Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 19th, 2009

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for coming today. It's an important exercise for us to hear your concerns and about the barriers you face here in the north. It is important to get that information to our committee so we can then hopefully do a report in the end that will certainly benefit the northern territories.

Mr. Kruger, I just have a few questions about the Mackenzie Valley Highway you talked about. I believe you said it will take $1.8 billion to finish that.

[Terry Kruger]

That's the number I've heard, yes.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Okay, and do you know the distance remaining to finish the highway? I'm assuming that this is a paved highway, rather than gravel.

[Terry Kruger]

I believe we're talking about an all-season gravel highway. There are probably about 1,000 kilometres left.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

There are about 1,000 kilometres left, okay. I understand that the construction period is a very short period of time. If you say that it's about 1,000 kilometres to finish, how long would it take to actually finish that highway? Do you have any idea?

[Terry Kruger]

I don't know off the top of my head. I'm sorry, I don't have that information.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Okay. There was something else you talked about in terms of community deficits reported in 2004. I understood you to say that it is now $186 million. I thought it maybe was billion, but I was not sure.

[Terry Kruger]

In 2004 it was $186 million; the latest guess is about $400 million.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

I'm sorry; I didn't quite understand that.

Quite a bit of funding is needed, then. Would that be for the 33 communities you talked about?

[Terry Kruger]

Yes.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

That would be all types of infrastructure.

[Terry Kruger]

It would be recreational facilities, fire trucks, community vehicles, hamlet offices, water, sewer....

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

So there's a lot. Some of the communities are quite small, as you mentioned in your comments.

[Terry Kruger]

They're very small.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

You also talked about how expensive air access is. Do you have any idea how many of these 33 communities would have access by air?

[Terry Kruger]

Every one of them.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Every one of them.

[Terry Kruger]

It depends on the size of the plane, but I believe every community has an airport.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

In terms of the airports, do you have any idea how regular these flights are?

[Terry Kruger]

I'm not familiar with the schedules, but some may be from one to two times a week to daily, depending on the size of the community.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Do you know if they're bringing in a lot of supplies as part of that process, or is it strictly passengers?

[Terry Kruger]

In some of the remote communities you would be flying perishable food, produce, milk, etc., on a regular basis by plane to places like Paulatuk or Sachs Harbour or Ulukhaktok.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Is that part of the food mail program?

[Terry Kruger]

I'm not totally familiar with the food mail program, but I would suspect so.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

I have a question In terms of the R-in-C funding. Is every one of the 33 communities you mentioned in your statement looking for R-in-C funding?