Mr. Speaker, in a letter signed by all the leadership in Fort Smith, dated June 17, 2019, the leaders were clear in their disapproval of the proposed changes of the Fort Smith airport. However, Transport Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Infrastructure went ahead with them anyways. My question is: upon receiving this letter from the Fort Smith leadership, were there any attempts made by the infrastructure department to modify or delay the project to fit the community's liking? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since receiving the letter from Fort Smith leadership in June of 2019, the former Minister of the Department of Infrastructure and I have both provided multiple responses that explained why the decision was made to proceed with the project.
Transport Canada sets the standards by which airports are designed and operated. Airport owners and operators, such as the GNWT, apply those standards and construct and operate airports to meet current and future operational and regulatory needs. The GNWT reviews airport infrastructure on a regular basis to identify current and future needs and, Mr. Speaker, it was identified that the lighting at the Fort Smith airport was in need of replacement. As a result, the GNWT secured funding from the Government of Canada for the installation of the new LED airport lighting. Since the lighting replacement project would have required digging up sections of the runway, the GNWT decided to review the runway width requirements at the Fort Smith airport at the same time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Why does the Department of Infrastructure continue to proceed with the airport infrastructure changes despite the community's leadership opposing them?
Construction on the project began in May of 2019. Subsequent to that, Northwestern Air Lease, the local air carrier, and the town and local bands raised concerns to the Minister of Infrastructure and in the media. Additional information was provided to these groups to confirm that the concerns they raised were taken into consideration during the planning of the project, and to reaffirm that the level of service at the Fort Smith airport has remained the same. The project proceeded because it addressed the current and future operational needs of the airport.
Will the Minister admit that the community stakeholders and leadership of Fort Smith were not properly consulted, if at all, about these changes to the Fort Smith airport?
Public engagement is a critical part of the way our government does business. It ensures that the GNWT is visible, accessible, and answerable to the people it serves. In this case, while we engaged with industry and regulatory entities regarding the airport work in Fort Smith to ensure that the runway would continue to be safe and meet federal regulations and maintain a consistent level of service, we did not ensure that the community of Fort Smith understood the project's purpose and benefits before we completed the work. We understand that airport maintenance and improvements are especially important in Northwest Territories communities like Fort Smith, where residents and industry depend on safe, secure, accessible, and reliable air travel.
Our approach to public engagement continues to evolve. I think you've all heard me speak here, even just yesterday, about the need for my department to do better when it comes to engagement, so, in the future, we will work with the community of Fort Smith to ensure that its residents are informed prior to the work being completed, and not after.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister admit that errors were made during the infrastructure changes to the Fort Smith airport? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
No, there were no errors made during the changes to the Fort Smith runway. What I will acknowledge, though, is that it does sound like the engagement was not done properly, or to the liking of the Member and her community, therefore I do commit that the Department of Infrastructure will do better. We recognize that residents and community leaders in Fort Smith are concerned with the recent changes to the runway and the community, so we commit to having a conversation to explain why the runway narrowing happened. The improvements to the runway will position the department to effectively and efficiently maintain an important piece of infrastructure, while reducing operating and maintenance costs. Narrowing the width of the runway did not change the level of service in the airport. What it did do was allow us to access federal funding to maintain it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
