Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, I appreciate that there are different systems out there. I think what I'm asking for the Minister to do is to lobby her colleague at the Department of Finance to put in some added cell towers and make cell service accessible on all of our highways. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have that conversation with my colleague. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions? Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As is my favourite question: can I have an update from the Minister on the status of fire services for the Ingraham Trail? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the famous question that I've been getting a lot of comments on, looking at the approach that we're going to be taking with the Ingraham Trail. I will have Mr. Schauerte respond. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Schauerte.

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to read from Hansard where the Minister has repeatedly said, "I am confident that we will reach something by that deadline," that deadline being April 1^st. I recognize there are needs outside of all of the territories. I fully support us finding those agreements with every single municipality that has to provide services outside of a boundary. In this case, people's insurance is either going to either expire or go up on April 1^st. I have repeatedly said that the only possible solution now, given we have about five weeks, and I don't even know if it is possible given that the city's timelines and how their services work would be in agreement with the City of Yellowknife. Are we going to have an agreement with the City of Yellowknife to continue fire services on an interim basis by April 1^st? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is a conversation that is happening currently, but I don't want to put anybody to commitment. The conversations are happening. We are very cautious of April 1^st and looking at the fire services that the city no longer wants to provide to Ingraham Trail. We're looking also at the financial implications that this may have for residents within the Ingraham Trail and maybe, possibly, residents outside, and how are we going to pay for the service? Looking at the numbers, we're going to have to be combining and putting that together, but also recognizing, this is outside of the municipal boundary, and looking at the training and the equipment and all that needs to be entailed with the fire services. There was also the conversation of having fire services provided out of Dettah for Ingraham Trail, as well, but we also looked at the timing of a fire rescue, the time that it would take to get out there, the training, the commitment, the equipment. We're working with Ingraham Trail, and like Mr. Schauerte had said is that we're looking at the consultation to happen with the people that are at Ingraham Trail right now. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to quote again, the Minister's answer. "There was consultation that was just recently completed. I should be able to provide an update to the Member by the end of February." We're in the last week of February here, and I'm hearing that an engagement plan is just going to be started and then we will consult. Can I get the Minister to correct the record? Was there actually any consultation with residents of the Ingraham Trail? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that is a correction. There was no engagement that had been done yet, and I will have Gary just elaborate on where we are for that current status. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Schauerte.

Thank you, Mr. Schauerte. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Listen, I fully support the engagement work. I fully support working with Dettah to bring their fire services online. I support working with every other community. I think there's a big question of how taxes work on the Ingraham Trail and where that money goes, whether there should be a fire levy for services. In the past, the city used to charge, if you called a fire truck, you actually paid the City of Yellowknife a few thousand dollars. There are options. Those options and that work is not going to be completed in the next few weeks, and there is no way that this continues without agreement from the City of Yellowknife. My question is: has the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs made an offer to compensate the City of Yellowknife to continue fire services on an interim basis pending all of that other work? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of MACA.