Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Public Works and it is in regard to the service contract that is presently in place between the Hamlet of Fort McPherson and Public Works. In regard to some of the items I mentioned yesterday, one of the big problem areas seems to be freeze-ups in regard to the maintenance of the water system, where last year there were three freeze-ups.
One freeze-up in particular was because of the lack of ensuring the equipment is in operational condition, where one pump at the water treatment plant was down and apparently the other pump went down. Since they did not have the equipment to maintain them, the line froze.
I am just wondering, from the Minister, because it is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that they will maintain and also provide safe drinking water to the community, that this question has caused some concerns to the community. It did put the community into a pretty vulnerable position, where the community had no water for a period of time and then everything froze up. I would like to ask the Minister how seriously does the department take its responsibilities for ensuring that the equipment is in good working order? Thank you.