Michael McLeod

This funding is intended to promote environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure. Municipal and Community Affairs has pushed to broaden the project criteria for gas tax funding so that communities can use it to support energy efficient components of other infrastructure; for example, solar panels on a community office.

Mr. Speaker, Whati has been a leader in exploring options for energy conservation and alternative energy sources. However, Whati is not the only community undertaking work in this area. For example, Jean Marie River is looking into solar panel options for the band...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement, I talked about the students’ perspective and the whole thing going on with Samuel Hearne. One of the comments the students made was they were wondering if there was a backup plan or why there was no backup plan. So my question today is for the Minister of Education, Mr. Dent. I would like to ask Mr. Dent if there are backup plans in each community in case something happens to the school. If not, why not? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated earlier, the Department of Transportation plays no part in the negotiations. Our obligation lies with the contractor that is hired to provide a service and we are not planning to intervene in any form at this time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is recognized that the Liard ferry services are very important to the people of Nahendeh, especially the communities of Fort Simpson and Wrigley, and will cause some disruption in terms of service for those communities. However, this is a labour dispute between the PSAC employees and a private company, and the Department of Transportation is trying its best to stay out of the discussions and not get involved directly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize the needs that Yellowknife has and the pressures they are facing in terms of land, but it is also important to recognize that the Akaitcho Dene have a process that is recognized by the highest law of the land: the federal Crown and the treaties that were signed with them. We have to respect that. I will do my best to ensure that Yellowknife has lands that they can use for some of their needs in the area, but I also have to do my best to ensure that the Yellowknives’ rights are looked after. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his thought-provoking question.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, it is quite simple how the logjam, as the Member refers to the land issue in and around Yellowknife, would end once the municipality has control over the lands that are turned over to it by this government and once the Akaitcho Dene have their land selection all settled. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s difficult to point to exactly all the initiatives because this document is still in draft form. But I would like to assure the Member that the road to Tuktoyaktuk is included in all our discussions and both our proposals. The proposals fit together. It’s all part of a bigger vision statement. There are other initiatives in new areas that we have yet to develop proposals that we’re working on. The Tlicho roads, for example, that we still have to work with the chiefs and we still have to work on realignment. That proposal has to be done. We are also...

Mr. Speaker, we have had and are currently having discussions with the community of Hay River on a number of issues about the fire chief's position and the ambulance's equipment requirements. We have worked with the Town of Hay River for a fire rescue vehicle. We have contributed through this government for a highway rescue vehicle and we will continue to do so. I would be pleased to be the contact person, or my department. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of programs that MACA supports and works with through emergency preparedness to fund some fire rescue vehicles; not necessarily ambulances. Ambulances still fall under, for the most part, municipal governments. This government, through MACA, is responsible for the Fire Prevention Act, which is more an area of inspections, investigations, training. Under our capital programming we do provide fire protection equipment for non-tax-based municipalities. We do not provide it for tax-based municipalities. The responsibility for ambulances still falls under that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member’s statement, when foyers collapse and foundations fail, someone has to be held responsible. Would the Minister give parents, students and teachers some reassurance that their school will be safe when it reopens and indicate whether he has or plans to order an internal investigation to find out who is responsible and what needs to be done to prevent failures like this again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.