Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, overflow is disrupting the highway in the Mackenzie Delta. It's no surprise, Mr. Speaker. Overflow happens every year in two spots along the highway, between Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic near Caribou Creek, and just past Tsiigehtchic on the way to Fort McPherson at kilometre 142, also known as Georgetown, Mr. Speaker, because a man named George lives there; or used to until the overflow got so bad he couldn't drive to and from his house.
Mr. Speaker, the chartered community of Tsiigehtchic has asked the Department of Transportation for help. No money, we are told.
Mr. Speaker, in the past the department has come and cleared out the culvert and diverted the water. This work was done under the maintenance contract for the Dempster as an add-on, I believe. Now the department is telling the chartered community to hire its own contractor.
Mr. Speaker, water has been running through the culvert, which the department put in about a year ago, since before Christmas and gradually froze up. We know these areas cause problems almost every year.
Mr. Speaker, we could save money in the long run by putting in a heat trace like they do on the Yukon side of the Dempster Highway instead of paying extra every year to deal with the overflow. We could budget a fixed amount for a generator when we have problems with the overflow.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is about to finish building a highway over some of the most challenging terrain on the planet. I'm sure our government has the resources to manage some of the problem spots and get the overflow off the existing highway system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions later today.