Mr. Speaker, for my Member's statement today, I would like to address the point made in yesterday's Commissioner's address regarding modernizing airport infrastructure in the NWT.
On June 17, 2019, the leadership of the community of Fort Smith wrote a letter to the former Minister of Infrastructure regarding narrowing the main runway at the Fort Smith Regional Airport. The leadership felt that, by narrowing the runway, disastrous results could happen if Fort Smith had to evacuate due to forest fire or other natural disasters. The leadership felt that this decision was made unilaterally, without consent from the community of Fort Smith. A drastic change without consultation with the community of Fort Smith is not acceptable.
I have also been informed that the "Arctic Light LED Package" was not put in at the airport, therefore causing multiple safety issues relating to risk factors of take-off and landing. In discussion with the former Infrastructure Minister and senior management of that department, I was told that Transport Canada instructed the Department of Infrastructure to narrow the airport's runway by 50 feet on both sides and change their lighting system, at a cost of $2.3 million. No other airport in the NWT was forced to endure such extreme changes to their airport infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, the point of modernizing airports has failed in Fort Smith, based on the reduction of the runway that was forced on our community. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.