Thank you, Minister Steen. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear that those steps were taken by the Minister. I would also like to ask the Minister, I am sure that he is aware that the water intake at Fort Providence is approximately eight miles downstream from the ice bridge and six miles from the ferry crossing, what steps has Transportation taken to ensure that the water quality is up to par? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what falls under Transportation here is when we are building the approaches for the ferries, we would have to take certain measures to assure that we are not interfering with the quality of the water.

We also patrol the ice road to make sure there is no one putting waste or making spills at the crossings. We do keep the quality of the water for the community just below the ferry crossing and ice road crossings in mind, as to assure that we do not have any pollution on our routes. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Steen. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, staff from the Department of Transportation have stated in the news that the ferry is in very good shape and can last another 30 or 40 years. Every year we see the ferry fall through the ice, and it is my understanding that the bottom is replaced every year due to the damage that is caused by acting as an ice breaker. My question to the Minister is how thick can the ice be so that the ferry can continue to break through it?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. You stray a little bit from water quality here to strengths of a ship's bottom, but I will allow the Minister to answer that if he chooses. Mr. McLeod, I would ask if you could just clarify that a little bit for the Chair, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is regarding contamination of the river due to the crossings. I would like to ask what is the maximum thickness that the Merv Hardie can plough through? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As much as I would like to be able to respond to the Member, I will have to take that question as notice. I do not have that information.

Thank you, Minister Steen. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in most communities across the Northwest Territories, water and sewer is delivered and pumped out by private operators. They set their own rates. Where the municipalities themselves provide that level of service, then the municipalities are funded to pay the drivers and operators of that equipment. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I can answer the question in the context of an earlier question to me in terms of certification, I would bring this forward and have it discussed further with the department to assure the Member that we are going to certify these workers through the Northern Territories Water and Waste Association, then we should have an employee payment structure attached to that as well. We will revisit that very shortly in the context of how we certify those workers. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, again in cooperation with Health and Social Services, we are continually dealing with each community on an individual basis as those issues arise. It is an ongoing practice with MACA. As we hear back from all levels of governments, specifically municipal governments, when they raise a concern, we immediately approach them to try to rectify the problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.