Michael McLeod

Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking a very difficult question because it really depends on the level of reconstruction and availability of materials and how far the design program has gone. In a lot of cases that we found, very much is dependent on how much resources we can secure for the completion of the road. So there are a number of factors that we have to consider, but the biggest one is being able to attract the dollars that are required to do the final part of this road and that is what we are working on right now. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the intention of reconstruction of Highway No. 6 is to improve the road base in preparation of having a final chipseal service on the road, and at the end of the project we should expect to have a safer road and certainly a smoother ride for all the travelling public and a very improved link in our transportation system. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that later today I will table Green Light: Signalling the Department of Transportation’s Commitment to the Environment.

Maintaining a healthy environment is one of the most important issues facing us today. Managing climate change, air and water pollution, and stemming the loss of wildlife habitat are some of our biggest challenges.

The residents of the Northwest Territories are fortunate to live in a vast and relatively unspoiled environment that supports subsistence harvesting, resource development, recreation and tourism. Northerners have a strong and...

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that a bridge would solve all these issues, but that is a $70 million question that hasn’t been resolved yet. Actually this ferry has been operating longer now than it has in the last 10 years. So it is certainly an indicator that we are feeling the effects of climate change, but that could change overnight. Cold weather could set in. Again, we will look at all the conditions around operating this ferry and do our best to operate as long as we can and keep the Member informed of what we plan to do in terms of our actions. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’m just wondering if we’re looking at the same picture. The Member did send a picture to my office and there was some water, but there was lots of ice on both sides of the channel. So I guess that I have to ensure that we’re looking at the same image that he’s talking about.

Mr. Speaker, he’s correct; there was a date set for closure. Notice has been given for Saturday. But there has been some consideration, since the weather has warmed up, and we expect that we can squeeze a few more days out of the operations there and we will do our best to continue operations. Mr. Speaker, we...

The bridge project is still on budget and it’s still on schedule. We anticipate that there are going to be some delays as the review of the design required some changes. That’s being done. We expect that to be completed and final revisions by December or January and any further changes to the contracts will be out by March. So we expect that there will be a delay of at least a half a year or more, probably that it will be one year. That shouldn’t reflect in any additional costs.

The cost that is of concern is the first payment that is going to become due in December of 2010 and that’s going to...

Mr. Speaker, our contract with the Deh Cho Bridge, or our agreement is with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. They provide all the oversight in terms of construction, design and onsite management. We do have staff people who are dedicated to this project and working very closely. We do provide a review of all invoicing. We do provide a review of all changes that are made and things of that nature, so we are quite involved. We have a person strictly dedicated to this project. Thank you.

Other jurisdictions have engaged in the process. Right now there’s only, I think, five companies that are considered to be certified. We are looking at the consequences of what it would mean to all the different departments involved and communities and their different contractors and different sizes of contractors. So it’s something being considered right now and we’ll be looking at it very seriously. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes, we are considering it at this point.

Mr. Chairman, we have had correspondence back and forth on this issue. The Member has raised concern regarding the condition of this operator’s shelter in one of his communities and we have indicated to him that we’d be making some minor upgrades to ensure that the building continues to be useful and viable. This project is in our plans, in our five-year capital needs, and is scheduled to begin in 2011. So we’re very reluctant to invest a whole lot of money as this building is going to be replaced very quickly. Thank you.