So am I incorrect, then, in the information I have, where I thought we were in fact in the throes of negotiating a 10-year, half a billion dollar agreement, where we would throw $25 million in and the feds would match it to develop this infrastructure. Has something gone by the wayside or is it just that I have been given incorrect information?

Thank you. Mr. Allooloo.

That was an offer made by our government to start negotiating. The actual negotiations have not commenced.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman, one of the things that I have a concern with is with regard to the heavy vehicles that are on the roads. I will talk about the patrols later. Mr. Chairman, one of the things that I find is that the government is spending millions and millions of dollars improving the roads, which I appreciate and which I am sure people travelling on the roads appreciate, but unlike most provinces, I guess we do not really restrict heavy vehicles from travelling on the highways on certain days of the week. In BC the big trucks are not allowed to travel on certain days on highways, to allow lighter traffic to travel. In the North, it is quite different because of the gravel situation. I am hoping that maybe the government might look at the possibility of allowing maybe one day in a week on which we would restrict heavy vehicles from travelling, to allow the general public to be able to travel on those roads without doing too much damage to windshields and that. I am just wondering whether or not this has ever been discussed, and whether it is possible to maybe look at doing that. Mr. Chairman, I am one person that does use the road quite a bit, and there are big tankers and semi trucks that travel the road quite steadily.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As far as regulating trucks travelling on our roads, we have the same rule as other provinces regarding weight. We have weigh scale stations to monitor these heavy trucks. As far as the Member's concern for heavy trucks -- that we should have some sort of regulation where there be a day when there would be no heavy trucks -- my department is not aware that this happens in other provinces. It is something we could look at, but I am told this might not be advisable. We have inter-provincial agreements with other provinces regarding safety, and regulating big trucks coming into the NWT. Those agreements are applied throughout Canada. Thank you.

General comments. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, last year the community of Fort Providence did the right-of-way clearing for sections of the highway between Yellowknife and Providence, and another one between Providence and Enterprise, and the job was well done. One of the things that I ran into last year, Mr. Minister, was that the community of Fort Providence negotiated a contract to do the clearing between the Fort Simpson junction and on toward Yellowknife. They decided to use a contractor from out of the community, Fort Liard to be specific, but it eventually went back to the community and a local contractor was used. I have a letter from the contractor.

I do not know if there are going to be further negotiations with regard to clearing the right of way, but the community is still interested in doing that. In order not to get into controversy, one of the conditions for negotiations should be, "Okay, we agree that we will give you the negotiated contract to do the right-of-way clearing, but also that you use the local contractors, as opposed to using outside contractors."

I got into quite a bit of hot water over this from the contractor. It eventually went back to the local contractor, but it started out that they were going to use an outside contractor. The contractor wrote to me just to prove a point that it is a lot better to use local contractors and give consideration to lowering the cost per hectare, and if it was negotiated with the local band you would save a lot of money by doing that. I would hope that if you are going to do the same thing with the arrangement, it would be the same thing, that you express that in order to alleviate controversy -- if the band is going to get it then they use a local contractor.

Mr. Chairman, the other thing is with regard to Mr. Wray's report on the Transportation Strategy. Is the whole intent of this for the economic benefits, as well as the employment benefits, mobility benefits, safety benefits, increasing tourism --is it still your department's target to complete the section between Fort Providence and Fort Rae; complete the reconstruction and pavement by 1997?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to contracts and the clearing of right of ways, it was on our insistence that contractors use local people to do the work that this was able to be done. We will continue to insist that local people, local involvement, be used to clear the right of ways.

As for the second question, yes, it is our target to meet 1997 as the target date for finishing the highway, but that will largely depend on the funds that are available to us. It is still our target. Thank you.

Thank you. General comments. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the response that the Minister has given. Several years ago, when Eliza Lawrence was still the MLA, she pushed quite strongly for a bridge across Little Buffalo River and she did succeed in

getting it. The bridge was built in 1986 at a cost of between $900,000 and one million dollars and was officially opened. Eliza was very proud of that and she thanked the Minister, Mr. Wray, at that time.

One of the concerns that was expressed by Mr. Antoine was to see -- I know there is a delay in the bridge being constructed on Willowlake River. I realize that under this Transportation Strategy there is a high priority being put on the reconstruction of the roads between Enterprise and Yellowknife. I appreciate that a high priority has been given to that, but at the same time I would hope that where there is a need to do improvements the government would be open to delegating some of the construction dollars that go toward Highway No. 3, specifically, so that we might be able to help out other areas. I drive the road and I am satisfied that it is the best, for the present situation, and we could still live with it if you decide to move your target date to the year 2000. I am just suggesting that there are other areas where the conditions are worse and it would not hurt -- if there was a reduction in the construction of the roads between here and Providence, for example. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the Member for his advice, his very good advice, and I will take his concerns and his advice very seriously. Thank you.

General comments. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Prior to the development of this capital estimate, I had not received the letters he indicated. After receiving this letter I have asked my officials to look into the Member's concern. The reason it is not in the current detail of capital is because it was too late to submit it. The dock in Coral Harbour -- we would like to upgrade it beginning in 1994-95, completing it close to 1997. It will be completed in 1995-96 to 1996-97. We are aware of Coral Harbour's situation regarding the canoes that he indicated and regarding the sealift. I can tell the Member for Aivilik that we will look into this further, and we will consider it as urgent. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Minister's comments and information. In light of what I have said regarding the requirement for a wharf, I would like to make a motion, Mr. Chairman.

Motion For Action Plan To Construct Wharf In Coral Harbour, Carried

I move that this committee request the Department of Transportation to initiate a discussion with the community of Coral Harbour, to assist the community initiative for the development of a community action plan for the construction of a wharf in Coral Harbour. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The motion is in order. We will take a 10 minute break, and come back and deal with the motion.

---SHORT RECESS

I will call the committee back to order. When we left, Mr. Arvaluk had just introduced a motion. Members will recall I ruled the motion in order. To the motion. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a very short statement to the motion. In light of the work plan that has already been done by the Coral Harbour residents, and the financial restraint of the Government of the Northwest Territories, we are simply asking the government to work with the community to give an action plan for the construction of the wharf.

I have had a few telephone calls with the Farmers' Association in Saskatchewan, and I have had a meeting with them a year and a half ago. There is also the threat, by the federal government, to shut down the railway to Churchill. If we were to start exporting some of that limestone then we could participate in keeping that railway open. There are so many reasons to talk about in this task, Mr. Chairman, that I seek the support in that motion. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion.