Kevin A. Menicoche

Just at what point will the department be initiating contact and speaking with the Village of Fort Simpson in terms of coming up with a plan and a strategy to address this lack of equipment?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs about the plan to assist communities in acquiring highway rescue vehicles. What state is that and how much work has been done to date?

...(inaudible)...the village of Fort Simpson and the Fort Simpson Fire Department have told me that they need a highway rescue vehicle to respond to emergencies of travelers on highways. They need a highway rescue vehicle because it includes specialized equipment to cut and safely extract people from their vehicles after an accident. The closest vehicle with this type of lifesaving equipment is only 400 kilometres away in Hay River. We also need a highway rescue vehicle because now, when there is an emergency on the highway, the village is left without an ambulance sometimes for the greater...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I believe that a review of the Executive Council is necessary and should be a standard practice of our consensus style of government.

Firstly, I’d like to thank the many phone calls and e-mails of concern from Nahendeh residents on the potential upset of government. The concern of the interruption of services, existing negotiations and working relationships is a real one and I acknowledge that. I also thank those that shared equal support for this action as well.

I have been consistent in requesting a review of our Cabinet at the two-year mark. There was enough...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As well, it looks like there’s got to be some federal involvement here. At what point would we be involved in the federal department to assist or what program would that be then?

Has there been support from some of the committees that the government has established to look at this issue and to carry forward? Like I said in my Member’s statement, Fort Simpson has many highways and it is a regional centre. I certainly support getting them a highway rescue vehicle.

I know that in the federal budget when they mentioned the highway systems in the Northwest Territories, of course, they mentioned the Yellowknife bypass road, but to the discern of my constituents I think our highway system should have been mentioned. I’d just like to question the strategy that the Minister had with the federal government in that regard. Just saying there, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to know how much work has been done in this budget towards speaking with… Sorry. The resources for highways No. 1 and No. 7. In particular, I’ve been always pressing for working towards the chipseal of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I have spoken many times in the past about the need to improve the Dehcho Travel Connection and the positive economic and tourism benefits such improvements would provide. The Dehcho Connection, the portion of Highway No. 1 and No. 7 through the Deh Cho region, provides one of the most scenic wilderness road trips in the Northwest Territories. Tourists can drive north from Alberta and along the way experience the magnificent waterfalls, excellent camping facilities and visit several Deh Cho communities.

They can continue their journey on to Fort Simpson and follow the...

Thanks to the Minister for detailing this. He’s kind of limited in all the answers. I just, once again, want to reiterate the concern of Nahendeh residents that working towards chipseal of the Deh Cho connection is a priority. First and foremost, I’d like to see that on the long-term capital plan, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister can address that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement with regard to the Dehcho Connection and Highway No. 1 and No. 7 to the Minister of Transportation. Many documents have been brought towards the work with the federal government. We’ve got the Connecting Canada document that went to the federal ministry, as well as the Dehcho Connection as part of the National Highway Strategy. I would like to ask the Minister what has been done to work with the federal transportation to find us some resources to build up Highway No. 1 and No. 7. Mahsi cho.