Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the department has had a long history of community involvement with Jean Marie on this project. We have met with the Member from that area and explained what happened in the past with this project. The project will still proceed. Our department has no intention not to meet the community's needs to have a fair weather road out of that community. As a matter of fact, Mr. Chairman, each year for the last several years there has been work on this, but at the community's speed. What the community felt they could do, they have done and we have met those commitments. We are still going to work with the community. We have explained this to the Member so that he can alleviate any fears that the community might have that this is not going to go ahead. We are working very closely with the community to ensure that every dollar that the community is entitled to spend on that road, is earned by this community. We have no intention to build this road without community involvement. That is why it looks like it is not being spent because the community itself, Mr. Chairman, has not spent the money. We could go and build the road if we put the money aside by having an outside contractor go in and do it. This is not what the community wants, it is not what the department wants and it is not what the government wants. What we are doing is trying to accommodate the community to work at the speed at which they want to. After our meeting with the Member, we were satisfied that we are on the right track and that the money is not being hidden away to be spent somewhere else on other projects. It is just that we do not want to lose the money or let it sit there and lapse. We can accommodate the community's work plan into this amount of money, Mr. Chairman, and would like to continue on this way. I want to assure the Members that we have every intention of working with this community very closely to get their road, so that they can get their road at the speed in which they want to do it.
Tony Whitford on Committee Motion 14-12(3): To Adopt Recommendation No. 18
In the Legislative Assembly on November 25th, 1992. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 14-12(3): To Adopt Recommendation No. 18
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
November 24th, 1992
Page 129
See context to find out what was said next.