Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask some questions to the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, I brought this issue up a couple of days back, which is the overflow at Georgetown. Mr. Speaker, as you know, with climate change, many of the regions are facing extreme warm temperatures. All this winter, even before Christmas, we have had melting up in the Mackenzie Delta, which started a lot of overflow up in my riding, two locations actually that I mentioned the other day. They are both creating a lot of damage. As you know, the Minister may be aware of all the work that is being done on the way from Tsiigehtchic to Inuvik, but at Georgetown, which is just across from Tsiigehtchic at kilometre 140, there nothing really has been done except the work that has been taken on by George Nadichi-- sorry, Mr. Speaker -- as George himself has been doing.
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to ask the Minister: will the Minister ensure that work is done to divert the water flow at kilometre 140, also known as Georgetown? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Transportation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in the House a couple of days ago, safety is our number one priority. We will have a look at the situation and, if it is impeding on the highway and the safety of travellers on the highway, we will have a look at it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is pretty clear that safety is an issue, as we people know who are living just right where this water is flooding right now, Mr. Speaker. You know, this could have been avoided if a heat trace line had been put in these culverts. Whether it is bringing a backhoe there, will the Minister ensure that equipment is brought to this location? That way the people who are living there do not have to use chisels and shovels to do this work themselves.
It is my understanding that the access to this housing unit along 140 is actually an unauthorized access along the side of the highway, but as I have said in this House, if the overflow is impeding on the highway and causing a safety issue we will have a look at doing something.
Will the Minister work with his colleagues in the Yukon to see what they do when they deal with overflow, Mr. Speaker? Because I travel to the Yukon, you know, on a yearly basis and it is pretty clear what they do. They put a heat trace line through their culverts that cause these sort of issues so they do not have these sort of problems.
This is something we can look into, and I can reach out to my colleague in the Yukon just to see how well this is actually working.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is good to hear. If everything goes well with his discussions, will the Minister ensure that heat trace lines are put in in these two locations for next year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would have to check to see if the culverts are even ours. That would be the first thing I would need to do. I will look into this situation in the Yukon, and I will report back to the Member on what my findings are with the Yukon.
