Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement to the Minister of Transportation. Recently I was flying over the communities of Nahanni Butte and Jean Marie, and I noticed there were no runway lights there. I’d just like to ask the Minister: is purchasing of these lights or fixing them up being planned for this fiscal year?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, no.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
I’d like to thank the Minister for the brevity of that answer and his efficiency there. I thought in the budget cycle previous to this there was a line item specifically referring to repairs to runway lights in Jean Marie and even in Nahanni Butte, I believe. I’d like to ask the Minister if there are plans this coming year to at least assess them and evaluate the repairs to those lights.
Mr. Speaker, in the department’s O&M plans and forecasts starting in ’09–10, we’re looking at improving the safety of the Nahanni Butte runway in terms of improvements to that runway. In Jean Marie we had to do some brushing in September of last year. There used to be lights in Jean Marie. However, on two occasions those runway lights were damaged. The department has indicated that they could look at putting some cones there. These runways are used by the charter companies.
There are other options that we’re looking at for Nahanni and Jean Marie in terms of emergency lighting on the runways during the dark seasons. In Nahanni Butte we are looking at some engineering work and ways we could improve our safety on the runway issues.
I will have to go back to the department and see specifically if there were plans in terms of runways to be put in at that airport. However, there hasn’t been any indication as to Jean Marie River airport getting runway lights.
I’d like to thank the Minister for a much better answer. The intent of question period is not to get the short answers. I didn’t like the tone of that. The intent is to inform me and the public and our communities that the government is here to provide services for our communities. Safety is one of them. Once again, I’d like to tell the Minister that my communities feel that not having these runway lights installed is a safety issue, and I’d like him to do something about it.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I didn’t hear a question there. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
