Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise once again as a follow-up on my Member’s statement earlier today on last week’s devastating deadly highway crash north of Fort Providence. Again, our hearts do go out to the families involved.
As in my last question with the Minister of Health and Social Services, my questions will not deal directly with the accident itself as it is still under RCMP investigation. However, they will deal with the level of first responder care, patient immobilization and highway medical transport in the NWT. My questions today are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs indicate 33 communities in the NWT have proper ambulance or a van ambulance that has all the safety standards to secure, immobilize and transport victims in the event of a highway accident?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure of the exact number; however, I would assume that in places like Yellowknife and Hay River and those on the highway system with properly trained first responders would have ambulance services.
The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has commented, many times in this House, on the incomplete emergency action plans of the NWT communities. Can the Minister also indicate if all 33 communities have roadside emergency action plans in the event of a highway crash?
I do know that we have 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. We have 16 of them that do have updated emergency plans, we have 15 that have emergency plans that need to be updated, and we have two communities without any type of emergency plan at all.
I appreciate the Minister with those statistics. Can the Minister indicate what is the policy, really, to road emergencies between Yellowknife and Fort Providence, who are the exact care providers and what services are being offered?
As far as the policy goes, if there is an accident on the highway such as there was last week, I mean, first of all, being good neighbours that NWT people are, they will respond to accidents and do what they can to assist. As far as whose jurisdiction that is, that is a question that I’m not sure about. We would like to think that our communities would be equipped to deal with situations on the highway, and that’s part of how we’re going to do business now. The plan, through MACA, is to offer training to those that want to be qualified as first responders, and that way that will enable them to get the proper equipment and they’d be able to go out and respond to an accident. They’ll respond to an accident and then we’ll worry about the jurisdiction later.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is evident that the Yellowknife Fire Department has well-trained staff that are NFPA 1001 certified, and that could provide a level of rescue and care along the entire length of Highway No. 3. Has the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs or the Minister considered a formal policy to contract these services in the absence of any formal emergency action plan along this stretch of highway?
We will have a discussion within the department and then we can further that up with a discussion, if need be, with the folks in Yellowknife, because they do have a lot of qualified personnel here.
At the end of the day, our goal is to have qualified first responders in many of the highway communities in the Northwest Territories, then they would be better equipped dealing with emergencies such as this and other such emergencies involving vehicles on the highway.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
