Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The committee was generally pleased with the Department of Transportation's presentation.

Highway Maintenance

In order to focus efforts and resources on social programs, the government has had to take funds away from other areas. One of these areas was highway maintenance. Northern residents who travel the highways have come to expect a high level of maintenance. Some committee Members have heard concerns from constituents regarding the reduced level of highway maintenance.

Given the current financial picture, the committee understands that there must be a decrease in one program if another is to increase. However, the committee still expects the department to ensure a level of maintenance which will guarantee public safety on the roads. The highways of the Northwest Territories are heavily used, both by individuals travelling from community to community, or for the transportation of many of the goods consumed by northerners. Significant levels of maintenance are still necessary to maintain these roads in the difficult conditions of the north. Committee Members expect that the department will use its reduced resources wisely in order to keep NWT highways in a safe condition.

Flight Service Stations

The federal government has announced its intention to shut down most flight service stations in the north, replacing them with service from remote stations. Committee Members are very concerned about this proposal, particularly after serious problems with the automatic weather observation systems, AWOS, were noted in a trial run in November and December at Cambridge Bay. In the north, the weather conditions can be extreme and unpredictable, changing very quickly. Without someone on site to look outside and assess the weather, planes will have to commit to a landing without complete confidence in the safety of the weather conditions. In most communities, there isn't another airstrip nearby as back-up if the weather isn't what the pilot was expecting.