[English translation not provided.]
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems like ever since I was first elected to this Assembly in 2003, I have been hearing about the infamous gravel-source 177 outside of Tuktoyaktuk. Now it seems the government has found a way to move this important project.
In my riding the community of Trout Lake has source 15, which they need access to. Source 15 is located approximately 20 kilometres from Trout Lake and supplies the gravel for that community. Up until two years ago it was more efficient to haul gravel across the lake during the winter, so the lack of an all-weather access road did not present a problem. However, for the last two winters the lake ice has not been thick enough to allow for the gravel haul, and the situation is becoming critical. The time has come when we need to build an
access road, and this needs to happen soon. With climate change we clearly can no longer count on having enough ice to use the lake for the winter haul.
Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the government will see fit to make the access road to source 15 a priority. Small communities like Trout Lake have to live without many of the services and infrastructure that those in larger centres take for granted, but gravel is very basic for our small communities. I think that this government does need to ensure that that need is met.