Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would be remiss if I didn’t raise the subject of roads in this city in the Legislative Assembly. My colleague Mr. Krutko indicated that in his visit to Fort Liard, he heard that the solution was housing, housing, housing. But for the whole of my constituency as I travel, the issue is roads, roads, roads, Mr. Speaker.
The highways are an important link to the people in Nahendeh and throughout the North. Roads are the lifeline of our communities and so we are always concerned about them. I am pleased about the work that is going to take place in the summer: the chipseal work on Highway No. 1 and the engineering and reconstructing of the Liard Highway, improvements to the access roads in Jean Marie River and Nahanni Butte. The transportation link from Fort Simpson to Wrigley is also a concern. I hope that consistent and regular meetings occur in these sections as well as remediation of several narrow sections. I urge the Department of Transportation to ensure that these get completed this year so that we can look forward to developing more projects next year.
The benefits of these projects are many, beginning with local contracts, local employment in the region and extended to our tourists and tourism industry. Northerners travel back and forth on these roads for shopping, medical appointments, to attend sports and cultural events and to visit extended families. Our visiting tourists with their fifth wheelers and motor homes, sometimes even towing small cars behind, are the link to encouraging even more tourists. I wish for them all a beautiful and enjoyable summer as they travel our great country. Our road construction projects will show them we are serious about having them and keeping them in the North.
Having to begin the project description report for the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway is also very good news. I look forward to that work and I suggest that if there is a way to have a communication plan, that will only help sell our spectacular Territory. In the future we hope to have a Mackenzie Valley Highway.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I trust the Department of Transportation will have all the Nahendeh projects scheduled by now and work will be completed without a hitch. We all look forward to an improved and well maintained highway system. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
