celebrating her 98th birthday. Respected elder Mary Kendi of Aklavik reached 98 today. The family are preparing to celebrate their mother’s birthday on Saturday, March 9th, at the Sittichinli Community Complex in Aklavik, and the community is invited to share in this event.

Mary was born in Aklavik on March 4, 1915. Mary attended the residential school in Hay River from 1920-1923. Mary and Alfred Kendi were married on July 1, 1932, and had nine children.

Mary lived the traditional lifestyle and taught many the wisdom...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be supporting this motion, as a lot of my constituents in my riding would like to pay the same prices as the people in the southern part of the territory. My residents pay anywhere from $1.65 per litre in Fort McPherson to $1.80 in Tsiigehtchic. We need to have the same prices as they do here in the south.

I’d like to ask the Minister, will the department build a facility like the Joe Greenland Centre in Fort McPherson.