Michael McLeod

Mr. Speaker, as we know too well, the price of fuel and power over the last several years has been continuing to escalate, and the price of crude oil has risen more than 40 percent since January of 2005. This has prompted the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Transportation to take actions to mitigate the impact and to continue to plan for future conservation initiatives.

Transportation has taken a number of initiatives in the past to conserve on energy consumption, including rehabilitation and refits of major buildings. An example includes the retrofit of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that. So the Minister is saying that he is working with the DECs and he has instructed his department to come up with backup plans in each community. Is that correct? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course this government is very disappointed the two sides were not able to come to a settlement on this issue. The government will continue to monitor the situation and look at the options available. However, at this point we will just be monitoring the situation and not providing any other alternative service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue for the ferry services is regulated by the federal government under the Canadian Labour Code, and they are the government responsible for this whole issue of dispute.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a side table on lands around the Yellowknife area in the Akaitcho traditional area is something that we supported for some time. We have not been able to reach that level until recently. Discussions have taken place. All issues involving lands around Yellowknife and the Akaitcho area are going to be put on the table for discussion. I welcome that. The department welcomes that. The government supports that. We are hoping that it will be resolved. All the identification will be resolved by January. Failing that, it would need more time. It depends...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is the goal of this government to turn over lands in the city limit boundaries to the municipality as it is to turn over all lands in the different municipalities. Whether that can happen in the term of this government, I can’t guarantee that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve indicated already that we are committed to doing that and we have it included in a number of our different proposals and will continue to bring those forward. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the area for responding to accidents on the highway is something that falls across a number of jurisdictions. In some cases, the RCMP respond and in some cases some of our highway officials will respond if they are in the area. We have instances where we have our nursing vehicles responding to highway accidents. We have a number of different communities that have ambulances that are responding. We are working with the Department of Health to look at the whole situation to make sure that all lines of communication are clear, that all lines of responsibility are clear. That is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now there are only certain communities that have ambulance service. Inuvik is one; the community of Fort Rae, or Behchoko as it is known now; the communities of Fort Simpson and Hay River are the communities that have ambulance service. There are varying degrees on how those communities are funded. Some are funded solely by contract through the Department of Health; others are paid on a fee for service. The responsibility for ambulance services basically falls under the Department of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Public Works and Services. We have seen newspaper reports that Samuel Hearne was going to be open later in the month. I want to ask the Minister the question that is on everyone’s mind in Inuvik: When will the school reopen so that teachers and parents can get on with their year? Thank you.