David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some more questions for the Minister of Transportation in regard to the Deh Cho Bridge process and project. I’m wondering if the Minister could provide for the House what currently -- and I’m speaking today -- is the government’s liability in the Deh Cho Bridge project? That includes the legal fees paid to date to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and any additional liability under the concession agreement that was signed September 28th. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for listening to my concerns today on this. It’s a big issue for me because during the life of the last government I stood up here numerous times, almost every session, extolling the virtues and the public safety aspects of the city of Yellowknife bypass road into Kam Lake Industrial Park. It just never saw the light of day, even though the Government of the Northwest Territories had a ready, willing, and able partner in the City of Yellowknife to construct that road. Meanwhile, they’re spending all their time and effort on constructing a Deh Cho...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he could, for the House, outline or give us a list of the 12 outstanding schedules and appendices to the concession agreement that remain outstanding. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rules are set up for the issue of fairness and integrity and that’s what sport is based on. If you are going to what appears to be a double standard for regional participation as opposed to athletes here in Yellowknife, then somebody has to explain that to the soccer community here in Yellowknife on how that happens. It has to be explained to everyone. The question I have is, why have rules if they are going to be broken, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Transportation. It gets back to the Deh Cho Bridge process. We are talking about the concession agreement. Yesterday, the Minister said in Hansard that the concession agreement still needs to be finalized. I would like to ask the Minister with my first question. What exactly did the Government of the Northwest Territories commit to in signing the concession agreement with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an issue has come to light here, and I know the Arctic Winter Games is coming to Yellowknife here in March of 2008 and the trials are going to be coming up here. There’s been an issue with the selection process as it pertains to soccer teams and rules being changed mid-stream. There were rules in place and the Department of MACA has made a decision to waive rules that were in place governing the selection process. I do want to thank the Minister for taking the time to get me some background material and meeting with me on this, but I really do think...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Minister; things like this are an important function of government. We should be reaching out and doing what we can for businesses and the tourism sector in the Northwest Territories to expand business opportunities. What I would like to ask is, who is writing the report and are we paying for the report to be produced? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, sources I have outside of this building would indicate that the Kam Lake bypass road, the Yellowknife bypass road is not on a list. It is not on that Building Canada list. So I take issue with the Minister not saying that. There are competing priorities; yes, there are. That is a priority here in the city of Yellowknife. It belongs on that list. It is not on the list. I want to know why it is not on that list, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. From where I sit, Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that the department has spent a lot of time and effort on the Deh Cho Bridge project and we talked about the Kam Lake access road, the city of Yellowknife bypass road and the Building Canada Fund. Where exactly is that road? I stood up in this House for four years asking about the Kam Lake access road. We are spending our time and effort on the Deh Cho Bridge and we are not spending enough effort in other areas of the territory, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister -- he brought...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Minister could provide the House exactly today what the GNWT is liable for. Thank you.