Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the issue of dredging in the Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, as you well know, Hay River has a long history as a transportation hub. Hay River is located where it is today due to the waterways that it sits on: the south shore of Great Slave Lake and at the mouth of the Hay River. Mr. Speaker, the federal government used to play a very large role and had a large presence in Hay River with their Public Works dredging operations, and then quite a number of years back they held a big auction sale. They sold all their barges, all their dredges, all their floats, all their equipment and turned the property over either to the territorial government or the Town of Hay River. Since that time, Mr. Speaker, no one has taken responsibility for the dredging program and this plays havoc with getting into the harbour in Hay River.
Hay River has been the starting point of the tug and barge operation, which carries freight down the Mackenzie River and to points east and west beyond. The Canadian Coast Guard has a large installation in Hay River and brings their large ships in and out. The commercial fishermen have boats, which mean that they need access to the Hay River harbour. Recreational boaters need access to the harbour.
Mr. Speaker, the island that is growing in the mouth of the Hay River is also a concern for the spring flooding that occurs. As that island grows, it has an impact on where the water can go when the Hay River floods.
For all of these reasons, it is extremely important that somebody is on top of the issue of dredging the mouth of the Hay River. Mr. Speaker, there may be consultations going on, there may be funding available, there may be things that I’m not aware of, but people in Hay River are extremely concerned about this. So today I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation questions about what is the role of this government and the Department of Transportation in ensuring that we continue to have a clear waterway to access the harbour in Hay River and that this island that is building used to be called Seagull Island when it was a lot smaller -- I don’t know what it’s going to be called now -- you can practically walk halfway to Fort Providence now without getting wet.
Anyway, it’s a real concern and it’s a real problem. So I’m going to have questions today for the Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
