Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, we’ll have to wait for the bridge.

I will call my officials this afternoon, and we will, hopefully, have some discussions on the bypass road and see what type of work is being done so far. If a bypass road is something that we have to do, we will do it for the travelling public. However, I would like to first speak to my officials, and I will keep the Member informed in terms of the options that he’s talked about today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The challenge of Highway No. 1 has certainly been a very frustrating point in our work on Highway No. 7 with our department and our contractors. Work is being done in terms of Highway No. 7 reconstruction. We are digging up that part of the section. What we want to do is take part of the section, dig it up, put the proper basing in there to rebase the road, and then reconstruct it to a passable section of road. We are looking at options in terms of how we can keep traffic moving between Fort Liard and the other communities, so we will take the Member’s suggestion. If it...

I understand the frustration from Liard residents and people in Fort Simpson about the road closure. I understand completely, because I come from a region that doesn’t have a road. I know the frustration the residents are talking about. I would share my frustrations with the Member here. We are moving on this road. We are looking at what we can do. We are looking at how we can get this road back into drivable condition.

We did have a road that was transferred by the federal government to this government. The standards weren’t up to par, so we are reconstructing roads right across the North to...

Mr. Speaker, if I were to reach out, I would have other MLAs question me.

Mr. Speaker, we have looked at the road. We have a plan in place. Again, with the weather being on our side, Mother Nature plays a big part in terms of how much work we can get done. We want to do rebasing of that section. We are looking at it. I will instruct my officials to come back and look at the options. This is going to cause us a lot of hiccups during this season. We would have to look at a bypass that would at least be less disruptive to the travelling public of Nahendeh. I will get back and keep the Member...

Certainly, we have our marching orders from the motion that was passed in this House in terms of looking at the issue the Member’s talking about.

We have worked with the lead Minister, Hon. Bob McLeod, in terms of heading up the Ministers’ Energy Coordinating Committee. We have set down some terms of reference as to how we’re going to carry out our work. We have looked at this with our own Crown corporations in terms of our capital costs and how NWTPC does its capital costs. That will help with looking at the rate issue. We certainly are on our way. We’ll be eagerly waiting to sit with the...

Mr. Speaker, I, too, was at the NWT annual meeting with the municipalities in Fort Simpson. I certainly heard several mayors — specifically the mayors from Norman Wells and Inuvik — talking about the one-rate zone issue.

We have a committee that’s being led by Mr. Bob McLeod in terms of the Ministers’ Energy Coordinating Committee. We’re looking at the motion that was put forward by this Assembly to look at the rate structure and the regulations. We’re looking at options and discussing with committee members what we can do to come to something that is satisfactory to people right across the...

The Member raises a very good point. Our last financial statement books were audited by the Auditor General of Canada. Certainly, if it’s the wish of the House, I would make a request to the board in terms of the Auditor General looking at our books again and looking at specific issues that could be raised, to have some further discussions in terms of our operation in the Crown corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member for Twin Lakes, for reminding me in terms of some of my earlier discussions in the House. The Member is correct, and those ideas are still alive and well. Certainly, I’m very happy the Premier has asked if I would work with the other Members in terms of the energy file. Our committee is looking at the options of: how do we bring the cost of energy down to an acceptable rate for people in our smaller communities, who rely on a good power source in terms of reducing their cost of living?

Mr. Speaker, the Member is certainly correct on that: the Crown corporation is owned by…. We are the shareholders. My one responsibility in the Cabinet is to work on behalf of the shareholders in trust in terms of the corporation. If the legislation was to change and how we do business within our Crown corporation changed, we certainly should be having the discussion with the House Members from this side and from the other side in terms of talking about how to restructure our corporation. Certainly, Mr. McLeod, under the Minister coordinating the Energy Committee, we are looking at all options...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are in phase 2 of the general rate application presently, and we’re just waiting to conclude that. We have our general rate applications every three years.