Wally Schumann

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is well aware, I've recently just got this portfolio and I've been reading up as much as I can on some of this stuff. I believe when we get into looking into the strategy of how we're going to move some of this stuff forward, we're going to have to sit down and review some of this and welcome probably input from the Regular Members when we do this as well, and that could be one of the things we looked at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No, thank you.

As plans move forward and we develop our business cases for the next consecutive years we will continue to look at all people and opportunities and engage all Aboriginal groups in the settlement area to be involved in the contracting.

I'll turn it over to Mr. Guy.

First of all, I want to thank the Member for his compliments today. Brush cutting is very important to the safety of all residents travelling on the Dempster. I had the opportunity this year to travel with the Member up and down the Dempster and see some of the challenge areas where we have a lot of willows. This year, we did approximately two hectares of brushing on the highway. We did from kilometre 75 to 95, and the coming year we have approximately five hectares of brushing, so more than double what we did this year, and we're going to do from kilometre 95 to 142.

Thank you Mr. Chair. I’ll defer to Mr. Guy.

That's a federal government responsibility. Like I said, we are engaged in conversation with them, but until the site is fully reclaimed, it is a federal responsibility and I would have to see what the federal government would have available to share with the Member. But again, like I say, it's a federal responsibility.

As I've already stated, we already hired two casual maintenance supervisors from the region to monitor the winter road activities. What I could convey to the Member is I would have to look into whose vehicles we're using. We're already employing two people to do that, and I will get back to the Member on where we're getting the vehicles from.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to check into this MOU right off the bat, but DOT presently hires two casuals for highway maintenance supervision out of the Sahtu Region for the winter road system.

The Member stated that I guess we're using government vehicles to do the maintenance supervision of the winter road. I can look into it, but I can guarantee, if we already have the units available, why would we go out to contract to rent vehicles for the complete four months of the winter road and add significant costs back onto the taxpayers of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.