Kevin A. Menicoche

For a small community and a large project like that, that’s good for the economic sustainability and jobs for the community. Just for clarification, did the Minister say potentially we’ll be landing at the airport this fall?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation to provide a brief update on the Trout Lake Airport project that has been going on for some time. I’d just like to know how it has progressed.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just getting back to the health effects of smoke from forest fires, does the department work, say, with the Department of Health with an information campaign so the residents can best be prepared for the fire season? Thank you.

Thank you very much. I note that on the NWT fire website that we’ve had four fires to date and there’s two current. One is being monitored, but constituents have been asking. The fires that are being monitored late last year that caused excessive smoke in the communities causing some health effects to the elders, to young people, people with health conditions.

Can the department consider being more proactive in putting out these monitoring fires early? Particularly when there’s so few of them, I’m sure we can use some extra resources and put them out before more heat comes and more winds that...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My communities and constituents are talking about how dry the forests are this spring. We see and have heard that this year’s fire season is predicted to be a very, very bad year.

Firstly, I want to commend our brave men and women who have been hired this year, and with all the fire crews throughout the North they will keep our people and property safe. If I may, Mr. Speaker, on our behalf, I salute them in advance for their efforts for this coming fire season.

A constituent has been wondering if the fires had been more aggressively fought last year at the...

Earlier in my spring tour as I toured the smaller communities in my riding, the leadership was asking about updating their firebreaks and getting that cleaned up. I’m wondering if the department has been to the communities and are working the communities to update and even clean out their firebreaks so that they’re out of danger. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of ENR some questions with regard to my Member’s statement. Forest fires are common occurrences in the Northwest Territories from May to September and can cause extensive damage, put lives in danger and cause health effects.

I’d like to know what the Department of ENR’s assessment and plan is for this coming fire season in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that explanation. To a normal person, I guess it wouldn’t make sense.

I’d just like to pursue another angle. Government is providing these services in the communities and we’re charging a commission fee.

Can our government provide this service for free, instead of charging it back to the smaller communities? They’re small populations. They’re the ones that get the brunt of it. I think my colleague from Mackenzie Delta has the highest fuel prices as a result of the petroleum products division, at $2.01.

Can they look at the government providing the service...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I did a Member’s statement on the increase of fuel prices in the small, remote communities that is delivered by the petroleum products division, so I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services questions on the increase of fuel prices.

I’d like to ask the Minister, how are the fuel prices determined in all our small and remote communities? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I’m asking is if Public Works and Services would review how we can deliver fuel, how we can drive down the cost of living. In fact, I think nationally one of the big moves is to lobby the federal government to drop the GST for gasoline and heating fuels in remote communities.

Is that something that the Minister is willing to look at as well? Thank you.