David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We recognize the regional disparity in numbers of young people in the territory that have a driver’s licence of one form or another, Class 7, Class 5 probationary, or Class 5 licence between Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and the other communities in the territory. Certainly, we need to do something about that. The department is taking this challenge seriously. We have Project Gearshift that we’re allowing participation in schools. We are going to cover up to $3,000 or 50 percent of the cost for them to host professional driver trainers in their communities. We...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s a total of $595,000 and some of the work is going to be carried over. What we can do is commit to the Members there are a number of projects, Inuvik to Tuk highway test section, winter road vulnerability assessment, remote weather information system that we’re putting in, sensors and equipment and permafrost, a short course that was run. We would endeavour to get a report of those activities to the Members when they’re concluded, and again, they’re not all concluded, as you see the carry-over for $189,000.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I could get the detail of that for the Member. We are going to look at the construction of a screened-in picnic shelter area at Dory Point. The exact location of the shelter itself I think we’d be certainly looking towards working with the community to see where exactly they want the shelter and would like to see the shelter constructed. I think that would happen before construction would take place on the picnic shelter. So I can commit to the Member and to the House that we’ll go back to the department and ensure that they have talked to the community so that we make...

As we go forward, I think there are and will be other mechanisms to deal with the situation at Prelude Lake, not specifically to the park, but I know there are a number of other issues due to the use on the lake itself, not exactly in the park. So we would continue to work with MACA to address some of those concerns. We are going to advance the Department of Lands with devolution. So certainly there’s going to be opportunity for us to address other issues as they arise and as they impact the use of Prelude Lake Territorial Park. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is and it remains in our best interest to continue to work with the community leadership in the Sahtu to develop Doi T’oh Park. We will continue to do that, and if the leadership in the Sahtu has a way forward or wants to suggest a new working group to enable us to vet ideas and projects as they move forward with the development of that park, we’d be more than happy to sit down with the leadership and a new working group and sort some of these issues out. There have been a number of issues going back on how things have progressed. I think the more that we as a...

Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to look at lifeguards, putting in proper lifeguard services at Fred Henne Park, and I’ve made a commitment to do that. If that is the case, I still believe there would be a role and a function for a group such as Lifeguards for Lodune to be involved, perhaps as safe water practice ambassadors or helping out in various capacities. That all remains to be seen, what role and function a group like that could have, but our anticipation is to continue the dialogue with that group and certainly we would like to fit them into the plans going forward in some capacity. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We didn’t just react when the tragic occurrence happened at the Fred Henne beach here in Yellowknife earlier this summer. There is a process. We got the Lifesaving Society of Alberta to get involved and provide an audit at both Fred Henne beach and also the beach in Hay River. The report on the beach in Hay River will be coming out later this fall. Certainly, there are a number of recommendations contained in the report that will lead to a much safer beach and waterfront at Fred Henne Territorial Park. That is fundamental to all of this, is we want to ensure that we...

Mr. Speaker, holding both the transportation and economic development portfolios, I very much appreciate the strong contribution that transportation makes to a strong and prosperous Northwest Territories. Transportation has always been at the forefront of enabling Northerners to grow and develop our economy. Never has the role that transportation plays been more important to guaranteeing our future growth and prosperity than it is today.

Transportation infrastructure is a fundamental requirement and an enabler of economic development in the Northwest Territories. It allows an economy to begin...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, I think it’s in the department and the government’s best interest to continue the dialogue with the community when it comes to placing infrastructure in and around communities. In this case it would be no different. I think if the community is interested in talking, we’ll be there to listen, and that’s our role and I know the picnic shelter in this case was supposed to be built on the south side of the bridge replacing the structure. But, again, I want to reiterate that we need to know exactly what the wants of the community are and in this case we’ll find that...