Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The flood in Nahanni Butte may be over but the community is still not the same. Much work has been done; however, their access road is still under water. That is a bigger problem than ever,

now that snow is flying and the river is freezing up. In an effort to save costs, residents are risking their vehicles by driving in just over two feet of water so that they can once again have a boat ride to their vehicle on the south side of the river and drive to Fort Simpson or Fort Nelson for their groceries.

Boating at this time of year can be extremely dangerous due to high winds, freezing temperatures and limited hours of daylight. The water levels are continuing to drop, but not fast enough.

The community has been told that the access road will not be rebuilt until winter and supplies to repair the road will not arrive until January. The community has already made an effort to drain the road, but there’s still too much water for their work to be successful.

As I had indicated, recently people have started driving through water over the road bank. You need nerve, four-wheel drive and a vehicle heavy enough to break the ice that is forming overnight. You have to stay within the routes marked out with orange flagging tape, otherwise you end up deep in the ditch. The solution is hazardous and temporary, to say the least, but the residents feel it is necessary. Flights are costly and we can’t expect everyone to drive through the river to get from A to B.

The people of Nahanni Butte have put up with enough. Some are already driving 320 kilometres to Fort Nelson for groceries and other supplies because of the general road conditions in the Deh Cho region. The houses and buildings have been ruined. Water, sewer, electricity and other basic services were totally disrupted. People are trying to rebuild their lives. Not only does the community need and depend on the access road to transport regular goods and services, but they need to bring in building supplies, appliances and other major items.

If winter wasn’t coming on, a family of beavers could do a better job of repairing our road.

The people of Nahanni Butte have proven and are determined to find solutions and repair damage caused by the flood. We need to apply some of their innovation and resilience in finding a way to rebuild an access road at this critical time for the community. I don’t want the community to wait until February for repairs. We must plan now and get as much as we can now for the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.