Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In just evaluating the extension of the hours, I would suggest a test run, as well, to see if it’s doable from 7 a.m. until midnight. I would suggest a test run. I’m not saying that we do a full implementation of a ferry change, but if we can do a test run, we can test all these parameters and see if there is additional cost. It might be for the remainder of the summer there. Like I said, it will be a small change for a big benefit for the residents of Fort Simpson and the Nahendeh region.

That’s great. Like I said in my Member’s statement, I know we’re getting support from the leadership in Fort Simpson. There are three councils: the Metis, the LKFN and the Village of Fort Simpson. But residents are also saying they like the idea of a 7 a.m. start; they really want to keep the 12 p.m. closure at midnight.

If the department really wanted to cost-save by adding an extra hour, how much of a barrier would the Minister see of extending it one more hour so that all the needs of Fort Simpson businesses and constituents can be addressed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome Martina Norwegian to the gallery and congratulations on your induction into the Education Hall of Fame. Hopefully, you will see the test run of the Lafferty ferry this summer. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m rising today and I will be supporting the motion. I think the intent of the motion is, look, we’ve got an issue here. We’d like to address some of it, and for me, it’s about long-term stays. It’s about emergencies, and often some of the emergencies that I see are that the escorts coming here with the medical client, they’re expected to be two days, but they find more health issues and they actually end up in Edmonton for weeks at a time and the escort is travelling with them ill prepared. It’s often the family member, a cousin, that the only reason he’s...

Just on that, I know that it’s going from a 16 hour day to a 17 hour day, and the department had initial concerns about, and I think the Minister said it as well, about approaching their weekly work limits. As I brought this to constituents, as well, they’re saying, well, wait a minute, in Fort Providence they were running from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. and they didn’t have those same concerns, so maybe the Minister can elaborate exactly what the concern is from going to 16 to 17 hours, recognizing that they had done 18 hours running the Merv Hardie.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, in my Member’s statement, I spoke about the Lafferty ferry extension of the hours beginning around 7 a.m. until midnight. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation how much work has been done in accessing this possibility. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Summer has begun and the ferries across the NWT are starting their engines. At a constituency meeting in Fort Simpson last fall, the people in my riding raised the possibility of running the daily ferry at the Liard crossing from 7 a.m. until midnight. It currently runs from 8 a.m. until midnight, and people are often in a rush to attend business in Hay River or Yellowknife or make other travel connections. This spring I had initial discussions with the Department of Transportation to propose operating the ferry between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. They...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Like the Minister had indicated, given a lot of the challenges, I’m really pleased to see the work towards the completion this fall.

Just one more question is the question of an airport terminal. Is that on site in Trout Lake this year or will it be there soon?

Exactly what type of work will be done in Trout Lake this summer and fall?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to commend our high school graduates in Nahendeh. It’s that happy time of year when the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and proud parents and families are celebrating with their offspring one of the most important milestones in the life of a child or young adult: high school graduation day.

I want to congratulate each and every graduate in the Northwest Territories for the achievement they are celebrating this year, and I also commend the parents, families, teachers and communities for the support that has helped their...