Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This section of highway has 40 per cent of the traffic. Is it getting 40 per cent of the rebuilding money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Could the Minister tell us the total dollar value that is anticipated for repairs to Highway No. 3 in this capital plan? Thank you.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik-Twin Lakes, that notwithstanding rule 4, when this House adjourns on September 28, 2017, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, October 3, 2017;

AND FURTHER that at any time prior to October 3, 2017, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the executive council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interests require that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact the business as...

Mr. Speaker, $18 million sounds like a lot of money, but in the context of the department's whole budget, it isn't. The fact is that the department is committed to providing a safe operating surface, and that's not what we have. Can the Minister give us an estimate of what it would actually cost to provide a safe operating surface from Yellowknife to Behchoko?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. As I said in my statement, the condition of Highway No. 3 from Behchoko to Yellowknife is a problem for residents, freight trucks, and tourists alike. This road has four times the traffic of any other highway in the NWT. My question for the Minister is: why doesn't the maintenance budget match the heavy use of this road? Thank you.

What I want to understand is whether the O and M and the additional capital costs of repairs are built into the total costs of this road right from now. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the condition of Highway No. 3, especially about the 100 kilometre section from Behchoko to Yellowknife. People in Yellowknife complain about this section of the road all the time, but by the reckoning of many drivers, the road was at its worse this summer since it was paved.

Highway No. 3 is not just another NWT highway. Forty per cent of all the kilometres driven in the NWT are driven on this section of Highway No. 3, or about 70 million kilometres a year. The drivers are residents, tourists, trucks resupplying the diamond mines, and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that the Minister does not want to advertise that the road is in terrible condition, but what if, in addition to the speed limits, there was some sort of information about permafrost degradation, like a sign in a roadside pull-out that explained what was going on with the road so that people had some understanding of why the road is a roller coaster? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I read a small section of an engineer's report on the road, and I see that it says it is settling. Climate change is making a difference in the temperatures, and the permafrost is thawing, and so on and so on. Is there no way for the government to make strategic investments to improve this road? I mean, the road really is terrible by anyone's estimation. Even within the confines of the melting permafrost, is there nothing more that can be done? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. How does the structure of this road compare to the other roads? I am trying to find a rationale for the volume of traffic, the condition it is in, and why it gets so little money compared to the overall highway budget. Thank you.