I’m just going to ask a couple more questions to my favourite new Minister of Transportation. In regards to our conversation today, we were talking about, or our Q and A session here, we were talking about the airports and that. Can the Minister please advise us how somebody from Yellowknife, a duty officer is able to provide good information to the airlines that are outside when he has no experience in those communities?
Masi. Minister of Transportation
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier in the day, we have the 1-800 number that is set up to have contact with the duty officer. That’s normally the procedure for this type of communication. But as I earlier said, they can also go to the regional person and that can be relayed on up to the chain of command. Thank you.
Maybe I’ll get all four questions here. I guess what I’m asking the Minister is: how can a duty officer in Yellowknife have the information to be able to provide the regional services after hours so they can get concrete and safe information.
As I stated, that’s how the system is set up and if the Member is aware of any issues, I’d gladly sit down and discuss them with him. But as far as I know, the 1-800 is working to suffice the service at the airports.
I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess the thing is the question comes back to, he’s saying it works. We’re hearing, myself, that there’s some challenges out there. My question is again, how does somebody in Yellowknife not in the region, in Yellowknife able to answer questions after hours and on weekends?
But I’m not trying to be rude to the Member, but we do have the 1-800 number and that’s the mode of communication between the airports and the regional centre.
Oral Questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I’m not trying to be rude and I understand there’s a 1-800 number. What I’m trying to find out is does the regional offices provide this information to the duty officer so that he’s able to communicate this information after hours or on weekends or is there another system in place that contractor or the airlines have to contact the local contractor, which is sometime impossible to get a hold of him, especially in the smaller communities, especially on weekends when they’re out on their land doing stuff. Can the Minister please explain to me and the people in my riding, what the process is? Is the information available, do they do reports, do they give that information to the duty officer so he is able when people phone the 1-800 number to get that information to him. Thank you.
As I’ve said, we have the emergency 24-7 number; we have our regional managers in place. If there’s any issues that are brought forward to the 24-7 number, it will work its way up the chain of command to the director, the regional superintendents who are also on constant contact with the regions, be it highways or the Department of Transportation or marine and once those issues are relayed to them, they will definitely be relayed to Yellowknife, and we would deal with it. I’m unaware of any particular issue in any of the regions related to the airports at this time and if the Member would gladly sit down and discuss them with me, we will deal with it.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
