David Ramsay

That cost is an individual’s cost on a per month basis. It’s $125. I committed to getting all the costs associated with establishing the program here in the Northwest Territories to MLA Bouchard, and I will share that with other Members of the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a proven program across the country. Any time you can keep somebody from getting behind the wheel that has been drinking, it’s a step in the right direction. As I mentioned in my Minister’s statement, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon have the highest incidence of drunk driving across the country, so it’s a step in the right direction. It’s not going to keep every drunk driver off the road but it will improve our statistics.

Mr. Speaker, the program will be piloted at first in Yellowknife and in Hay River. We will start things in those two centres and move the program forward from there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the next three months. Thank you.

We’re awaiting approvals from the federal government and word from the federal government on funding. As soon as that happens, we certainly will be moving things along.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our expectation is, should the project move ahead, that work could start there potentially this season, which would mean people would be put to work almost immediately.

Mr. Speaker, we know that impaired driving leads to injuries, death, and millions of dollars in property damage across Canada every year. Statistics Canada recently reported the NWT and Yukon had the highest rates of impaired driving across the country in 2012. Ninety-four NWT residents were convicted for impaired driving last year. That number doesn’t include administrative suspensions where licences were removed temporarily for blowing over the legal limit in roadside breathalyser tests. The Department of Transportation is taking action to turn these dismal statistics around.

Today I’m...

The program will start being piloted in Yellowknife and in Hay River.

We’re working with some service providers here in the Northwest Territories that have the knowledge and the expertise to service the equipment, and we hope to move forward with a contract to allow them to work on the Ignition Interlock System here in the Northwest Territories, and they will be from the Northwest Territories.

It would be a way for them to get their licence back a little bit early, and it would be very beneficial for somebody whose livelihood depended on them driving. It’s been used in work vehicles that allow somebody to get back to work if they’re supporting a family. That’s what it’s intended to do.