Denny Rodgers

Thank you. I certainly appreciate that. And I know the drivers and residents driving that highway regularly will also appreciate it, Mr. Chair. Can he also give me kind of an overview of Highway No. 10, the highway upgrades and rehabilitation. I believe that's the Inuvik to Tuk highway.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, under the Highway No. 8 reconstruction under the ICIP, can the Minister confirm if that is the work, any upgrade or upgrade the section to -- I mean, that work is allocated to the section from Rengleng River to Inuvik. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to speak to this motion today. Mr. Speaker, I was perplexed when I both -- I guess from a political perspective and from an operational perspective when the GNWT flatly just rejected this recommendation.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know what the exact answer is. I do know that given the amount of hours we put in as Regular Members and Cabinet on determining how to go about this review, how to move it from an inquiry to an after-action, we collaborated on it, Mr. Speaker, we all had representatives to give us information back as this process went on. So, Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress.

Thank you. And I appreciate that. And since the Minister brought it up, I will point out that the 1900 obviously has a larger capacity than the Twin Otter. As well, the Twin Otters don't run as much in the fall and wintertimes. They're typically used more for charter work than they are for passenger and cargo work. So that Twin Otter is not always available to get in there, and the 1900 is the preferred route to go in there and/or the King Air. And the King Air as well as the medivac aircraft, which is required to land in there. So that's another factor to consider on that runway. Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, and, again, and I appreciate that and the work that's being done up there. My only concern -- other concern, around that is, as you know, it's being done by a local contractor in partnership with the Indigenous government up there. And to do projects of this nature, obviously it requires staffing up, it requires training and, you know, given that it is a -- I understand the project has been reduced this year to allow that runway to settle, though there's always a fear that you lose some of that expertise and lose some of that workforce given that the project is on...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my first questions are around the Mike Zubko air terminal building and -- sorry, the extension of Inuvik airport, the runway extension, we know that's being funded through the feds, through DND. It's been an amazing project thus far, and I look forward to that continuing.

My question is around the plan for the funding in this capital budget around paving, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister give an update on if, indeed, they do intend on paving the runway in 2026? Thank you.

Thank you, and thank you for that answer. I appreciate it. So that does include then -- because I know we had some issues, obviously where there were the -- the road actually needed to be brought up. We needed some grade in there. There was some issues with -- obviously with flooding and also issues with the snow build-up there. So this now -- this work now that was intended to kind of take care of that, I understand in the initial contract, that was -- it was initially going to be built to that level but then we had to do some cutbacks as we often do in major contracts but now that will now...

225 to 230? Can the Minister confirm -- and again, I'm not sure, and I don't have that in front of me -- what section that is on the Dempster Highway.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act; Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Family Law Act; Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act. And, Mr. Chair, Tabled Document 385-20(1f), 2026-2027 Capital Estimates, Department of Infrastructure, Environment and Climate Change, and Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.