Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. I would like to ask the Minister: have all the inspections been done on both ferries to ensure they can be launched as soon as possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The staff are out there working and doing their due diligence. I would have to get back to the Member on the exact timing that Transport Canada will be in there to do their stuff, but, from my indication, what I have gotten from the department so far is that we are on schedule to have both the Louis Cardinal and Abraham Francis ferries in the water and operational by next week.
These inspections have never been an issue in the past. Is it because of increased changes to the inspections, or what is causing the delays of those inspections?
I am not aware of there being any delays on this. We historically had these ferries in by June 2nd, so I believe we are on schedule. As I said, I can check into the Transport Canada inspection issue and see if there is an issue and relay that to the Member.
Will the ferries be in operation earlier this year compared to previous years?
As I have said, historically, these have on average been in place by June 2nd, so, if we have them in by next week, we could be in as early as four or five days earlier than average.
Thank you. Final question. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, the Peel River is clear. There is no debris in the rivers, on the river. Will the Minister and the department put the Abraham Francis in first, before the Louis Cardinal? As I say, the community is almost out of gasoline. We only have one supplier left in the community, and people want to restock their supplies, as well.
As this whole House knows, the travelling public and safety is number one for us. I will have to confirm with our staff where we are at on both of those ferries and get back to the Member. However, as we've updated this House in previous years, going forward the general public and Members of this Assembly need to be well aware that the river conditions can change drastically. We have had low water already this year, but, due to spring melt coming out of the mountains, things can change. Last year, that caused problems, particularly in Fort McPherson because of all of the debris that was coming down and washing out the approaches. This is something that we will continue to monitor and to relay to the general public, and I will keep the House informed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
