David Ramsay

In this consensus system of government, when we do identify further sources of funding, you can rest assured that I will work with the Member, I will work with committee on identifying those priorities, and Highway No. 7 should rank near the top of those priorities. Thank you.

Certainly as we move forward, I’m looking forward to working with the Member and the EDI committee to make this a priority and to come up with a plan so we can address the situation on Highway No. 7. Again, it’s going to take funding and a substantial amount of funding to make that happen. But I do believe if we can work together and put everything on the table, I think we can certainly see this as a priority as we move forward when we do get some additional funding.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to provide Members and Northerners with an update on the Mackenzie Valley to Tuktoyaktuk Project. I’m pleased to reiterate a confirmation from the Caucus of the 17th Legislative Assembly identifying the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway segment as a priority project that will help to strengthen and diversify the Northwest Territories economy.

In the June 2011 budget, the people and Government of the Northwest Territories were pleased to hear Canada include $150 million over five years for the construction of the all-weather highway from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk...

As I mentioned in a previous reply, I think it’s important given our financial picture these days that we look at opportunities to partner with people to achieve our goals of supplying the transportation infrastructure that we need here in our territory. Certainly, I look forward to the discussions with the Member, and the committee and those proponents that are interested in doing work with the Government of the Northwest Territories. Working together, we’ll accomplish much more. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, and, unfortunately, last week I was supposed to meet with Deton’Cho but I got weathered in in Norman Wells. I look forward to that meeting that will happen soon. I look forward to partnerships like that down the road. Thank you.

Certainly we definitely need to continue the effort. Again, working together, working collaboratively, as was shown by the folks in the Sahtu, we can continue to move this project forward.

Again, it’s going to come back to the funding. Yes, we have a $150 million commitment on the Inuvik-Tuk portion of that highway. We need to seek some further commitment from the federal government on other sections of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We need to continue to push, continue to move the project forward. It’s by talking about it; it’s by working together that we will continue to advance this project...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his question. It was certainly an honour to be in Norman Wells last week to receive the project description report from the Tulita district. It’s very good to see groups getting together to agree that an all-weather Mackenzie Valley Highway is important. The work was very well done and well received.

We are currently waiting for two project description reports that will complement the other three. There are five in total that will be put together and submitted to the regulator. We’re hoping to have the other two project description reports by the...

I certainly would have that conversation with the Finance Minister and my Cabinet colleagues as we move forward and identify further sources of funding for Highway No. 7. That discussion will take place.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. Obviously, Highway No. 7 is a concern. Going forward we are going to need to identify more funding to address the issues with Highway No. 7. Going forward it’s going to take a sizable contribution of about $3 million a year for 10 years in order to address the work that needs to be done there. A complete reconstruction of Highway No. 7 is estimated to cost about $250 million. Again, I think that’s something you’ll hear, is we really need to come up with more funding, and when we do get some more funding, certainly Highway No. 7 would...

As we move forward, I believe there will be partnerships evolve and opportunities that present themselves. Certainly, I think that opportunity does exist. I’d like to say that. Thank you.