Kevin A. Menicoche

It certainly addresses the short-term need for the schooling situation in Trout Lake. However, the chief, council and residents are afraid of losing their community hall space. They use that same facility six days a week to do their mental health and wellness training when in the community.

I would like to know the long-term plan. Will the Minister move towards a stand-alone school for the community of Trout Lake? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last week I spoke about the concerns that fuel prices are driving up the cost of living in the small and remote communities. The NWT Energy Plan suggests all kinds of ways to reduce fuel use over the long term, but people need immediate relief. Eliminating goods and services tax on gasoline and home heating fuel is a simple way to bring down the price of fuel in small communities to more affordable levels right away. The GNWT helps stabilize the cost of fuel when it purchases fuel in bulk to ship to remote communities that are not on the road system, but...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know that all my colleagues went on at length and there are many positions to be taken on fracking. The motion does specifically talk about refraining from fracking and it is a controversial way to recover oil and gas from the ground, more specifically shale areas. I definitely know people in my riding, as I travel around my constituency tour, do want to know more about fracking, they want to understand it and our people should. For instance, I don’t believe people know that fracking has been around for almost 50 years. Only now people are afraid. It’s only...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I spoke earlier about disagreeing with my colleague’s opinions that providing these tablets will be disastrous, deleterious and harmful to our children.

First, let me begin. Of course, I will not be supporting the motion. I am gravely saddened that my colleague’s opinions have led to a motion on the floor of this House. The motion, although it doesn’t say it, questions corporate donations. Like Member Jane Groenewegen, I too would like to thank them publicly right here for all that they do for our Government of the Northwest Territories, to the communities and to the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I also spoke about the Jean Marie access road. There’s the Dehcho First Nations Annual Assembly there next month.

I’d like to know what plans are to maintain that road for all the travelling public and the increased number of visitors that Jean Marie will receive. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I’d like to thank the Minister for confirming those projects. The one that was most concerning this spring was Highway No. 1 that goes from Fort Simpson and Wrigley. That collapsed in some places; there were ruts; there was lots of mud. I think there were some plans to do some reconstruction work on that Wrigley road section.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he could confirm some of those plans. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be speaking about the highways in Nahendeh and I would also urge the Department of Transportation to bring their hardhats, shovels and safety shoes. There are three major arteries in Fort Simpson. My favourite, which is Highway No. 7, Highway No. 1 from Fort Simpson to Wrigley as well as Highway No. 1 from Fort Simpson towards Hay River, and there’s access roads that go into Jean Marie and Nahanni Butte as well.

I’m pleased to see that there are investments in this infrastructure this coming year, but I do want to stress the importance of completion of the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I would like to talk about providing funding for electronic tablets to new parents under the Early Childhood Development Framework Right from the Start for $114,000. I respectfully disagree with the previous two colleagues that spoke on this matter. The iPads are for our new parents and their children. A colleague spoke about TV time and the numerous studies and the health effects of it, but this is TV time that’s spent at home under parental control that we, as government, have no control over. In fact, we see it on the news all the time that Canadians, please...

That section the Minister quoted – 395 to 411 – is actually towards the Hay River section. I was looking for the work that’s being done from Fort Simpson towards Wrigley. I think it might be kilometre 420 and even greater. So there was some work being done on the schedule for this year, but I’m asking the Minister to… Let’s complete that work and it looks like there’s more work to be done, by all the phone calls I’ve been receiving from Wrigley residents.

Will the Minister look into it and also confirm the plans to work towards Wrigley? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that some Members here are talking about our highways and highway system.

I just wanted to ask the Minister of Transportation with reference to my Member’s statement. I know that for the 2014 construction year, we had many plans and investment for Highway No. 7, Highway No. 1 north of Fort Simpson towards Wrigley and, of course, from Fort Simpson towards Hay River.

I’d like to ask him about those plans. Are they on track and what’s the DOT’s strategy for completing all the projects this year? Thank you very much.