Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. The subject of automatic water sprinkler systems has been in the media lately and a few incidents have sparked my concern. Around the first part of March, the Government of the
Northwest Territories Department of Safety and Public Services distributed a news release advising people of a national television program that would be featuring segments related to the safety advantages provided by automatic sprinkler systems.
Unfortunately, just last month -- incidentally, I caught only part of that program because the advertisement came too late -- it was reported that a fire in Ontario claimed the lives of three elderly residents of a seniors' home that was not equipped with an automatic water sprinkler system. Other residents of the same centre also suffered from smoke inhalation as they tried to flee the building.
As a result of those two incidents, Mr. Speaker, I have begun to look into the fire safety standards that we, in the Northwest Territories, provide for our elders in senior centres. I am pleased to report, Mr. Speaker, that the fire safety standards in the NWT are generally regarded to be the most progressive in Canada.
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In Yellowknife, all three of our seniors' centres, as well as the Kitimatic and the Ndilo centres are equipped with sprinkler systems. The seniors' centres in our communities that are directly serviced by the GNWT have also been equipped with fire alarms and automatic sprinkler systems.
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I believe it is important to note that residents of the Northwest Territories can take pride and comfort in these high safety standards and that this is mostly due to the dedicated efforts and initiatives taken by our past and our present fire marshals and fire chiefs. For instance, our present fire chief, Mickey Beauchamp, is currently working on an amendment that would also ensure that all future housing construction in the city must include the installation of a sprinkler system. May I seek consent to conclude?