Debates of October 21, 2005 (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I wanted to talk about one of my favourite subjects: Hay River.

---Laughter

In a couple of weeks, I will be coming up to 31 years in Hay River. Over those years, I have been involved in many aspects of life in Hay River, so I can say, with some authority, that Hay River is a great place to live, to work, and to raise a family. There are so many things to be involved in. If volunteering is your thing, there are a host of opportunities to join the large community-minded people in Hay River. If you are a sports enthusiast, we have it all from a beautiful golf course with real greens in the summer, to our well-groomed cross-country ski trails in the winter, to hockey for all ages, to just about every other kind of organized sport that you can think of. If you are a nature lover, we have beautiful walking trails close to the picturesque Hay River, or walks along the miles of sandy shoreline of Great Slave Lake.

The cost of housing and living is probably the lowest in the Northwest Territories. We have lots of developed and serviced land for sale. We have great transportation connections -- centrally located on the South Slave highway system -- and affordable options for air travel, whether you are going north or south.

Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on. I could tell the good people of the Northwest Territories about things like our new aquatic centre, our diversified economy, our Arctic College programs, just the good people who live in Hay River. But, Mr. Speaker, I would encourage anyone who hasn’t visited Hay River lately, to do so. Instead of driving right by in Enterprise, just turn left and come down. We will be hospitable and we will show you around. Check it out! It is a great community to visit. It is a great community to call home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause