Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The term "aging infrastructure" is one we hear a lot in this Assembly, but very rarely is it linked to the needs of small communities. Most do not have a lot of infrastructure. Much of what small communities do have is aging and will need to be replaced.

Exhibit A today is the water intake and treatment plant in Fort Providence, operated and maintained by the Hamlet of Fort Providence. The plant was built in the 1970s. It is located at the end of the Providence Narrows, where the current of the Mackenzie is fastest and strongest. The water line into the treatment plant has caused problems for some time. It was installed in 1976 and is still in use after a replacement intake in 2004 failed and had to be abandoned. Low water levels and ice have both caused problems.

From the treatment plant, water is trucked to households and businesses. Of course, the size of each water tank limits water use, especially for doing laundry and taking showers or baths. It is far from a modern system. The water system is frustrating for the hamlet. The study was done and a decision was made to replace the intake. Further studies are ongoing to assess river hydrology and geotechnical issues. This work is partially funded by the community's infrastructure fund. The intake project is likely to be the first step in a long process of bringing the water and sewer systems to current standards and improve its reliability. There is a great deal of work to be done, and I am concerned about how long it might take. Alternative sites for a water treatment plant are being considered, as is a reservoir system. There are many demands on the Community Infrastructure Fund, and water projects may tax its capacity.

Mr. Speaker, we live on one of the greatest rivers in the world, a watershed that serves one fifth of Canada, and yet Fort Providence lacks a reliable system for getting water for the community. There is something wrong with this picture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.