Debates of October 17, 2006 (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation. Hopefully he hears my question, Mr. Speaker. It’s with respect to the ferry situation in Fort Simpson. It has been on an hourly service for some time for a couple of years, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he can tell me why is the Fort Simpson ferry on an hourly service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 109-15(5): Fort Simpson Ferry Hours Of Service

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; the ferry at Fort Simpson and other locations over the years have been put on a scheduled service. The intention was to see if it would result in some savings in terms of fuel. Over the last couple of months, I directed out staff to do an analysis of whether that is the case to see if there is any positive results of having scheduled service versus on-call and on-demand service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 109-15(5): Fort Simpson Ferry Hours Of Service

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to the scheduled service for the ferries, the Minister can probably correct me if I am wrong, but I think Fort Simpson is the only one on scheduled service, so I don’t know how the department is saving money on all the ferries when there is only one service being impacted here. So how much longer will the Minister keep Fort Simpson on a scheduled basis and keep us stranded on our island? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 109-15(5): Fort Simpson Ferry Hours Of Service

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated in my response earlier, I have directed the staff to see if there is any benefit of having scheduled services. We will have those results over the winter and we will take direction from the results and move forward for the next season. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 109-15(5): Fort Simpson Ferry Hours Of Service

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he can provide me with current and ongoing analysis as it goes on and perhaps an indication of whether they are going to lift that scheduled service for Fort Simpson. Once again, I would like to stress that it’s the only ferry that’s on a scheduled service, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 109-15(5): Fort Simpson Ferry Hours Of Service

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We would be glad to share that information with the Member. Thank you.