I think this is something that we as a government have to seriously look at. We have to consider the safety factor of the residents we serve, but also realizing that the greenhouse effect we are seeing in the North is more drastic than we expected and it is coming on to us pretty fast. Even right now, we cannot get any heavy equipment on to the road to Aklavik because it will just not hold that weight. We are only open to light traffic.
From what we have seen in other areas, sooner or later we will have to take steps to deal with the public safety question. When people start going through the ice and eventually people's lives are lost, we are responsible as a government, especially if those roads are our responsibility under the NWT Highways Act. It is the winter roads we presently have jurisdiction on.
I think we have to look at alternatives. We will have to look at alternative roads, for instance, or find a safer means for going from point A to point B. I would like to ask the Minister, have you looked at the possibility of having to reroute some of these existing winter roads that we have in place, or having to realign them so we are able to not deal with those sections of the road where we know it is hazardous? I am talking more in line with the Delta right now, because I know for a fact that the road to Aklavik has had some problems. Vehicles have gone through the ice. I think that because of not having the amount of snow this year, we are not able to get the heavy equipment on that.
Has the department looked at the possibility of looking at alternative routes than the one that is in use today, so that we have to take into account public safety when it comes to constructing these roads?