The 1995-96 budget allots a total of $4.6 million for improved airport electrical and lighting systems, mobile maintenance equipment, equipment garages and air terminal buildings.
Most prominent is $3.4 million for new air terminal buildings at Cape Dorset and Rankin Inlet along with terminal renovations and enhancements scheduled at Chesterfield Inlet, Clyde River, Repulse Bay, Sachs Harbour and Sanikiluaq.
One of my primary goals as the Minister of Transportation is to develop more local transportation infrastructure in the communities. Last year, we increased the community access road budget from $300,000 to $650,000. The community transportation facilities contributions policy has been successful in involving communities in the design and construction of local access roads. Work on local road projects proceeded this year in Jean Marie River, Baker Lake, Arviat, Igloolik, Pelly Bay, Taloyoak, Broughton Island, Resolute Bay and Arctic Bay. The 1995-96 budget proposes to increase the community access road program again to $750,000. This will support continued work on the projects under way this year and contribute to the proposals the department has received from Gjoa Haven and Whale Cove.
The community access road program has generated growing community interest. With the participation of more communities, I am confident that the program will achieve the target I set for it of delivering $1 million worth of local roads by 1996-97. I am similarly pleased with the progress made under the community wharfs program in building local marine infrastructure. The breakwaters, wharfs and landings the program delivers involve modest capital expenditures compared to most infrastructure projects, but they achieve marked improvements in the safety and security conditions for local small craft.
The budget allocates $2.3 million to the community wharfs program in 1995-96. The program will continue in the third of a four-year project to build a breakwater and harbour in Pangnirtung. Work will be completed on the new landing areas and wharfs in Pelly Bay, Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove. 1995-96 will begin the first of a three-year project of harbour improvements in Coral Harbour.
In summary, these are the highlights of the Department of Transportation's 1995-96 capital budget. On the whole, I believe the budget presents a balanced program of capital initiatives in highways, airports, community roads and wharfs. As I mentioned at the beginning, it is a reduced budget from 1994-95. Nonetheless, the projects included in the budget represent substantive improvements and further progress in the development of our transportation infrastructure. Thank you.