Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, I've informed my officials to keep the community of Wrigley informed in terms of the dates. We're working very hard to ensure that the ferry operation is in the waters by the end of this month, and have it tested, have it inspected, have it checked off okay so that we could help out the community of Wrigley. Certainly we'll do everything in our powers to make sure this happens and put some smiles on some of the children in Wrigley.

Mr. Speaker, our first priority within the department is the safety of our facilities, our streets, our roads.

When we originally looked at the refit for the N’Dulee ferry, when the scope of work was laid out, it was planned that we would do this before any of this type of delay would be happening for this specific ferry.

When we looked at the refit and saw that further work needed to get done within the ferry, that required us to put in extra resources and time, and those other circumstances that happened are out of our control.

Again, we want to make sure that we do a proper job. Safety is...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honour to recognize from the NWT Seniors’ Society board of directors Leon Peterson from Fort Smith, Bea Campbell from Fort Smith, Eileen Collins from Hay River, Terry Villeneuve from Fort Resolution-Deninu Ku’e, Florence Barnaby from Radilih Koe’-Fort Good Hope, Lillian Elias from Inuvik, Jean Gruben from Tuktoyaktuk, Blake Lyons from Yellowknife, and Barb Hood, of course, the executive director.

I’d also like to recognize Norm Snowshoe. When we were going to school, we really did study hard.

[Translation.]

Sister Celeste Goulet was recognized for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education for running the Child Development Centre in Tulita. She was recognized for embracing the community’s history and traditions to put children in a learning environment that will be a strong foundation to build their education and learning. She started the Tulita preschool program back in 1981 and has since helped start the drop-in centre in 1983. Today the preschool cares for several children. Her doors are always open for the community, the coffee’s always hot and...

Mr. Speaker, we have to go through a process. The other projects have gone through a process.

The community of Aklavik is again asking for an issue that.... This project in Aklavik is something that we have to look at very seriously. We have to do some engineering; we have to do some studies. We do it every year, as we go through our lists.

The project we identified is somewhere in the Building Canada Fund, in terms of our research and development initiatives, but we have to do some work there.

So we are continuing to work with the community of Aklavik, going forward on a yearly basis. We’ll have...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize an aboriginal filmmaker who made it in the world in the film business: my brother Raymond Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, let’s be very clear. We had the list, which we put together. We met with the committees. We’ve talked about the review on a yearly basis. We’ll come back again to have some further discussions.

I have mentioned to the Member that under research and development and the Building Canada Fund — the portion that we will take from the funding there — we will look at the Aklavik gravel source and other projects. We have to look at investment right down the Mackenzie Valley for people in the Beaufort-Delta or the Gwich’in area.

The department has invested heavily into the Member’s riding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 1995–1996 and 2004–2005, this department has been working with the community of Aklavik on the ATV community access road project. In 2001 the community of Aklavik requested that the department relook at the ATV trail and convert it into an all-weather road to the source that Mr. Krutko made reference to, at Willow River.

This department has been listening to the community of Aklavik and the communities down the Mackenzie Valley. We have spent $309,000 on this access road now that’s been determined.

We are committed to building partnerships with industry at the level...

Again I say to the Members, through our research and development fund and the Building Canada Fund, we will look at the gravel source request from Aklavik in terms of an all-weather road.

We’ll do a cost-benefit analysis. We’ll look across the Northwest Territories and see if it makes any sense to put money where we think it’s needed in terms of our infrastructure, or new infrastructure. Some of the communities don’t even have roads into the community. Some of them have other requests. We’ve got to look at them and prioritize them and see that they fit within our goals of connecting communities...

Mr. Speaker, I said before that the department is working closely with the contractor for that section of road. We do have resources there; we are looking at the situation. I’m waiting for the report from my officials to see the type of assessment and analysis and recommendations they would consider for this road. My understanding is that they are working on it as quickly as possible. At this time I would wait to give further direction as to what the Member’s asking for, in terms of emergency funding for that specific section of the road.