Evidence of meeting #141 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
The main means of transportation to our community in the summertime are air and boat, depending on the water levels.
Conservative
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
Our airplane is a nine-seater Caravan—that's if you can get a flight, because the flights are always so booked up. You have to have at least a couple of weeks' notice to book a flight. You can't just book a flight and be out the same day.
Conservative
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
In the wintertime, we have roughly about three months—depending on the weather and the climate—to travel over the rivers and the lake and onto an ice road.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Thank you. I appreciate that, because I think it speaks to how important having a dock is in what's effectively a maritime community in a landlocked province, which is pretty cool and very unique.
Considering how limited your access out is, has anyone from the Government of Canada given you guys any idea of how they would evacuate you in the event that the airport wasn't accessible in the summertime?
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
No. Nobody from Transport Canada has made us aware of how we would deal with that issue if it were to ever arise again.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
This summer, the airport was threatened. There was a very serious threat that the airport was no longer going to be accessible. Even at that point, did anyone from the Government of Canada give you guys some kind of an answer?
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
We received an answer from Indigenous Services Canada, ISC, and they said they would send a helicopter to pick us up.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
A helicopter can take, I don't know, three passengers—
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
—so it's something like 300 flights to get 1,000 people out.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
That was their response to us in that regard.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
That seems reasonable.
Is it safe to say that there is no trust from the community in Transport Canada?
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
There is no trust at all on our part whatsoever based on what's out there, yes.
December 3rd, 2024 / 5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
I am so frustrated. I've heard from so many people in the community of Fort Chip who have reached out to share their frustration over the cover-up. They feel like the government lied to them by not giving them that information. They would have had their children swim in a different part of the lake.
Can you describe some of what you hear in the community from parents who have allowed their kids to swim in that lake? I see, Councillor Tuccaro, you're nodding along.
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
There is a lot of concern from everybody, even from people who don't use the lake. As you said, we only use part of the lake. That's the only place where we have a beach and a family park to be utilized, and they have been used for, as I said previously, over 30 to 40 years. That is the spot adjacent to the wharf, so that's where—
Conservative
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
It does, yes. You swim. That's where you swim and fish from.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Has Transport Canada put up any signs stating not to swim there? I've seen some signs, but has Transport Canada—
Councillor, Mikisew Cree First Nation
There's no signage from Transport Canada. That was done by us to alert our community members that the water is contaminated.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Even after communicating with you guys, they didn't take it upon themselves to put up any kind of signage alerting people that it was a dangerous place.