Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I have spoken before about a portion of my riding where the residents are facing huge infrastructure replacement costs. The Northland residents are still struggling to finalize a plan for the project to replace their aging and decrepit infrastructure. They’re trying to find a way to finance this plan. Recently the City of Yellowknife submitted a proposal to the federal government for some funding through the GNWT. I particularly want to thank the GNWT and especially MACA for their assistance with that proposal. I believe ITI also had a hand in that. I thank them for that.
I have some questions for the Minister with regard to the proposal and with regard to potential future situations that might arise. Firstly, can the Minister advise the status of the city’s proposal to the federal government for funding to assist the Northland infrastructure replacement project?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Municipal and Community Affairs did support the city in applying for the federal infrastructure Green Fund. As far as we know, we’re still waiting for word back on the application. Minister Bob McLeod, when he went down to Ottawa, had an opportunity to reinforce our support for the city’s application to access funds out of the Green Fund. As well, Minister of infrastructure Michael McLeod sent a letter off to Ottawa again reinforcing our support for the city’s application.
Thanks to the Minister for that update. I appreciate the efforts that this government is making towards trying to get some answer out of the federal government. I expect there’s as much frustration on the part of MACA as there is on the part of the Northland residents with regard to the proposal.
If the situation should occur where Northland has a major and sudden and serious sewer infrastructure failure, I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not there are any protocols, policies, guidelines that exist within this government that would govern GNWT actions in such a case; actions that the government would have to take to accommodate residents who have been shut out of their homes because of a public order condemning their properties. What protocols do we have that would guide GNWT actions in this case?
Should the unfortunate incident occur that the Member is speaking about, I mean, obviously the city would be in the forefront in trying to deal with some of the damage that occurred there. If the city asks for assistance from MACA or any other appropriate departments, we’d do what we can to assist the city to deal with some of the issues that would take place at Northland should that most unfortunate incident occur where the pipes burst and things go bad.
I appreciate that the Minister is saying that this government would provide some assistance to the City of Yellowknife if such a situation were to occur. I think it’s important to note that Northland is a neighbourhood of about 1,100 people, which is about 2.6 percent of our whole NWT population. To the Minister, should the city all of a sudden have to find accommodations for some 1,100 people, what will our government do to assist them?
This is a privately held condominium. We would do what we can to assist whenever possible, wherever possible, and if it is possible. First of all, we have to hope that we never get to that situation, because it would be unfortunate for the residents of Northland Condominium Corporation, who is facing a huge infrastructure crisis. I appreciate the Member’s comments about the 2.6 percent population, but still it’s a privately held condominium corporation.
Having said that, we still as a community, and I mean the Northwest Territories, have to do what we can to assist them through tough times if that does happen.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to totally agree with the Minister. I absolutely hope we never get there. But almost every day, every month that this infrastructure doesn’t get replaced the potential for a major sewer break looms larger and larger.
The Minister says that this government will do what they can. That doesn’t really satisfy me in terms of details. One of the things that would be needed is that once this catastrophic sewer failure has occurred -- and the city is going to be on the hook for it probably -- what would the GNWT do to assist the city to get these major infrastructure repairs done? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. That’s pretty well a hypothetical question until that happens, so I’m going to rule that question out of order.
---Ruled Out of Order
The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
