Robert Bouchard

My next question on the bridge is we have agreements in place with the utility, I know there are a couple of utility companies, the telephones and maybe potentially the power company that are looking to use the bridge. Is there typically a chargeback to that or is it something we provide for those utility companies?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ll start my questions with the Deh Cho Bridge and the process of operation there. I’m just wondering how the department is handling the maintenance of the Deh Cho Bridge this winter and has that cost been exactly what we expected. I’ve heard that we have staff on 24-hour call to salt and gravel the bridge. Have there been any additional costs than what we expected on the Deh Cho Bridge?

That’s all. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am rising today to talk about the Hay River Homecoming that’s coming this June 28th to July 1st. Hay River invites all its former and current residents to stay in the community, come back to Hay River and enjoy the festivities that are being organized. It is a time for people that were in the fishing industry, people that worked for NTCL, NorthwesTel, GNWT, or just lived in Hay River to come back, experience Hay River and take part in this great event.

I want those former residents to look up on hayriver2013.ca. There’s a website there. You can register your name. They...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This weekend I have the opportunity to attend some of the events going on in Hay River. As I indicated yesterday, it will be March 1st and the beginning of spring is here, because we have the carnival. The Kamba Carnival will be starting this week and I’d like to thank all the organizers that had to help organize it. I would like to wish the five queen contestants good luck on the competition, and also those people that are in the snowmobile races, snocross races and drag races. Good luck. Hopefully everyone participates safely.

This brings a lot of people into the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I first read this motion I did have the feeling that, from a business perspective, to say, well, let’s stay fair and let business do business, but I think there’s a lot of people in the general public that are concerned with pricing and the way the pricing of fuel and gasoline happens. We have an event that happens in the Middle East one day and the next day the prices at the pumps in Hay River, Yellowknife, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk change immediately where that has nothing to do with the inventory that sits in those tanks at that time.

So I support this motion in the...

I’m wondering if the Minister can use that money to assess Hay River’s needs and make some sort of plan so that we have a plan to bring to the federal government. We know in the past when they’ve had infrastructure dollars come forward, often it comes quickly, and we need to have some sort of plan in place. Will the Minister commit to doing that type of assessment and having that type of plan in place?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my statement, I have dredged up some more issues in Hay River, as normal. I just have a question for the Minister of Transportation. Has the Department of Transportation begun to solve the department this year through their budget of dredging?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague indicated, today is a beautiful day. It’s nice and pink out there, but I’d also like to talk about the days getting longer and spring is around the corner.

Often in the North that’s an exciting time, but one of the difficulties that we have in Hay River is this brings on the discussion of breakup. One of the issues that we have in Hay River is an annual breakup and the Hay River has been filling in, getting silted up and for years now, since the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, they’ve quit doing the dredging in the Hay River area.

I’ve brought to this House, a...

My last question is: Will the Minister ensure that this plan gets completed this year so that I can stop raising this issue in this House, hat we have a plan in place and we just need to go to the federal government? I’m willing to go with the Minister to discuss this issue if that’s what we need, or if we need to do lobbying to get the federal government to do this. But we need a plan in place. Can I get commitment from the Minister that this will be completed this year?