Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday afternoon the highway between High Level and Enterprise was closed because of a fire that is straddling the highway by Steen River. Not only has this stranded some residents, but the majority of foods and goods that come into the territory travel along that highway. That is because it is the most economical route. If all of the truck traffic needs to be routed through BC and up the Liard Highway, you can be assured that the price of everything is going to go up, not just for the residents, but for businesses and for the GNWT, and depending on how long this is closed, it could cause disruptions to the construction season as well. My first question for the Minister of Infrastructure is: does the GNWT know how long this stretch of highway will be closed? If not, what is the department doing to keep the public informed about the closure in a timely manner, and where can people find that information? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, not at this time; we don't know how long the highway is going to be closed. We are in constant contact and communication with our Alberta counterparts on this issue. We know that this is going to significantly impact the residents of the Northwest Territories if it is ongoing for a considerably long time. I even mentioned to some of the people last night at the event that the Premier and I were at that they don't think about it, but if this road is closed for any significant amount of time, the residents in the South Slave who are on the road system who are impacted by food delivery and fuel delivery and stuff could be significant.
We are in constant contact with the Alberta counterparts, as I have said. For residents of the NWT who are listening today and want to read Hansard, we have our GNWT Infrastructure website that is going to be posting constant updates on that. We have the Infrastructure Twitter page, which we will be using, and we will also have variable digital messaging signs that are going to be on the highway system. They are already out there, I believe. We are working with different media outlets across the Northwest Territories to get this information out there in a timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I remember a few years ago when I was heading back up north, and there was a fire by Zama, and we were escorted in the nighttime like a convoy. Is the GNWT working with the Government of Alberta to have vehicles escorted through the fire zone to avoid disruption to the supply of food, fuel, materials, and so on?
The short answer is no. The reason for that is, based on the information that we are getting out of the Alberta department of ENR, whatever their title is in Alberta, this fire is out of control at the present time. It is not safe to be able to escort people through there. They have to get a better understanding of the fire's behaviour. We will be working, as I have said, very closely with these people to get a better understanding of when this will be able to be done. All is I know is today we have north winds down there again, the fire is right along the side of the highway, and it is plus 30 in the region. It is going to remain closed for the short term.
Now, this happened less than 24 hours ago, I believe, the closure was. There were some people who were on their way up north, some people headed south, and I am not sure what the fuel situation is where these people were stopped, if they have all turned around and gone home, but are there motorists who are stranded at either end, and if so, are there services being provided to them, just basic things like access to washrooms and water and fuel?
Yes, we have put washroom facilities at the barricade already. The Department of Infrastructure is also in talks with the Hamlet of Enterprise to see if we can use some of their existing infrastructure, like the Seniors Centre, as a rallying point for these people. The motorists are also being directed into the community of Hay River to use their facilities, as well. As I said, we are in constant communication with the Alberta government and trying to do what we can if there are any questions that need to be answered for people stuck on the other side.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that every day so far during this sitting, we have heard either statements or questions about marine resupply, and that is because of what happened last season. People are a little worried about whether or not they are going to get their goods, their fuel, their food on the barges. How long before this disruption causes problems with the resupply? I assume that the rail line has also been shut down; I am not quite sure, but that is how most of the fuel comes into the territory. Can the Minister give us some insight on that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, the rail traffic has been affected, particularly around the High Level fire, not even the new fire that's around the Steen River area. There has been no rail traffic for over a week already. Infrastructure has been in conversation with CN Rail. They have been out there and checked out their asset. They are inspecting it, then doing a weight test on the rail tracks and bridges to make sure that everything is copacetic once they are able to open back up. As of today, none of their infrastructure has actually been affected by the railroad, but we are continuing to work with CN to stay abreast of the situation and keep residents and this House informed when the railroad will be opening back up so that they can get the fuel supply back north. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
