Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. I brought this issue up a while back but, you know, it tends to take the government a while to act on things. The issue that I'd like to bring up, I'm sure the Minister has had his share of questions on washrooms this week, but I'll do mine anyway. During the summer at ferry landings on the Mackenzie and the Peel, at times we have the ferry closing due to weather. As the Minister recalls, we've had people who were stranded on the south side of the Peel River for up to two to three days, and a lot of those people are there with no outhouses or no washrooms in place. I'd like to ask the Minister: will the Minister work with the communities of Fort MacPherson and Tsiigehtchic to provide portable washrooms at the ferry landings on the Mackenzie and the Peel for the people who are travelling during the summer months? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I think the first thing I am going to have to do, if the Member says he has asked the government to have a look at this before, I will have to go back and get the previous information and see what was corresponded and make a decision based on that.
I will save the Minister some trouble. His response is basically no. You know, you have to be compassionate in situations like this, if people are stranded for two to three days, most times with limited food. We are very fortunate the people of Fort McPherson actually went there and had a cook-out for people who were stranded, but I think the department has a little responsibility here to provide outhouses, a place where people could use washrooms, especially during the summer. So will the Minister make sure they budget it? It wouldn't cost a lot, Mr. Speaker. We shouldn't be thinking cost in situations like this. Think of our tourists, our residents of the Northwest Territories who are travelling during the summer. Will the Minister ensure that they work with the communities to provide this service at our ferry landings?
As I said, I will go back to the department and have a discussion and see what information I can bring forward and have a discussion with the Member.
The Minister does not sound too enthusiastic here. The community of Tsiigehtchic, for example, a couple years back we had an exercise with the 1 CRPG here in Yellowknife. Actually, the military came to the community, and they had a whole bunch of outhouses around the community, and they actually gave them to the community. So, you know, we have the facilities that are needed. It's just a matter of setting them up on each side of the rivers and just a matter of going there every day or two, just at the same time they do the ferry camps anyway, so it would not be much of an added cost. So will the Minister make sure that the department looks at it and makes sure that this is up and running this summer?
As I said, I will go back to the department, have a discussion with them, and, if there is an opportunity that we can figure out a way to facilitate the use of a public washroom at the ferry landings, we will certainly entertain it, but I want to get some more information before I make that type of a commitment.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are making a little progress with the Minister here. Will the Minister give direction to the department to ensure that they work with the communities? I am sure the Minister may be even travelling up there this summer and have to use those washrooms instead of running into the willows, like most of our residents have to do. Mr. Speaker, it's just common sense. I am sure when they had the ferry in Providence we had these facilities there, so will the Minister give direction to the department to budget probably a few thousand dollars to have these up this summer? We need five actually, five locations; north and south on the Peel and the three at Tsiigehtchic. Will the Minister make sure that they work on that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think I just became the Minister of water and sewer for some reason here. As I said, I will go back to the department and have a conversation with my officials, and I will get back to the Member if there is an opportunity to do this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
