Mr. Speaker, I’d like to respond to comments in regard to water treatment contracts that are out there, because personally, I’ve been waiting two years to get a water treatment plant in Aklavik. We have health hazards in that community by way of high numbers of stomach cancer in that community. I think, as a government, we’re responsible to ensure the public health and well-being of our people are taken care of.
Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of MACA in regard to water treatment for Aklavik. It’s been well over two years. We were promised two years ago that we were going to get this plant in place. It’s still not there.
I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly why is it not on the ground, and exactly how soon can we get it into the community so we can deal with these health concerns in those communities?
The Member is right. There have been a number of challenges getting water taps put in, in a number — I think eight — of our communities. We looked at different ways to try to accommodate the communities by saving some costs or trying to have our projects fit within what we have in our budgets.
We wanted to look at a new process. And we’ve looked at a process which we refer to as the vertical integration of this project, which would include covering all aspects of delivering water plants, including the shipping, design, assembly, warranty and potentially even operating support.
It’s been a long process. We had initially wanted to come forward last year, but we didn’t get approval to do so. It has, first of all, gone through the request for qualifications and has been tendered out, or a request for proposals has gone out, and that process is ongoing. We hope to have that concluded, hopefully, with a positive conclusion. That will remain to be seen, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the hamlet of Aklavik and myself fully support the efforts of MACA in trying to deal with this problem. We know that it’s a cost issue, but again, we have health concerns in our communities. We need to address the water problems in these communities.
So again, I’d like to ask the Minister: do you have any time frames on when we can see construction beginning in these communities?
Mr. Speaker, I guess we have to give a two-part answer to that. If things don’t pan out the way we anticipated or if we don’t have a positive outcome in the final stages of our request for proposals, we may have to go back to the drawing board. But if everything goes well and it ends up that a contract is awarded, we’ll have that proceed this summer.
Mr. Speaker, the health of the people of Aklavik is at risk here. There are high cases of stomach cancer in that community. It’s been diagnosed through having to send a medical team in there to diagnose every resident of the community. And it’s fully directed towards the water problem. I think, as this government realizes, that should be a top priority of this government. For someone in this House to stand up and say, “Delay, evaluate, assess the program and then come back with reasons,” we can’t afford that.
So I’d like to ask the Premier, along with the Minister, that this project be put on top of the list in light of the health issues in that community. People can wait and have projects delayed in their ridings or communities — have at her — but not in mine.
I don’t think it’s fair for the Member to state that the stomach cancer is a direct result of our water. Our water’s been tested. The H. pylori virus is of concern, of course, but the treatment through the current facility deals with that. The medical officer has indicated that it’s not related to the water or the water plants.
Mr. Speaker, we do take water and water quality very seriously, and it’s a high priority. We’re doing everything we can to move that forward as fast as we can.
Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
I won’t argue with the Minister on this. I know what the H. pylori is all about, and I think there is that connection. So I think it’s important, as a government, to deal with health versus infrastructure.
Again, it’s crucial that this government does not fall back on the commitments they made to the community and to MLAs when it comes to capital projects for our ridings because of someone else’s concern from some other riding.
I’d just like to get some assurance from this government that they’re not going to backtrack on the commitment that’s been given to the people of my riding — especially the people of Aklavik — and that this project will proceed.
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to the Members, we made a commitment to the community leaders, and we made a commitment to the Members of this House.
Our process, we’re very confident, is fair. Our process has the equivalent of a fairness commissioner. We have a review team and an independent evaluator. I think we’ve taken all the precautions we need to take and even gone further because of so many concerns raised. We include the Department of Justice; we include the Department of Health; we include the people from FMB, MACA, Public Works. So I’m very confident that there is a very fair process and everybody will agree, once we provide most of the details, should they wish to see that.
