Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am looking forward to the Mackenzie Valley Highway starting construction once again. We are sort of in the planning stages for the bridge still to be built, but the Minister is well-aware. He is from Inuvik, and I look forward to the day that that highway is actually built connecting right to Inuvik, because the Minister knows as well as I do how much money is spent in the Yukon at the moment. It's because everybody in the Beaufort-Delta region drives to Whitehorse to do their shopping: boats, Ski-Doos, trucks. It's all in the Yukon. There is a lot of revenue that could be staying in the NWT here. Unless you're from up there, you don't realize how much is spent in the Yukon.
I know that right now we are just planning to build to Norman Wells, but our government has to start looking forward. Just a few years ago, the plans changed to build it only to the Wells, which I still don't agree with. It's only right that it connects to Inuvik. A lot of our constituents in the Beaufort-Delta could be driving to Yellowknife by trucks, boats, Ski-Doos, you name it. There is a lot of potential.
Anybody who has driven from Whitehorse to Dawson has seen the hydro line that connects right from Whitehorse to Dawson. Any communities along the way are all connected to the hydro line, which this territory should be doing, looking forward.
There are a couple of projects here in the Mackenzie Delta. There should be more. There always should be more. I know that we do have some projects that are a little bit behind schedule that were supposed to be started last year. I am sure that this coming year will see our James Creek facility built, not quite at James Creek, but it is in the area. I still have my own concerns about that, but I am sure that we will make it happen with better planning.
Also, under airports, in the near future, we have to start planning to have emergency airstrips in each community. Tsiigehtchic is one that still doesn't have an emergency airstrip. We used to have a plane that landed there, but that is our bush pilot, Willard Hagen, you may all know as our deputy minister of Lands. He used to land in Tsiigehtchic and do the mail run. That is just on the shore of the Mackenzie River. There is a big need, and the community is always requesting an airport in the community for emergency situations, plus for when we're isolated. Those are the only comments that I have at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.