Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Transportation. In recent years we’ve deployed some modern equipment and means to keep the travelling public informed of current circumstances that would affect their travel plans. Constituents can access websites updating ferry and ice conditions. This was also provided by way of solar-powered road signs alerting travellers of everything from bison on the road to load limits on ice crossings.
Recently, a constituent, well actually, I’ll just say it was my husband, drove all the way – he’s actually Mr. Bouchard’s constituent – to Indian Cabins before he found out the road was closed down there by our border because of forest fires. I think that the idea of using these signs on the outskirts of highways to advise of things affecting the road travel is a good idea. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation if there is any effort or plans within his department to expand the use of these solar-powered signs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we would look at deploying those signs where we need to, but in the advance of technology we’re also keeping our website up to date for the travelling public. Oftentimes now that’s the first place people look to for information. That is on our website and it’s updated, especially with the situation taking place in the Deh Cho and affecting those communities and our roads and our ferry system, it’s important that we’re updating that continuously. That’s one place the Member could possibly look. Thank you.
The operative word in the Minister’s response is current and updated, because I used to travel the road between Hay River and Yellowknife for many years, and if you went onto the website on the weekends to find anything out about the ferry or the ice road, it wasn’t actually updated from Friday at 3 o’clock until Monday morning at 10 o’clock. Has the department undertaken any measures to resolve that so that the information is, in fact, up to the hour and current?
This past week we had people from Fort Simpson that were in Hay River for the track and field championships, and the approaches to the ferry crossings were under water and they had no real way of finding out what the current situation is. Could the Minister respond to that, the current availability of information? Thank you.
Over the weekend the website was updated on a continuous basis. It was updated because of the situation that was happening with the Liard River. As far as weather, we have somebody on every weekend updating the website. If there are events that are happening in the territory, I would expect that we’d have somebody available to update that website. I can get that level of detail for the Member on how that happens and when it happens. Thank you.
The website is one way. There’s also a 1-800 number to call for an update. The Minister says that he expects it would happen. We would like to know that it is going to happen, because again, for years when I travelled on that road, the only way to really find out what was going on at Fort Providence was to call Big River Service Station in Fort Providence. That was the only really current information you could get about what was going on there. Could the Minister confirm he expects it would happen on weekends? Can the Minister confirm that there is somebody employed to ensure that information is current at all times? Thank you.
I will find out for the Member. We also have the 1-800 number, as well, that people can call. It’s important to us that safety is the number one concern here for the travelling public. I will get that information for the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Your final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think there should be solar-powered signs at the outskirts of every community on the road system and at both of the border crossings coming into the Northwest Territories. If the department needs to procure more solar-powered signs, can the Minister assure me that he will look to northern suppliers? Thank you.
Yes, we will do that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
