Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past several years, community governments are finding that they are unable to keep up with the need to provide financial solutions to deal with aging infrastructure, provide services, and cover the increased costs of doing business that would allow the community to grow. We know there's a funding gap of approximately $37 million with no sense of urgency by this government to seriously address it. We also know that we are looking at around $69 million annually to renew and replace community infrastructure as it reaches mid to endoflife cycles.
Mr. Speaker, this issue has been handed down from one Assembly to another, with no clear sense of when it will be addressed or how to address it. We have communities that are struggling with aging infrastructure and ever increasing costs to conform to evolving and strict legislative requirements that direct how communities deal with climate change, environmental constraints, and development as they move forward.
This government, in its mandate, promised to reduce the funding gap, which is a good start, but what we need to do is to take decisive action to eliminate and start to properly fund communities. Any funding model not only has to be fair and transparent but has to built on the reality of the times and not expected to be completely funded by the community.
Mr. Speaker, when I hear this government making statements such as we will "work with communities to identify options to enhance own source revenues and find efficiencies in program and service delivery", I see this as another way of telling communities, financially you're on your own and look to your residents to bail you out. This is not how we should conduct business the people of the NWT put us here to work for them, to make decisions that will put them in a better place, not a worse one.
Mr. Speaker, this government needs to review, in consultation with each community, where and why costs to sustain our communities are increasing. If we expect communities to flourish and encourage people and businesses to locate there, then we must take swift action to eliminate the funding gap and to fund each community appropriately.
Mr. Speaker, this matter has to be addressed by all four levels of government, including the federal government, the GNWT, Indigenous governments, and community governments. We have to lead with solutions and action. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, it is time for this government to do the homework, develop a plan, and meet with the federal government to request financial support to eliminate the funding gap and development a funding arrangement that works for all communities in the NWT. I will have questions for the Minister of MACA at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
