Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I seem to be getting really frustrated with talking about stuff
that I think that the communities need and then, as MLAs, we seem to, I feel that as MLAs, as the Ministers are also MLAs too, know what’s needed in their communities and that’s what we want this government to pay attention to: what’s needed in the communities.
We’re hearing directly from our communities. I mean, it’s frustrating, because I have so many housing issues and I want the government to start repairing houses instead of building houses. People think I work for the Housing Corporation. I used to work for the Housing Corporation for a long time, but people still think I do. I’m an MLA, but basically I’m like a program officer for the Housing Corporation and I need the government to respond. This government has to respond to this. I mean, it’s frustrating as hell when you’re trying to do work for the people and you have to visit the same individual several times and to explain to them that nothing has happened, not because I haven’t taken the issue up with this government but because the government has not responded, and it’s very frustrating.
I have probably the most important project right now in both communities is some sort of dust control and I recognize that that’s a community issue, but the community doesn’t seem to be 100 percent engaged in the issue. I’m not sure if they’re not fully aware that they have the control of their funding yet or anything. Bottom line is, I’m saying, MACA, go into those communities, sit down with those guys, finance, do a finance thing with them and get the roads done. That’s an important issue.
A very important issue in Lutselk’e is a road to Austin Lake. To them that is what they really need. That opens up a whole gamut of things for them, positive things, tourism. There are all kinds of positive implications, but this government doesn’t have a program. I mean, we can build roads, but there’s no program to build a road that’s not connected to other roads. I’m not quite understanding how that works. I mean, there’s 20 kilometres of road that people can drive on all year long. I’m assuming that when they build a mini-hydro in Snowdrift River that there will be a road built to that. So the rest of it would be 20 more kilometres and, I mean, the benefits are tremendous. We know, the community knows, that those benefits are there. That’s not in the plan. We have to get things in the plan that the communities want. Somehow we’re going to have to make a connection with the communities. I don’t think we’re making a connection with the communities. We have a huge budget that’s, like, $300 million, but from my perspective, from Tu Nedhe people, they’re not getting a positive impact out of that.
In all fairness, yes, there are some things that are being done that are positive, and I don’t want to be unfair. That’s true; there’s been some positive stuff
that’s been done. A youth centre will be built in Fort Res and the highway is getting chipsealed. I mean, those are positive things, but we have two communities here, and people seem to really concentrate on their own personal issues. Housing is a very personal issue. The fact of the condition of their community is a very personal issue and those are the things that this government hasn’t responded to. I’m done. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.