Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to say I am glad to be back in the House to be able to represent the constituents of Inuvik. I also want to give my condolences and my thoughts and prayers to all of those who are affected by the floods and, you know, thinking of the families in Aklavik that are watching the water now, as well.
As a resident of Inuvik for pretty much my entire life, the only way out by road is the Dempster Highway. This 740kilometer gravel highway from Inuvik to Dawson Corner is our lifeline for our basic needs like food, heating fuel, and building supplies. When the residents of the Northwest Territories drive this highway, from my community and from my region, it is not for leisure travel for the most part. It is used to harvest and to make the journey to Whitehorse or further south for supplies.
The NWT/Yukon border to Inuvik is 272 kilometers and over the past three decades, since I can remember driving up and down that road myself, the road to the border has continuously been worked on and widened.
When driving this highway beginning from the Yukon, you first cross a singlelane wooden bridge, which impacts what can come up this highway.
We are in a housing crisis and modular homes and manufactured homes are one way to try to alleviate this crisis but we can't even truck anything wider than 14 feet up that road, which are not common sizes for modulars any longer.
Over the last couple years, I have traveled this road especially when returning home from session. This is a threeday travel for myself and my husband when we do travel this. This road is at the end of its life once you hit the Dempster. It hasn't been widened until you hit the NWT/Yukon border.
The NWT has been advocating for funding from the feds over the years to widen the NWT section of the highway but it appears to me that this is not a Yukon priority to advocate for their side as it does not lead to any of their communities. So the road remains narrow with little or no gravel to cover the remainder of this 468 kilometers from the NWT border, which is if dire need of repair. And I am sure the Speaker and some Members in this House have traveled that road as well.
When I asked a previous Minister of Infrastructure about the Dempster Highway, she replied to me in this House on Friday, June 12th, 2020 "I have lots of conversations with my counterpart in the Yukon who is also very keen to see the Dempster rehabilitated and we have discussed that with the federal government." I sure hope that this Minister, who I know travels this road, as she too is from the Beaufort Delta, has continued to have these discussions with our Yukon neighbour to push the federal government for funds to repair and rehabilitate the 468 kilometer section through the Yukon and the singlelane bridge as well as other bridges that need repair.
I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Infrastructure on this. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
