Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first set of questions is for ENR. I'm going to start with the foxes, Mr. Speaker. That's where the rabies are most present, and then they get into dogs, and then they get into humans. So can the Minister of ENR just tell us whether the department is presently concerned with their rabies outbreak in the current fox Arctic Fox population. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the questions. Rabies, as the Member said, is a natural occurrence occurring, and it's always present in Arctic Foxes in northern Canada, particularly above the treeline. The disease goes through cycles, and more cases seen in some years. We have more cases in the BeauDel this year and a case in the Sahtu. ENR regularly monitors rabies in wildlife across the NWT and will continue to track numbers of cases where they occur if rabies occur. Cases are confirmed near communities or in domestic animals; ENR provides information and support to the Department of Health and Social Services to avoid people being exposed to the disease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that, and I some of the people who are most at risk are our hunters and trappers, especially those who are trapping foxes above the treeline. But many of them have dealt with this; they notice the signs, and they know when not to deal with a rabid animal. I'm wondering, some experts have suggested that a bait program be put in place, specifically around communities to kind of act as a buffer zone so that rabies does not pass to other populations. Is this something ENR is considering? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the vast geographical scope of rabies in the NWT, vaccination of wildlife is not currently a practice or an efficient option right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
