Debates of March 17, 2004 (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have an issue I would like to bring forward to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. The issue has probably been roaming in the minds of many northern drivers and will soon be roaming in the minds of many NWT golfers and probably residents of Yellowknife if not addressed soon. This is concerning the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary herd. As everybody is aware, the new road system has had some major developments and improvements in the last few years which has allowed drivers to reach their destinations a little quicker, which means they’re going a little faster. That, along with the significant increase in the number of bison and traffic over the last five years, I just want to ask the Minister what steps the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is going to be taking, if any, in the near future to address the rising number of occurrences of vehicle-related accidents on our highway system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 21-15(3): Dealing With Bison On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it is a very serious and potentially dangerous issue and I would like to tell the Member and assure the House that we have been in discussions for some time now with the Department of Transportation as to how to best address this issue and do what we can to keep buffalo off the highways. It would be nice if they did it on their own, but unfortunately it’s nice travelling on the highways and probably relatively, if you consider going into the deep bush, bug-free compared to that. So the buffalo seem to naturally gravitate toward the highways. But we are working with Transportation to look at a number of options because it is very potentially dangerous to have them on the road. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 21-15(3): Dealing With Bison On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for his answer. I just want to know if the Minister is willing to commit his department to developing a strategy which will address the growing number of bison in all the sanctuaries of the NWT, which include five, I believe. Also, outside the community of Deninu Kue where the Hook Lake herd has basically developed into a herd in itself, I guess, by government standards. I’m just curious as to what initiatives the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is going to undertake to help these communities to develop some kind of sustainable management action plan to work with these herds because as in this budget address the funding for the management of that herd is reduced significantly, by about 30 percent, when actually the herd has probably grown by the same percentage. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of RWED, Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 21-15(3): Dealing With Bison On NWT Highways

Thank you. Specific to the Hook Lake Wood Bison Recovery Project, that herd was developed and isolated to have a disease-free herd. I think we, as the Member indicates, have achieved that. The herd has grown nicely and we are now looking at a number of options going forward as to what the best approach might be here. I think it’s critical to point out that we have approached the community of Fort Resolution to work in conjunction with them. There are a number of options on the table. It's important, though, that we pursue an option that the community feels best suits their needs, and we're prepared to do that. Thank you.