Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2006 two fuel spills occurred in the community of N’dilo as a result of old leaking fuel tanks at the private residences of elders. Neither of these elders had house insurance, and the Yellowknife Dene First Nation now faces a bill of $163,000 to remediate the spill.
These spills could easily have been prevented, which makes the environmental and financial costs that much more regrettable. The Yellowknife Dene First Nation has been in contact with the Housing Corporation on two separate occasions over eight months and has not received a formal response to the request for fuel tank replacement.
As of right now the Housing Corp has still not taken a proactive response to fuel tank replacement through the Contributing Assistance for Repairs and Enhancements program, or CARE. Both of the elders who had spills on their property had low incomes and would have been eligible for the CARE program. The Yellowknife Dene has shown its own initiative to prevention by replacing ten aging fuel tanks in public housing and buildings in their communities.
The Housing Corporation has failed to show a similar commitment of its own by implementing similar measures for private residences eligible for the CARE program. The policy is only useful if it is implemented in a way that actually benefits those who are under its mandate.
The Yellowknife Dene Housing Division has conducted an inventory of the fuel tanks of low income elders from the two communities, which they have submitted to the Housing Corp. The Housing Corporation has a responsibility through the CARE program to fund and implement a program to replace the aging tanks in these communities before there are more costly fuel spills. There are about 18 elders that might fit the bill there.
Unnecessary spills represent a huge waste of financial and human resources at a time when both are in short supply. Also, there is significant destruction to the elders’ lives with each event. This government is supposed to be about prevention. Instead of choosing to deal with leaky fuel tanks as and when they occur, let’s choose to be progressive, replace these tanks immediately and show the elders the respect and leadership they and our land deserve.
I will be asking the Minister of Housing questions on this. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
