Just some other points. I think my colleague touched on the ongoing system to come up with at least a unit of some kind that could be available for people that travel on the highway. I know that this has been ongoing. I think the Department of Transportation and two other
departments have been part of this exercise. They are trying to at least forge a semblance of unity in terms of trying to come up with an emergency system if it’s ever needed. I have heard the discussion in terms of the community fire departments are confined to communities, and if ever they are called upon to deal with a situation on the highway, there is always a question in terms of liability, costs, and so that is ongoing. This effort has been, at least from my understanding, for the past two years or so and it has been ongoing. I think at some point a decision has to be made in terms of ensuring the wellness and safety of the public and that this government will come up with at least a very clear system so that they can respond to emergency situations on the highway.
In that same light, basically it has been very exciting for small communities to be finally on the information highway. This is the expansion of the cellular coverage and it’s good. It has really enhanced communications. A lot of people are very active on social media. Young people are very tech savvy and are enthusiastically embracing the introduction of this technology into small communities.
Of course, there are some shortfalls. One of them is in cellular coverage, again in an emergency situation. There has been some discussions perhaps with NorthwesTel or with some other bodies that are able to provide those services, but if for example you have to have a high degree of traffic from Yellowknife all the way down to High Level, in between those communities sometimes you have blackouts and you don’t have a communications system. If something happens and you need to communicate with someone, timing and getting a response sometimes is critical. So if perhaps this government could encourage companies like NorthwesTel to see if they could expand and enhance their cellular coverage. If you drive down to Fort Providence, you should be able to at least link up to the cellular system at Blue Fish Creek and as you drive by the community and maybe as far south as Dory Point. So at least a person, if you have to, can walk to those points and make a call either to the RCMP or else the health centre to try and get some help. So if the department or government could encourage companies like that to try to, at least in the public interest, enhance cellular services.
Other points of course my colleagues have raised were the forest fires, the interruptions it caused in terms of people’s travelling, the roads being closed. This past summer was a very big experience. I think we learned a lot from it. People were practically stranded. People were stranded in their vehicles for perhaps maybe five days, seven days and these people have kids it was very hot during that time too. Hopefully we’ve learned so that perhaps this summer we will have a contingency
plan in terms of how we’re going to be responding in the interest of public safety, of course, and at the same time in the interest of the travelling public.
The other thing, too, is that because of the burnt areas we’re going to have a high number of people that are picking mushrooms, a lot of activity in those areas. So, the department should have an understanding of how they’re going to deal with a situation like that.
The other point is the multi-modal strategy. I understand that’s ongoing. I think they’ve mentioned the idea of a rail expansion, but whether it’s in the works or maybe perhaps discussion.
Another idea is the marine transportation. There’s been discussion of perhaps dredging to make the barges more accessible to the communities, and we have to realize that the big lake is frozen right until about the middle of June. The Mackenzie River is free of ice through mid-May and it just makes sense that perhaps a port of some kind or a marine transportation hub perhaps, be imported to Fort Providence. I think that should be discussed at some point.
The other point I wanted to make is in terms of the tolls for private vehicles. I think we try not to create any disincentives for people that are in the small business sector. We need to be in a supportive capacity. Becoming a hindrance to small business growth should not be the role of government. We should be encouraging them. For those reasons, we should seriously consider how it is that we collect tolls on private vehicles that cross the bridge, in some instances.
The other thing is that I think we need to do a concerted effort to ensure that young people get their licences, you know, simultaneously when they graduate from high school and not wait until they’re about 26 or 30 years old to get their licences. It should just be a logical step. If you graduate, you should have your licence to drive. Mahsi.