Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation some questions on the construction of the Trout Lake Airport project. As the MLA, I was very proud of the work that I’d done with my colleagues to get the airport project on the books in 2008. Construction started in 2009 and here we are five years later, it’s not scheduled for completion until next year. That’s a six-year project. Yellowknife gets a new bypass road that’s completed within the year. The government wants to build the Inuvik-Tuk highway, almost $300 million, in four years. Why is my airport taking...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. If the Minister had said it was going to be completed this year, I would like him to meet with the community and myself and say that’s what is going to happen, because the reports I saw, it won’t be completely completed until next year.

That’s kind of a weak answer. The people, we want a win-win situation where we’ve got a nice capital project, the community wins, the government wins, but building for five years… That is just completely unacceptable. Working with the community and the community meetings, there’s a management team in the Department of Transportation that continually delays these.

I’d like to ask the Minister, can he do an assessment of the management team and see why this project is taking so long? Colville Lake doesn’t have an all-season road. Their airport was built in two years, so was Deline. I’d like some...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to provide this statement regarding Mr. Ted Grant’s contribution to NWT Tourism. Mr. Grant is a Fort Simpson businessman and bush pilot. He has spent 30 years promoting and developing the NWT tourism industry.

During my tenure as MLA for Nahendeh, I’ve had the pleasure of travelling with him and marvelled at his love for the Northwest Territories while marketing our vast potential in our territory. He has received many rewards to recognize his work, most recently the Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award from NWT Tourism. Other...

I am glad to hear that. Also, recent developments around Fort Liard, Highway No. 7, lots of traffic coming through. There’s some exploration going on across from Fort Liard. I’d like to know, does the Minister know if industry is also helping us invest in our roads this particular summer and perhaps this winter as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement on Highway No. 7 with the Minister of Transportation. I’d like to know the type of investment in Highway No. 7 for the years 2014-15. Can he outline how much work they will be doing to Highway No. 7 for the next fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m very glad to hear the passion which a number of Members have been speaking about with the Education Renewal Initiative. I think it’s important, as well, to tell the teachers, the principals, the assistants out there, they are doing good at their front-line work, they are working hard, but we’re talking about a system here that hasn’t been working for a long time.

Our children are failing because we are failing, failing to ensure that they are the smartest and the brightest by having the best education system available. We’re failing to support them, that...

Thank you, colleagues, and thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS, the Education Renewal Initiative represents sweeping and significant change to the delivery of kindergarten to Grade 12 education in the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS testing shows that more than 25 percent of NWT students are not at the academic level they need to be for their age;

AND WHEREAS the Grade 12 graduation rate for the NWT is 52 percent and may be declining;

AND WHEREAS many students emerge from NWT schools without the tools they need to succeed in life, and without sufficient knowledge of the core curriculum;

AND...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. At the end of my Member’s statement, I also invited the Minister to come and tour Highway No. 7 and speak with the chief of Fort Liard. His first reaction was I’m glad there’s a new Minister, but that Minister must come and ride Highway No. 7 probably closer towards the springtime if we can organize it. Can the Minister do that? Thank you very much.

Thank you. Just in terms of chipsealing a section of Highway No. 7 from the B.C. border towards Fort Liard, it’s about 36 kilometres. Twenty kilometres of it has already been reconstructed, so we’re looking at reconstruction of another 16 kilometres. Residents are looking for chipsealing some of those kilometres, the ones that have already been constructed, about 20 kilometres. Is that in the plan? Thank you.