Michael Nadli

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Tourism is a growing sector of our economy. In Fort Providence, we see a lot of traffic on Highway No. 3, and I know there is great potential to increase the tourists' experience in our area.

People used to stop on the shore of the mighty Deh Cho to wait for the ferry not far from the tiny blue sign that identifies the waterway as the Mackenzie River. Today, tourists on the highway cruise right past the sign and over the Deh Cho bridge, perhaps unaware of the significance of our greatest river. If they blink, they might miss it. The sign, I mean.

The Deh Cho is not only our...

Other communities are likely in the same situation where aging infrastructure from the 1970s more than likely served its purpose beyond its years. One common theme that has been suggested to communities is the idea of reservoirs. Can the Minister explain why a water reservoir may be one option for the community?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The term "aging infrastructure" is one we hear a lot in this Assembly, but very rarely is it linked to the needs of small communities. Most do not have a lot of infrastructure. Much of what small communities do have is aging and will need to be replaced.

Exhibit A today is the water intake and treatment plant in Fort Providence, operated and maintained by the Hamlet of Fort Providence. The plant was built in the 1970s. It is located at the end of the Providence Narrows, where the current of the Mackenzie is fastest and strongest. The water line into the treatment plant has...

MACA, of course, provides funding, as the Minister stated, infrastructure funding to community, and, of course, it is based on federal allocations. What priority does aging infrastructure, like the water treatment plant in Fort Providence, receive when considering community infrastructure funding allocations?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I made a statement on the water treatment plant situation in Fort Providence and the problems with the intake line. Of course, the community of Fort Providence, through the hamlet council, has undertaken a study. My question is to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs: what is the department's role in updating the Fort Providence water and sewer system to modern and reliable standards? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to speak to you today about the state of housing on the Hay River reserve. The problem is, I don't know what else I can say. I have told you that my constituents have come to me in frustration and despair. Families are forced to choose between separation, with young people leaving the community to find housing, or overcrowding, with inadequate homes degrading the fabric of family life. We have tried to work with the GNWT. We have tried to work with the federal government. We have been patient, and yet the situation has not materially changed.

At a...

The next question I wanted to ask is just the next steps: how will the Minister prioritize this work in the months ahead? She has indicated five of the seven units will be renovated.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. As I have asked before, will the Minister advise the House on the progress that has been made on the 10 units that have had land tenure? When will these homes be available for occupancy? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again I commend the Minister for taking those extraordinary steps in working with First Nations leaders in our small communities. She has highlighted the model that likely could be templated and used as an example across Canada. Would the Minister be willing to consider the idea of in the future to invite her federal colleagues to visit the Hay River Reserve and see for themselves just the housing issues that people have to contend with? Mahsi.

I really have to commend the Minister for taking some extraordinary and constructive steps in ensuring that, ultimately, at some point, more housing will be made available to the residents. So I thank her for taking those steps. The Minister indicated that three houses of the 10 units will be occupied and seven need repairs. What is the current status of work to secure the remaining seven homes?