Debates of August 23, 2007 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Transportation in terms of the issue on feasibility study on the extension of the runways in the small communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; the department has undertaken a student to look at all the airport runways in our communities, to look at the length and as well as the 2010 new CATSA requirement for runway lights there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is clear there that the federal government has put some restrictions on runways by the year 2010. I would ask the Minister if the feasibility study will be out amongst our people that are going to be affected in these small communities in terms of what type of provisions that we have to prepare if the Government of the Northwest Territories or the federal government doesn’t step in to help extend some of these runways that are desperately needed in the regions, especially the ones with no highway or bridges?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I believe all our communities have runways, so I don’t know what the Member is talking about. The existing runways aren’t impacting any current movement of our freight and transportation of people there, Mr. Speaker, but the runway issue study is to identify the need for extensions in the communities that may have shorter runways and requirements for the 2010 CATSA requirements for longer runways. It is going to have an impact upon our government, Mr. Speaker. We’re looking at potentially 16 runways right now and it’s estimated between 44 to 170 million dollars to extend them. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister was up in Colville Lake and landed on their runway. I think that, compared to Yellowknife, the Colville Lake runway is like a parking lot and we want to extend. There’s lots of activity going on in the Sahtu region. I just got word this afternoon that some more oil and gas activity is going to be happening this year.

More?

More and more. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister if he would consider, with his counterpart in the federal government, looking at grandfathering some of these clauses in terms of our runways because of the speed of light that this government works and the federal government works in terms of extending these runways to meet the regulations of the MOT's and flying into our communities?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say that right now DOT has no immediate plans to be extending any runways in the NWT, but we do have several runway extensions identified within our current 20-year needs assessment. I just want to add, Mr. Speaker, that the longer runways have been suggested as a solution for supporting air carriers, existing planes. The theory is that a longer runway will allow the aircraft to meet the requirements in all situations is incorrect. Longer runways will not solve aircraft performance requirement problems, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

I don’t know; I need to read the Hansard again. Mr. Speaker, the issue here is very dear to my people in the Sahtu region about longer runways. They have told the Minister, they have told this government, they have told me that the issue of the longer runways is critical, critical to their services, critical to the safety of our people, critical to developing our region. We can’t get a road right away into our region; it doesn’t look like we’re going to get any bridges yet; at least look at helping us with the extension of our runways. By golly, can this Minister do something like that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 191-15(6): Airport Runway Extensions In Small Communities

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to say that we’re not not doing anything, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

At the Member’s request, we’ve undertaken and pressed forward with this runway extension study. It’s something that we’re looking at. We’re looking at the 2010 regulations as part of the study to see how much of an impact the requirements of the 2010 will actually have, then, thirdly, to identify which communities will require these extensions and work forward to a plan to move towards it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.