Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for the opportunity for allowing me to ask a couple of additional questions here to get the message out. As you can understand there, Mr. Speaker, the departure of Imperial has drastically impacted our community well-being and economy.
My question is to the strategic infrastructure Minister. Can the Minister share some of the progress that is underway for the bridge replacements, specifically to the Oscar Creek Bridge relocation and the Smith Creek. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, happy to speak to these. Folks may have seen there is now a live RFP out, a procurement event out for Smith Creek. It's specifically for the design element of that bridge, not necessarily for construction. I would anticipate this may well find itself going through a different path in terms of the procurement for construction. But the RFP is out to get this bridge designed, get that moving. It is long known to be the gateway to the MVH and needs to be replaced; we know that, Let's get that done. Meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, on Oscar Creek Bridge, happy to say as well that there's, again procurement processes already in progress, and looking forward hopefully to a decision on that fairly soon so that those two projects, which are just outside of the current EIA, are able to advance as quickly as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that update. Certainly, that's welcoming news there to the unemployed, or to be unemployed.
My last question there, Mr. Speaker, is on the Mackenzie Valley Highway progress and procurement. Can the Minister of strategic infrastructure share some of the timelines on that project. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the timelines continue to change, but they continue to change because we continue to find ways to shave some time off and to condense some of these timelines. We're feeling that pressure, not only from the residents throughout the Northwest Territories, but, really, some expectation on the part of what we're expected to be delivering from a national projects type of event. So we are with that, Mr. Speaker, aiming to be out in a procurement event next year. So that will require us now to be making some decisions about what kind of procurement this will be. We have that information now. We've just recently done an evaluation of what it might look like to procure a major project like this. We have that in hand. We can make those decisions. And as I say, this -- our target now is to have this in a procurement state ready for next calendar year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that fourth opportunity. I will take the advantage of saying it's three.
My question to the strategic infrastructure Minister is, is there scheduling for this anticipation coming that we can expect and share with our chamber members and business community in the Sahtu? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. The team was with the Member for the Sahtu in the region only a couple of weeks ago, but it has certainly been my experience that talking about this more and getting more information out is important. It's been talked about a long time, and so to be putting more concrete timelines on it is something new that people will, frankly, not be familiar with. So I am more than happy to make sure that -- to circulate this to all Members. We really do need all of the Indigenous governments on whose lands this is going to traverse, the community governments, hopefully to all be pulling in the same direction so that when the time comes, in my mind when we get referred in and find ourselves as a major project, that we can all stand up and say that we're ready. So I will circulate this to all Members, Mr. Speaker, put it out on social media so that there's clarity on all timelines that were coming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Oral questions. Member from the Yellowknife Centre.
