Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Chairman, the question I want to ask the Minister is in terms of the way they assess their needs for capital assets in the communities such as equipment, the need to, on this specific budget item here in terms of the airports, are small communities like Colville Lake really looked at terms of what's feasible to have in there? I know the chief was asking for a terminal or a small building where they can house people in the community when they're coming from the other communities and have their meetings in Colville Lake. Mr. Chairman, I haven't been to Colville Lake for a while so I just wanted to ask the Minister that question in terms of has the community received any support from this department to put a small building in Colville Lake to look after the passengers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. It's my understanding that Colville Lake did once have a small building and, for whatever reason, it is no longer useable. As we continue to work and develop the airport in Colville Lake, we'll certainly look at addressing that need for a shelter there, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I've spoken to the leadership in Colville Lake and they have given me the reasons why that building is no longer in Colville Lake. They have stepped up to the plate in terms of taking on some ownership and acknowledged some of the difficulties they have with some of their youth. However, Mr. Chairman, the community has suffered long enough and there is no unit they are building that the department could see that could maybe be used for the airport. Mr. Chairman, I guess that's where it burns me a little when another Member is talking about sewer and water in one building and Colville Lake doesn't even have a building.

That's where I get a little bit frustrated, Mr. Chair, in terms of the various needs and different levels we have in the Northwest Territories. We proclaim that we should all be treated equal and have the same level and standards of service, but that's not the case in the Northwest Territories as far as airports. Colville Lake does not have an airport. What is this government doing that stops people from freezing? Certainly, Mr. Chair, Colville Lake has a little granny from Nahanni in that area, too. Where are you going to keep these old people? They're freezing in airports, to get to the airport, and they freeze when they're leaving. Ministers know that when they visit Colville Lake. There's no building there in the spring, the summer or the winter. They just chuckle to themselves and kind of just laugh. That's not funny when you ask the people in Colville Lake to go to the airport. No other community in the North would put up with this. They would be screaming bloody murder in terms of this issue here, Mr. Chair. I apologize for my language, because I'm really frustrated as to what does it take for a little community like Colville Lake to get an airport terminal or building so that people don't have to wait outside in minus 40, 30 weather, blowing? They have to do their passenger list right outside on the skidoos.

I just don't know what the priority of this government is. There are levels of classes that we just don't fit in this government and it's just the reality of it. Mr. Chairman, I want to ask the Minister again, would he consider strongly within the life of this government to look at Colville Lake? Do a P3 if you have to. You have the money. Do it. I know they wanted one. They can build a new one for you guys if you have no money in this department. Look at other solutions that could help this government. They can build it and they can own it and they can lease it back to this department if they have no money. They have partners in Colville Lake. They have a lot of gas in Colville Lake that they want be brought out through the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. There are a lot of operations that go on there. I'm not too sure how they do their assessments. Maybe their regional superintendents stay too long in the community and don't come out to our region. I'm giving the Minister a hard time in this department because I just don't see any other small communities. I don't know about the other communities, like the granny from Nahanni, or someone from

Tsiigehtchic, or Whati or Gameti having terminals like that. If we had this in Yellowknife, Hay River or Inuvik, you know, it would certainly be a different story. What's so different about my people in Colville Lake than in Yellowknife that they can't have a terminal building?

Besides the population of 20,000.

My understanding is people are people. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. I would just like to say that I don't think our government plays favourites with anybody. We assess everything based on needs, Mr. Chair. He mentions particularly Colville Lake not having a passenger terminal building. They did at one point and I would just like to say that in other communities, they don't have a passenger terminal building either and so that means that he's not alone in that request either. Right now in Colville Lake we do have on the books a project to relocate the apron. We can begin discussing the need for a passenger terminal building with the community after that's concluded. Right now there's just no room for any building at all. As well, the Member has to realize that as oil and gas companies utilize their community, there will be more and more increases for use of that airport and even a passenger terminal building. So that's something that I would urge him and his community to look at, as well, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you. I will certainly take the Minister's suggestion and that's what the community is saying, is to look at industry in terms of how they could help. We're not shy and I'm telling the Minister. Industry has done a lot of good for Colville Lake, in some sense, in terms of helping them out with the high cost of living. But it's also the responsibility...I mean, look at the Yellowknife Airport; it keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Look at the small communities. Look at the calculation of this acquisition in terms of capital expenditures, $8 million going into Yellowknife. The total acquisition is $9 million. So you tell me where the fairness is. You tell me where the fairness is in that in terms of the capital acquisitions. I'm asking for this year, next year, for Colville Lake and other small communities. We will think about it when we're standing outside in Colville Lake and freezing...(inaudible)...We'll think about it; what this government and this department in terms of a building that needs to be done in Colville Lake. It's mind boggling again. They certainly will go to the industry and ask about a building unit and of the runway. Again, I'm frustrated and venting to the department in terms of the way Colville Lake is being looked at or any other small community. Mr. Chairman, I think I've conveyed as much as I can to the department on this issue here. There's no fairness, that's all I have to say. It breaks my heart and it's a crying shame in this day and age that millions and billions of dollars spent in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. I didn't hear a question there. We are on page 8-7, infrastructure acquisition plan, airports, total tangible capital assets, $9.063 million.

Thank you, committee. Onto page 8-9, infrastructure acquisition plan, highways. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that the department supply the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development with the projection of future repairs and the costs that will be required to make Highway No. 3 safe to drive. The committee would also like a report on all of the challenges encountered in building and repairing Highway No. 3. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The motion is in order, committee. We're going to be distributing the motion out. We'll just take one second for that.

Thank you, committee. The motion has been distributed. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Thank you. Thank you, committee. We're on page 8-9, infrastructure acquisition plan, highways. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have some questions about the Mackenzie Valley winter road bridge program. It's budgeted for a big pot of money there.

Thirteen million dollars.