Mr. Speaker, today I rise to raise my continued displeasure with the free-roaming herd in the community of Fort Liard and also to extend a welcome to the Minister of ENR to come to Fort Liard to continue his tour. I have raised this issue before on the promises of a bison management plan. My main concern is the safety of children, as the herd does freely roam through the town.
I would like to reiterate the concerns. A huge concern for the residents is damage that occurs to personal property such as fencing, gardens, automobiles and all terrain vehicles. As well, there’s the issue of reimbursement for damages; because government brought these buffalos there, they should be responsible for paying for the damages to private property. I support this. Yes, the government is responsible.
I think our government has to work with the community of Fort Liard to come up and work with them on this bison management plan that can address these concerns. I know some solutions may be expensive, but some solutions may also be very affordable, and they must be explored. This is what the community wants: dialogue and action.
I will ask the question to the Minister of Natural Resources for an update and actions to date. Mahsi cho.