Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for Hay River South. The ferry is in suspension as we speak and right now the department is checking the time as to when we can have that opened up in terms of continuing our services across the Mackenzie River. Of course, our department is doing all it can with its resources to ensure that we have this ferry up and running as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have heard in my month as the Minister of Transportation from Members from across the House here, Members from this side here. We have many competing priorities. There is no final list right now. I can tell you that I am looking at investments down the Mackenzie Valley. There is no list right now that is finalized and we can present to you. I will be working with the Minister, lead in infrastructure. I will be working with Ministers on this side. I will be working with Members of the Legislative Assembly here in terms of having a final list.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. Mr. Speaker, the Deh Cho Bridge is a P3 project. It doesn’t come out of any other source of funding that I know of in terms of how we spend our time and energy on this project here. He referenced the example of the Yellowknife bypass. That is coming out. If it is the project that this government feels is a priority, it will come out of other sources of funding offered up by the Building Canada funding.

Mr. Speaker, the resources in terms of our government putting energy and effort in is done by the Deh Cho Bridge...

Mr. Speaker, the position of the GNWT is that the concession agreement in terms of our liability will depend on the conditions that would apply and we’ll have more information up to date as we proceed with this project.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the current liabilities of the GNWT are $9 million.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As soon as I get the completed list, I will certainly provide that to the Members of the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT, in its discussions with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation members, will discuss the public release of the concession agreement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the concession agreement still needs to be finalized. Mr. Speaker, this department is still confident that this bridge is a good project and that this deal will be good for the Northwest Territories. I will still hold to our process with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation in terms of finalizing the concession agreement before it can get released to the public. Again, I say, there are many factors involved in putting a complex project like this together and I will do so when I have the confidence of the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to release the concession...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the concession agreement has been signed on the 28th of September, as Members know. The concession agreement, there are still 12 schedules and appendices that still need to be finalized. We have to have that discussion with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation; we have to have that discussion with Members here. Mr. Speaker, once that is done and we feel confident with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation releasing public documents, we will do that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the president of the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors, Dan Costache. I would also like to recognize Greg Debogorski, executive director of the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize a long-time resident of Yellowknife but originally from Tulita, Paul Andrew is in the visitor’s gallery. Paul has been a recipient of the 2008 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards for media and communication.

---Applause