Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I guess my first question is we have heard some concerns, and maybe the Minister can alleviate some of the concerns out there with the new Yellowknife hospital being built, with the insulation. Has that been a concern that people should be aware of, with this insulation being exposed to all this weather out there? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for looking into that. As I was driving down the roads, I also noticed that there are certain sections where the grass was creeping up onto the roads and causing a little bit of poor sight where wildlife can cut in front of you, but then other sections were clear. Can the Minister advise the House what the policy is as it pertains to clearing the ditches and, if they have a schedule for the various roads and, if he could share it with us?

I thank the Minister for that. I greatly appreciate that. The Blackstone Territorial Park, when we were talking about employment for Nahanni Butte, is there some component in there for the brushing and clearing of that site that could be done by this community? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past summer I had to opportunity to travel on about 92 per cent of the allweather roads in the southern part of the NWT. This works out to be about 1,155 kilometers. Some of the roads were in great shape, better than others. As I traveled, I noticed a number of concerns I would like to address with the Minister for Infrastructure today.

Mr. Speaker, on Highway No. 1, from approximately kilometre 205 to 220, I noticed that the staff from Fort Providence were doing their regular maintenance this section of the chipseal. It is the last section of chipseal...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand you're going to re-evaluate and you're going to look at your 20-year plan, but the community would like to see a VIC centre in there, and a lot of the tourists who are coming through there are looking for that when they show up. I have to applaud the department for putting a pavilion there and it's greatly appreciated, but a VIC centre would have a huge impact on the community and also the region in the southern territories, if people would be going up there and have that opportunity. Will the Minister work with the community to see the feasibility of putting...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Similar to that area, Fort Liard Highway, NWT/BC border pullout pavilion there, I notice that it's not going to have a VI centre, it's just going to be a pavilion put up there. Is there a reason why the department hasn't looked at putting a VI centre at that location, considering that they have one at the NWT/Alberta border and then they have one in Dawson City as well? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Minister. Again, we are not asking for the tower to be built. It is more putting a cellular antenna on there, and the community is looking to do that. The next question is the CL215 water bombers. Have we sold those? Because I notice there are still a number of these airplanes still at the end of the runway by Buffalo. Have these planes been sold because they are not going to be used anymore by the government? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

That is good to hear, and I thank the Minister for that answer. Can I get an update when it is done so that I can maybe get a tour of this facility? It has been long overdue. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for that. I am assuming he is talking about Fort Liard when we talked about it, and not Fort Resolution. I guess my struggle, though, is so basically, until we build a new facility, the community is not going to see a morgue. Is this correct, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I think she was pulling on my heartstrings there, saying a library and a pool. It was like old days, with the recreation side of me coming out.

In regard to keeping these funds and putting them into reserves, I have heard in other years that some people have spent the money on other facilities, like a hotel or a store. Are these kinds of projects for this type of money, or should they be looking at other avenues to fund these types of capital projects? Thank you, Mr. Chair.