Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Members, I would like to turn your attention to visitors in the gallery. We have with us the mayor of Yellowknife, His Worship Mark Heyck. Thank you for being here with us.

Colleagues, allow me to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery, as well, of Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. As many of you know, Mr. Whitford has many roles; former Commissioner, former Speaker, former Minister, former Member, former Sergeant-at-Arms, honorary clerk at the table, and Member of the Order of the Northwest Territories. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Whitford to the House this afternoon. It's always a pleasure having you here in the House. Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a couple of people who are incredibly important to me. First, I would like to recognize my parents, J.R. and Loretta Abernethy, who are proud new grandparents. I would also like to recognize my amazing wife, Carolyn Smith. For the first time ever, I am incredibly proud to introduce my baby boy, John Russell Smith Abernethy, who has been with us for 30 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes, and 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 seconds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mayor Mark Heyck is my constituent, and he has served the city with a long and distinguished career as a city councillor and as a mayor. This may be one of his last appearances here in that role, and so I would like to thank him for the length and the integrity of his public service. Mahsi.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Kevin Smith, Deputy Mayor of Fort Smith and recently very active in the Arctic Winter Games. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of our Pages today. She is from Range Lake, Ms. Makayla Lane. Welcome. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to recognize Mayor Mark Heyck. I had the pleasure and honour to serve with him on city council on my last term and, I believe, his first, so there was some overlap. I want to thank him for his years of service to people in this community. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't want to be one of the only Yellowknife Members who does not recognize His Worship, Mayor Mark Heyck. I would like to thank him for his service, as well. He has made an incredible contribution to our community. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry about that. I would like to inform the house that John and Sharon Herring received the Senate Sesquicentennial Medal on Sunday, April 8^th, from former Senator Nick Sibbeston. It is a very proud moment when residents of the NWT are recognized for outstanding work. The medal is awarded to residents actively involved in their communities who, through generosity, dedication, volunteerism, and hard work, make their community a better place to live. Without a doubt, these two encompass all of those qualities. Their accomplishments are appreciated and are important to the continued growth of Fort Simpson. It is an honour and a privilege to recognize them here today.

Masi. Acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure, and it's on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. Mr. Speaker, recently the department closed the road due to soft and rutted areas that could be a risk to the travelling public and to prevent further damage to the highway. Mr. Speaker, my first question to the Minister is: why did the Department of Infrastructure open an unfinished road? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway was deemed substantially completed on the 15^th of November of last year, and over the winter we experienced an average daily traffic count of 60 to 70 vehicles per day throughout the whole season without any issues. The work that is being performed and carried out on the highway this summer and fall is the contract work that has to be completed under the terms and conditions of the contract to correct all deficiencies noted during the final inspection of the highway. That was when we did that, last year, so this work is expected to be completed by the fall of this year.

I understand, you know, construction of a gravel road on permafrost sometimes requires some time to settle before it dries up, and I appreciate the response from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, my question is: how many days of additional road access did the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk gain with the opening of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway?

Based on a 20-year average of opening and closing of the Inuvik winter road, we gained 45 days of access to the community of Tuktoyaktuk this year, with the winter road opening in November of last year to May 12^th of this year. As all Members know, this has been a concern in the media lately, but one thing that people have to know is that this road is still under construction and we are working on it. The other thing that I always like to make very prevalent about this whole thing is that this highway was constructed in one of the harshest environments in Canada, and our contractors did a heck of a job in building this road, and we believe it will open to the general public here very soon.

I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, I am just going to get right to it here. My next question for the Minister is: what are we doing to make sure this does not happen next year?