Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for my statement today, I want to talk about the status of the new territorial fire centre project that has been underway by our government over the last three years.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, there has been many rumors going around Fort Smith lately saying that the request for proposals for the construction of the new territorial fire centre has been cancelled. I would appreciate if these rumors would stop being spread because this statement is simply not true.
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February the 20th, 2023, the government held an open house meeting on procurement and capital infrastructure projects in Fort Smith. At that meeting, the Government of the Northwest Territories gave an update on the fire centre, and it was noted that while the original procurement plan has been cancelled, Indigenous governments can still submit proposals to the public tender. The Minister of Finance has assured me that this project is still part of the infrastructure acquisition plan and will still be going forward but it's currently being reassessed. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has told me that she will work with me to provide a timeline on the reissuance of the request for proposal and look to see if it could be out by the end of the 19th Assembly. Depending how the process unfolds, there could be potential to get the fire centre funds moving so that the Fort Smith residents are aware that the work is underway.
Mr. Speaker, it is extremely unhelpful for people to spread rumors, both around the community and around the territory, that a major infrastructure project has been cancelled. This type of wrongful speculation only undermines the actual work being done being put into making this project a reality for the people of Northwest Territories. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I'm asking all residents of Fort Smith, and residents of the NWT, to stop spreading misinformation on the new territorial fire centre. While the timeline for this project's completion is not where I or Cabinet would like it to be, the public can be rest assured that a new territorial fire centre will be built in Fort Smith very soon. I will have questions for the finance minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
