Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about highway safety on the Dempster Highway. As you arrive in Fort McPherson heading south, there is a lake situated right beside the highway. The embankment is rather steep. It is the old water-intake lake. Last summer, we had a group of tourists, a camper, who veered off the road, went down the steep embankment, and almost into the lake. These people are very lucky that nothing terrible happened to them.
Mr. Speaker, we can't continue to say "lucky." We need the Department of Infrastructure to build a guardrail along that little bit of highway so that vehicles can be made aware that this is a dangerous area, in hopes that they will slow down when approaching.
In the summer of 2018 tourist season, we have seen a record numbers of travellers on the Dempster Highway. This is due to the completion of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway and high demand for local tourists and business in the region. The numbers are expected to be even greater this summer. With this in mind, we need the department to seriously look into this matter and make sure our highways are safe for all travellers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions later today. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
