Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All of us are aware of how cold it has been this past week. We all felt it, and some of us probably experienced issues in our homes and with our vehicles. Losing our heat or power, having our water and sewer pipes freezing or our vehicles not starting or breaking down on the highway in the middle of the night is not a good feeling.
We are fortunate that, in this building, there are staff responsible for ensuring the building is warm and all utilities are in working order, a luxury the homeowner does not have and even less so in the communities outside Yellowknife.
What happens when issues arise due to the cold weather? We are fortunate that we have a group of trades and service people such as plumbers, electricians, gas-fitters, oil-burning mechanics, carpenters, mechanics, water-delivery personnel, sewer pump-out personnel, and tow-truck driver operators at our disposal, although somewhat limited in numbers.
When an emergency arises, we as residents understand the value of the trades and essential services. We expect these trades and service persons to attend to our emergencies no matter how cold it gets or what hour of the day it is. They are often forced to work in weather most of us want nothing to do with. I would ask the residents of the NWT to be understanding and not demanding when requesting services during weather-related emergencies. As there are only a limited number of trades and service providers to address cold-weather issues, they have to prioritize the requests coming in and need our understanding and cooperation. Because of the importance and limited number of essential personnel who look after us during cold-weather emergencies, I will have questions for the Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.