Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie ice bridge crossing machinery I think the Member is referring to is right now at what I have been told is the location that the department feels is the only location that it can be stored at. I did check into it and asked about other areas that it can be stored in. It is not being used right now. That is where it can be stored in terms of safety and security reasons.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has come up in my discussions with the Member from Nunakput. Certainly, our department is making arrangements to see how best we can serve the community of Paulatuk in terms of this specific issue on the issuing of driver’s licences.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to, first of all, congratulate the people of the aboriginal corporations in Fort Providence, the Metis, the band, the hamlet, the people in Fort Providence and the people of the Deh Cho, the Deh Cho Corporation also, and the GNWT department staff in terms of making an historical agreement that would see a project like this be very successful in the Northwest Territories. Once we have done our work in terms of working it out with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation in terms of some of the 12 outstanding issues, we would certainly be happy to share that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our staff and our contractors are doing an exceptional job in terms of maintaining our infrastructure, especially on the highways. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the suggestion from the Member here in terms of part of our view in terms of priorities and infrastructure within the Department of Transportation is to look at areas where we can ensure and commit investment in terms of improving our highway systems like the Member is suggesting; looking at the chipsealing of the Dempster Highway. I would take that as a suggestion in terms of when we look at long-term...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Paul Andrew, a resident of Tulita and also recipient of the national aboriginal award that is going to happen in Toronto in 2008.

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Thank you. I really thank the Member, because I certainly like to be reminded that the federal government has a part here. Similar to the parts that now the regions that do have highways, that certainly was the federal government’s responsibility, but I’m certainly looking forward to committee work, looking forward to my department in terms of long-term strategy in terms of chipsealing existing roads in the Northwest Territories. Again, I need to work with my department. I certainly like to welcome working with committee in terms of investing in our existing roads in terms of how we see that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in our long term, eventually in the long term of highways in the Northwest Territories, we certainly want to look at communities that do not have highways. I mean, right now we’re talking about highways on existing facilities and existing roads. So in the long term, certainly we do have the funds, we have the support from other sources of funding who would look at highways that do require good roads and good drainage and reconstruction of chipsealing. We also have to look at communities and regions that do not have a highway. So we certainly have to start...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The bridge was inspected…Sorry; the culvert was inspected in 2007. As with any infrastructure, it’s kind of hard to crystal ball if something is going happen within a certain time frame. I believe that our department did look at all our culverts and bridges and sometimes, for unknown circumstances, events are beyond our control and things do happen. This time it happened to be the Caribou Creek culvert.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the collapse in the Caribou Creek -- it’s on the Dempster Highway -- is a culvert that has been put in some years and throughout the existence of our culverts and bridges, there’s a continuing lifecycle and inspections and this is one infrastructure that came…Time ran out, I guess, on the integrity of the structure and it's lucky that nobody was injured when we had the collapse of the culvert.

Mr. Speaker, chipseal and pavement overlays are only considered on sections of our highways that we have reconstructed and the road base and improved the alignment, otherwise we would lose the service of improvement. Mr. Speaker, I want to get back to the Member with more information on the planned future work of Highway No. 6 in terms of chipsealing in that area.