Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Madam Chair. Basically, that is what I have been hearing, too, is that contractors want to work because, if they are taking loans and they are taking deferrals and that, really they are just putting themselves further in debt, and that does not help their survival. The other area is in engineering opportunities. We have a number of larger engineering firms here in the territories, but we also have in Hay River a smaller one. It was born here in the North. It was born in Hay River, and it is owned by local people, but again, there they have problems trying to compete because they...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the highway systems, the design, I expect that they've looked at all the highways in the Territories and have done some assessment and prioritized them as to which ones have to be looked at first? My concern is that Highway 1, from the border to Enterprise and also Highway 2, from Enterprise into Hay River, there hasn't really been any realignment or any widening in the last number of years. I know that because once in a while I ride my bicycle to the border. There is not much there for a shoulder. We have a number of trucks [microphone turned off] and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to contracts, have you looked at the ones or identified the ones that we know can be done by northern contractors versus southern contractors? Have those projects been given priority? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Another question that comes up with constituents, of course, is the price of fuel. They want to know: why is it so high? What are the components that make up the cost of fuel, the taxes, the freight, and those items? Can you provide to have the information to me? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Has the department done any work, taking in the fact that we have a pandemic on hand? Have you looked at those numbers and thought about adjustments already? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess in the news in the past, we saw negative oil prices. Has that affected the price that the GNWT has been paying for fuel or gas? Because that's a question that constituents ask: why is the price at negative whatever, and we're still paying $1.00, $1.20 a litre, and in Edmonton, they're paying 50 cents a litre? I'm just wondering, and I understand that we're buying bulk and we have to kind of have it ahead of time to get it on the barges and move it north. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister just commit to taking a look at the SMCC facility? You know, there may not be a lot of employees there who are in that predicament, but there may be a few, and it would be nice to have it addressed sooner than later.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm not sure where you're buying the fuel from, where we're buying it from, if it's a rack price in Edmonton or where it is. Have you looked at, I guess, the rack price in Edmonton versus rack price say, in Vancouver, and rack price somewhere else overseas, and coming up through the North? I'm not sure what the rack price is. You might be able to give us a number. It doesn't have to be a solid number, just maybe a range of what we are paying for rack price and where. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I have had concerns raised by some of the staff that their leave has been cancelled, and there is starting to be some burn-out. Is your department aware of this?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I wasn't pleased about the comment you made about the Minister of ECE.

---Laughter

Anyway, one thing that is important, though, is service. One thing that I've noticed the government lacking is that we tend to forget that we're there to provide a service to the people of the NWT and not the other way around. I'm hoping to see that change over the term of this Assembly. I'm just wondering: how do you see that? How do you see us providing that service and how can we change it so that we're there to help them solve problems and assist them in building capacity, assisting...