Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just reviewing the Minister’s opening remarks I noted he didn’t mention anything about the Aklavik community access road to the gravel source and yet there was a motion passed in this House regarding that community and the community of Tuk access road to their gravel sources through the community infrastructure funding. It seems like we’re no farther ahead than we were two years ago. This department’s going full out on other projects, so I would just like to ask the Minister, when motions are passed in this House how seriously do you take them? What is this government doing to work with communities on these type of community initiatives?

I know the community of Aklavik is frustrated with the Department of Transportation with not getting the attention they were hoping to get and not getting the resources they require. I think that we had a perfect opportunity to work with the community in light of the situation they find themselves. The community is without any real gravel source this year, because the majority of the gravel in the community had to be used for the water treatment plant. The community is out almost $100,000 for gravel they don’t have and now to replenish their gravel source they have to do something shortly. For them to continue on their project under Building Canada and complete their drainage work that they’ve been working on since last summer, they don’t have the materials to conclude it because of not having a gravel haul this year. Those little things that communities depend on are big things for them.

It seems like this department has the focus of the big picture while forgetting about the little guys in the smaller communities. I think this government has to realize that they are not just there for megaprojects whether it’s the Deh Cho Bridge or the Mackenzie Highway. They are still responsible for community infrastructure and ensuring that the community has access to gravel and the ability to improve on airports and the ability to ensure they have infrastructure that this department is responsible for.

The other issue is on an issue I have raised in this House many times on a program we had a number of years ago on main street chipsealing. The Department of Transportation played a key role having the expertise in the House working with MACA. I think we identified nine communities to look at developing main street chipsealing for non-tax-based communities. I think we were only able to accomplish only four of the nine.

A lot of good work was done there and we do have to continue to work with those communities and the

Department of Transportation. I think the Department of Transportation has to share their expertise with those communities that do not have that in-house expertise. They should share that knowledge and information with the communities and assist them whenever possible, whether it’s dealing with main street chipsealing or shoreline erosion or drainage issues and infrastructure challenges we’re facing in our smaller communities where Public Works has a presence and a role to play. Sometimes we spend too much time playing with the big boys and forget about the little people in the communities. I believe that this department has to come back down to earth and get involved with the communities and work with them to deal with the infrastructure challenges they’re facing.

I also wanted to elaborate on the area of other federal infrastructure funding. I have been working with the community of Fort McPherson on the Dempster Highway. We have been looking at a means of a pilot project on resurfacing the Dempster Highway. I think the government has to make that decision sometime in the next number of years. We’re doing the widening; we should be almost complete the widening from the border to Tsiigehtchic hopefully within the next three or four years. Then again, you have to deal with the issue of surface. Whether it’s looking at different options like chipsealing to hardtop to pavement or whatever. We have to start looking at that issue.

Dealing with climate change and global warming we have to realize that our highways are an asset. We have to put a lot of money into them and we have to protect that asset going forward. I think it’s important that this government look at some of the options and alternatives. If that means looking at pilot projects to try out different products, I know there’s a company here in Yellowknife that calls themselves Easy Street and they have a product that they’ve been testing on the different roads. I believe they laid a stretch down around Behchoko on Highway No. 3. I think working with communities if there’s a possibility of joining forces on some of these paving projects, that we have to look at that going forward. I think it’s important that we look at that aspect of things.

I have raised the issue of the possibility of a bridge across the Peel River. I’ve done some work on it with people in the private sector. I have had support with the Hamlet of Fort McPherson and the Gwich’in Tribal Council to look at some way of acquiring that project. Again the department’s too busy dealing with the Deh Cho Bridge and they’re forgetting about other opportunities or potential bridges throughout the Northwest Territories. I think this government has to realistically look at that part of our infrastructure and the possibility of replacing the ferry operations with bridges in other parts of our infrastructure, whether it’s the Dempster Highway or the Mackenzie Highway or the Liard

Highway. We have to be considering that as an alternative. Also the replacement of culverts with bridges, especially the large culverts that will have to be replaced at some point.

I’ll leave it at that and wait to see what the Minister’s responses are in some of those areas. I do have some issues with the department and how they deal with small communities.