Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize my nephew Brody Alexie-Benoit who is the page here in the Assembly with us. Also, my brother Desmond was just sitting up in the gallery. It's always nice to have family here to support you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, enhancing road safety is a priority for the Government of the Northwest Territories. We all want our highways to be as safe as possible for everyone who uses them.
To support this effort, I would like to announce that as of June 1, 2023, the hours of service regulation will be amended to make electronic logging devices mandatory for commercial vehicles weighing 4,500 kilograms or more.

This is a made-in-the-North solution that balances driver safety, the needs of our local industry, and compliance with federal requirements.

An electronic logging device, or ELD, is a device that tracks a driver's hours of service instead of using a paper logbook. Hours of service are the maximum amount of time commercial drivers can be on duty, including driver time.

Government of Canada has mandated the use of ELDs, and all jurisdictions will implement and enforce this mandate in 2023. Commercial and regulated vehicle operators that require a logbook, as well as National Safety Code vehicles that cross provincial-territorial lines, are required to use ELDs.

Mr. Speaker, some may ask why ELDs have been made mandatory. This is about making our roads and highways safer. Because ELDs are a more effective and accurate way for drivers to log working hours. They can help reduce driver fatigue and with fewer tired drivers on our roads, we will prevent accidents and save lives.

ELDs automate the tracking, making it easier for drivers and commercial carriers to comply with the hours of service regulations under the NWT Motor Vehicles Act. It also allows territorial drivers to operate in other jurisdictions and earn a living while outside the territory.

Mr. Speaker, when making a major change to how an industry operates, it is important to engage with that industry. The GNWT held three stakeholder information sessions with the trucking industry to discuss the impacts of ELDs and address any concerns they may have. These sessions took place in August and November 2022, with a final session held in March 2023. The draft regulations were also posted for public comment from March 13 to April 13 on the GNWT's "have your say" public engagement portal.

The stakeholder sessions showed that there is support for the use of ELDs in the Northwest Territories and started a discussion around the unique elements of the territory's commercial trucking industry. As a result, the ELD regulations include exemptions specific to drivers in the NWT. If a driver operates within 160-kilometers of their home terminal and return each day to that home terminal, they are not required to complete a logbook entry and therefore do not require an ELD. Instead, carriers or owners must keep track of driver hours while working within the 160-kilometre radius. If a driver leaves the 160-kilometre radius at any time, they will require an ELD. Additionally, commercial vehicles registered in the NWT that weigh under 11,795 kilograms and operate strictly within the territory are also ELD exempt. Drivers must still produce a logbook entry on request.

Any exemption that is given through the federal Act is also included in the territorial regulations. Other vehicles that do not require ELDs include school buses however they will be required to use paper logs when the vehicle exits its 160-kilometre zone. Emergency vehicles such as police, ambulances, fire trucks and utility service vehicles for power and telecommunication companies.

Mr. Speaker, this made-in-the-North approach to implementing the mandatory use of ELDs has allowed the trucking industry to provide its valuable input and make this transition easier for those directly impacted by this change. Road safety is an issue that affects all Northerners. By implementing the Government of Canada's requirement for the electronic logging device in commercial vehicles, the GNWT is contributing to enhanced road safety in the NWT and across Canada. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: 2022 Annual Report on the Legislative Assembly Under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, yes, we will look into the four different -- three different junctions; I better not add more work to the department but three different junctions that the Member's talking about and to be able to look at to see what we can do in terms of getting new lighting for their highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure is moving towards more of a use of the LED lighting on our highways. The Member is speaking of three different highways. So my response back to the Member would be that this summer we will complete a review, the highway junction that the Member's speaking about, to be able to determine what improvements can be made. So if the Member is -- you know, if we need new lighting on the junctions, then this is something we can look into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to let the Member know that there were minor deficiencies in the apron which has been addressed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Fort Smith runway did have some work done. You know, we had questions from the Member from Thebacha asking questions on the Fort Smith. The Fort Smith Airport is fine. You know, there are airplanes that can land there. I'm not very specific to which airplane the Member is speaking of. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware. Is the Member speaking about the Fort Smith Airport; I just need clarification. I don't feel like that question was clarified. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware of that operational detail however I can look into it and get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.