Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to direct your attention to Trout Lake. I know that people are very happy with a much longer runway, but I think there was some remedial work that was done to the slumpage in the springtime, so maybe the Minister could comment on it. I don’t see any capital for ’16-17. Does that mean that the airport settled just great and we’ll have many years of operational life of the current airport? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I do have other issues that I’ll address in the detail, but just overall this has been a significant week, beginning last week with the potential claims of the Inuvik-Tuk Highway there. My initial concern and my original concern was about should the claims be successful about taking away from other capital projects, especially in ’16-17, so I’d like to ask the Minister: how is the department and how is this government going to handle the potential claim, should it be accepted, especially when we’re talking about capital items and transportation in ’16-17? You...

I thank the Minister for that answer. With the project listing for the ’16-17 construction year, are any of those multiplex-type buildings planned for next year then?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. All right. I’ll await that confirmation. I just wanted to ask for another hour for my further questions, Mr. Chair.

---Laughter

I’ve got no further questions.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased that they’ll look at it here right away. Like I said in my Member’s statement, a particular case is an elder needs his water tank replaced and in that case he cannot come up with the $1,200, but it’s a need for that elder and his family. Water and cleanliness is one of our basic needs. So, I appreciate the Minister looking at that immediately and if he can, once again, to look at it and review certain situations. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just with regard to road licensing and safety, residents of Fort Liard still find it burdensome that they’ve got to drive all the way to Fort Simpson each time they need to get their vehicle registration and/or trailer registration. I know that we were supposed to have a mobile licensing unit out there. I don’t know if they ever got that going, or has online registration advanced to the point where they can do it from the comfort of their community? Thank you.

Thank you very much. I know that when I first began in the Assembly with the 15th Assembly, we did have a specific seniors or elders housing program which spoke to giving relief for those kind of things. I’m wondering if the Minister is willing to look at it in that perspective in identifying specific seniors or elders repair programs. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. With the Charles Tetcho School addition, I am pleased we are addressing the concerns of the larger student population in Trout Lake. I know that the community agreed to the school addition with reservations because that is their community hall and they are losing it. It needs to be said, Mr. Chair, that I am pleased that we are addressing the student population and the growth of the community of Trout Lake; however, we are losing the community hall. Maybe with the Minister’s support, he can raise with his Cabinet colleagues that moving forward in future capital...

Certainly that’s the kind of information I had asked the Minister to provide, so I don’t know if he can provide me with those facts, the actual costs between the 16-hour day versus an 18-hour day. Because the head residents are saying, well, they ran that way at the Providence ferry, why can’t they run it here at the Liard crossing at Fort Simpson? So, a good comparison will let us look at those figures and see what it would take to move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes you have to challenge government; sometimes you have to commend them, so that’s what I’m going to do today.

On September 15, 2015, I had the honour to celebrate the opening of the newly built John Tsetso Memorial Library in Fort Simpson. It was my pleasure to join the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment; Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian; Liidlii Kue Chief Gerry Antoine; Mayor Sean Whelly and the residents of Fort Simpson to celebrate this long awaited and very special event.

A library is the heart...