Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, the polar bear licence plate is internationally known and has played a significant role over the years in promoting the Northwest Territories. I’d like to thank the Member for being persistent on this issue and for the suggestion and working with this government in terms of changing our licence plate to “spectacular.” I’d like to advise the House and the Member that the N.W.T. Tourism group is working with the Department of ITI and the Department of Transportation in terms of promoting this licence plate, and it’s going through its process of establishing such a logo for the...

Mr. Speaker, as Minister of the department I’m sure that any type of work that this department does will be quality work. It will be a long-lasting investment. It will be a good investment. The people in Dettah will be very happy with the department in terms of working on their roads.

Mr. Speaker, I will instruct my department to look into our transportation plans across the Northwest Territories, and I assure the Member here that the Dettah access road is in these plans in terms of improving the access roads right across the North. I’m working very closely with my colleague the lead Minister for the funding that the Member alluded to in terms of all of the priorities that we’re being asked for. I certainly would again reassure him that I will instruct my officials in the North Slave regional operations to set up a meeting with the leadership of Dettah, and I also invite...

Mr. Speaker, the bridge remains safe to the travelling public. The signage on the bridge is as much as we can do, and if we can, to do more. I’m satisfied that the signage that we have there, the message we have out for the public — to slow down when they cross the Kakisa Bridge — is there. We’ve been monitoring that traffic.

I myself have driven that road. I have crossed that bridge at five kilometres an hour. I myself am satisfied that all we can do now is up to the public to make wise choices, in terms of travelling all our roads in the N.W.T.

Mr. Speaker, it’s a precautionary measure that we ask of all public members, to slow down because of structural damages to the bridge, that they slow down when they cross the bridge at the Kakisa River.

Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to say to the Member that we received the request from the community of Aklavik. We are considering it within our plans in terms of our priorities, and we’ll look at that. Again, I’m very pleased to see that the community of Aklavik has actually put a number down to contribute to this project. That deals well within the department in terms of a partnership on certain projects.

Mr. Speaker, the Nahanni Butte road program is a public access road program. The Aklavik road is a community access road program. I would work with the Members here in terms of the issue with Aklavik in terms of seeing what could be done, and I would have to take this up with my colleagues in terms of these programs. There are two different programs we’re looking at in terms of this issue.

Air transportation is a critical service in the Northwest Territories. In many N.W.T. communities, airport support is the only real mode of transportation for residents and for bringing community re-supplies. Having a runway of the appropriate length provides the opportunity for air carriers to use the most appropriate type of aircraft to serve the N.W.T. communities.

Recognizing the importance of continuing to look at means to improve air services and to ensure continued compliance with Government of Canada aviation regulations, I am pleased to advise Members that the Department of...

Mr. Speaker, that’s a hypothetical question, and I’m not too sure. I’d have to speak with my colleagues in terms of what the cabinet’s or the government’s position on this question here.

The cancellation of the contracts was based on the fact that the price almost tripled, in terms of the required work that was done.

Bid bonds are sometimes required on some of the contracts they do within the Department of Transportation. We are removing the bid bonds from the re-scoping of the new tender’s work, in that we’re not going to require bid requirements on the re-tendering of this contract.