Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, access to safe and clean drinking water is an important issue for all residents of the Northwest Territories. I know it is also an issue that my fellow Members are interested in. Today I would like to update the House on some of the work that the Government of the Northwest Territories is doing in this area.
As Members are aware, responsibility for water is shared among many partners. The GNWT, community governments, water boards and the federal government all play a role in providing good quality water. In the GNWT, the responsibility is shared among three departments.
- • The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs funds training for water treatment plant operators and provides funding for new water and sewer infrastructure. It also works with community governments to identify needs for water and sewer infrastructure.
- • Public Works and Services provides project management services and technical support to MACA and community governments. In some communities, Public Works and Services operates the water system.
- • Health and Social Services regulates and monitors water quality under the Public Health Act.
These three departments work together to address many water-related issues that may come up. The departments recently completed a review of the roles and responsibilities of all agencies to ensure we have a coordinated response to water issues.
One area the GNWT is working on is training for water treatment plant operators. MACA is working with Public Works and Services and community governments to identify training needs in communities. The Northern Territories Water and Waste Association will provide the necessary training. MACA provides community governments with funding to participate in the training, which is done to national standards.
MACA is also proposing to regulate the certification of water treatment plant operators. This may be done through changes to the public water supplies regulations under the Public Health Act. Community governments will be consulted before any changes are made.
Public Works and Services is conducting an operational review of community water treatment facilities. Some reviews have already been completed. The results and recommendations of those reviews are being shared with the communities and their MLAs. Public Works and Services expects to have the reviews completed by the end of 2002-2003.
It will be important to address any deficiencies identified by these reviews. MACA has identified capital funding in its 2002-2005 business plan for necessary upgrades. Funding will also be available through the Canada/NWT Infrastructure Agreement. This agreement will provide cost-shared funding for water and sewer projects to upgrade community infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, helping NWT residents protect and improve their health is a key part of the GNWT's agenda. Work that we are doing to improve water system operation and train operators will help us reach that goal. Investing in new and upgraded infrastructure will also help us make sure that northern residents continue to have access to good water now and in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause