Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this House asking myself what does it take? What does it take to get the Department of MACA to realize there is a serious problem with funding in the community of Rae-Edzo. As my colleagues may recall, last week I gave an example of the funding problems Rae-Edzo is having. Also myself and my colleague, Mr. Ootes, asked the Minister responsible for MACA regarding this and were told the department staff were coming up with a solution. Today, Mr. Speaker, I was told that the solution is that there is no problem. To that I would like to give two more examples.
Firstly, I would like to compare the community of Fort Providence in regard to the culverts funded under the hamlet funding formula. Fort Providence, a very nice community only a two and a half hour drive from my home, with a population of 674 receives $56,364 per year for culverts and streetlights. While in Rae-Edzo, a population of 1,615 receives from the same department $30,084. This seems a little strange.
The reason for this difference is because Rae-Edzo has very few culverts. The reason Rae-Edzo has so few culverts is because Rae-Edzo does not have proper roads and streets, with the number of culverts that we have, being 4 inch to 8 inch pipe, not real culverts. Our roads are not roads, we have something close to being called trails.
Every spring the hamlet staff of four works very hard to ensure spring run off drains properly. However, because we do not have the proper drainage, the staff works two or three weeks pumping water across the trails and digging drainage ditches in these very trails we drive on to ensure some form of drainage occurs. This is not a new problem, it has been this way since the hamlet was incorporated back in 1971.
My second example is the dump trucks the hamlet has. The only funded dump truck is the standard government issue with a box that holds approximately two to three yards. The hamlet also has a 1980 vintage surplus US Army DEW Line dump truck. This truck was purchased by the hamlet with the blessing and encouragement of MACA and is not a funded vehicle. This same truck has now cost the hamlet $25,000 in repairs to date and is still not in proper running order.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that I have unanimous consent to complete my Member's statement, please.