Wally Schumann

Mr. Speaker, my understanding is the Hay River/Pine Point Bridge was submitted to Infrastructure Canada on May 27th as part of the bridge rehabilitation project. This particular project we expect to have approved by mid-June or end of June. Thank you.

I think it's a little premature to say the barge is going to be there shortly. I know that the sailing season historically leaves Hay River in late June. I'm not saying that is all this ice and stuff is going to melt on these landings, but this is definitely a federal jurisdiction. It is something that has been pointed out in the CTA report along with other issues across the North, and we will continue work with the federal government to see if we can reinstate this funding to make sure all the ports and harbours in the Northwest Territories have access.

That is something that hasn't come before me so I'm not aware of any people wanting to make claims against Transportation on the road conditions, but we continue to put signage up and everything in efforts to ensure that there's safe travel for everybody in the general public.

As many Members in the Assembly know, this year the roads across the Northwest Territories have some issues just because of the way of thawing. We've had an early spring this year and it's created some challenges on the complete road system in the Northwest Territories, but on this road in particular with the poor drainage that's on the right of ways and the department is currently making efforts to improve the drainage on this road, and we continue to look at how we're going to upgrade the subgrade of this road. Work will commence soon as time allows.

As I alluded, there's five anchor points now available and as of today the slipways are being prepped and the timbers are being installed to launch the ferry. As of this evening, we plan on having the ferry into the Peel system and with more seaworthiness testing we're hoping to have the ferry service in operation by late Wednesday, early Thursday morning.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. We did experience an earlier spring than normal. As the river broke up early on the Peel and the Mackenzie it kind of caught the department a little off guard in getting some of these things. One of the issues with the Tsiigehtchic and Peel River ferries was we had scheduled Transport Canada inspectors to come in for the replacement bottom of the Tsiigehtchic ferry, and at the same time they're in there to do the Peel River ferry. With the early spring and stuff, it's kind of caught us off guard from our normal scheduling, so that's one of the reasons for...

The Member is correct. The department carried out and had a consultant have an engineering evaluation done on all the bridges. Through that evaluation process, the consultants provided various options for the cycle, the cost analysis on the replacement or rehabilitation of these bridges. The department has decided to go with the rehabilitation option on these bridges and we will be commencing work on them shortly on that.

Additional maintenance work is planned for the complete section from the Dempster to the McPherson-Peel River section. We will be looking at all the signage and delineators as work continues this year on the widening of the highway.

Time permitting, I would gladly take up the Member's offer to take me out to the Dempster.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reconstruction on the Dempster Highway has been in progress for the last several years, and the department has spent numerous amounts of money on widening and doing significant safety improvements on that section of the highway, but due to last year's excessive rain and poor weather conditions, weather hindered the reconstruction work and also the replacement of the delineators for the snow levels and safety stuff that the Member is talking about. The department will be installing these things in the coming construction season, when weather conditions are favourable...