Debates of October 14, 2005 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke to Chief Richard Kochon of the Colville Lake Dene band, and we talked about the recent house fire in Colville Lake. You could hear the sadness in his voice over the phone. He was wondering about the response from this government. Mr. McLeod, the Minister of MACA, recently made an announcement, and I quote, "Fortunately, there are many things residents can do to make their homes safer. Fire Prevention Week is a time when the local fire departments reach out to the communities, teaching people at every age how to prevent fires." Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask Mr. McLeod if there are any types of fire prevention programs scheduled to be in Colville, being there is no fire department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our responsibility for fire prevention flows from the Fire Prevention Act. Our department has many duties and responsibilities in that area, from investigations to inspections to building reviews; it is also involved in training, and we also provide capital for equipment. Colville has been a community that has wanted to live a traditional lifestyle. We've had the fire marshal going in two and sometimes three times a year to work with the community over the last while. The community has recently passed a BCR to create a fire department. As of yet, there is no active fire department. We continue to work with them and hopefully will have something in operation to provide fire services for that community.

But I want to point out, Mr. Speaker, our responsibility in those areas is in the form of support. We cannot force people to be on a fire department. That has to come from the community, and the municipality is responsible for creating the fire department. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Mr. Minister. I understand that the community of Colville Lake wants to maintain their traditional lifestyle in Colville Lake. However, Mr. Speaker, the Minister is saying that they cannot force anybody to be on the fire department. But for people in Colville Lake, that's where we have flexibility, and there could be some creativity by this government to look at training people in the communities that do not have any type of fire department training or prevention or other services. So they're going to sit around and see another house burn down. My question to the Minister of MACA is, how many times has someone from his department gone into Colville Lake to deliver some sort of fire service training, fire prevention program, public safety or education courses? That's the question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that exact detail. I know over the last three years we've been there at least once if not twice to set up training programs. We cannot force the community to attend. We have been very unsuccessful in attracting people. The community has agreed that we should have it on those specific dates; however, if the interest is not there, that's not something we're in a position to deal with. It's very costly to set up these programs, it's costly to go into the communities; however, we can't do it by ourselves, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if there are no fire trucks or no other means of having some sort of support there to fight these fires, how can you…People are not going to be interested. You need some equipment, you need some roads and some water. You need some equipment to get the people there. So it's ludicrous. My question to the Minister is because there aren't any kind of provisions in terms of protection against house fires, can the government look at some provisions to have the equipment there for the people to use? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what kind of equipment we can put in the community of Colville Lake at this point. Maybe we can sit down and talk to the Member. As the Member has pointed out, you can't put a fire truck in there because there are no roads and there is no water plant at this point. So it's something that we have to be very creative about. There are mobile water pumps right now; there are dry chemical provisions; but it's very difficult until we have the infrastructure in place to house a fire hall, a fire truck and the roads that they can travel on and the system to fill up. We can't provide that type of equipment, so I'm not sure what type of equipment the Member is referring to. If he has some suggestions for that, we would take that into consideration. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of suggestions and Colville Lake has tons of suggestions to stop this type of situation happening in Colville Lake. Are there any future plans to start spending money in Colville Lake to look at fire equipment or some creative solutions in terms of training in Colville Lake? I guess the question would be, when will the Minister come to Colville Lake and talk to the people? They will certainly give you solutions when you get there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 113-15(4): GNWT Response To House Fire In Colville Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear the Member say that. We are very open to going to Colville Lake to talk to the community, to talk about the different infrastructure needs there. There is a plan to put in a water plant for next year. However, it’s still a question of how do we get the water from the plant to the fire. We still need that mechanism. I would be glad to send our officials up there. I am hoping to have somebody in a position to attend the community meetings myself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.