Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the problems that we have is the whole process that we use to calculate or evaluating needs versus volumes versus priorities and trying to determine a system that is fair to the communities, or fair to the different jurisdictions in the Territories, making sure everybody gets their fair share of dollars for maintaining the 2200 kilometres of highways we have in the Northwest Territories.
Yet, on one hand we will be talking about one highway based on volume traffic. On another highway, we will talk about the calcium project based on, say, 50 vehicles. Are there any plans in the works for the department to come up with a fair system? All communities and regions on all the other highways feel that there is a more workable way of finding a fair system that is out there, say one that is based on numbers? I think numbers is one of many methods we can use. I am wondering if the department is considering the possibility of having a conference or getting together with other interested parties to find a more workable solution.
The reason I say that is because one thing I find, especially hearing from people that have to drive on different highways, that the snow has not been removed or the winter roads are too rough. It is because the decision making is usually left in Yellowknife, in which they have a minimum amount of money to maintain a road, but they do not have any money available to maintain on an as-and-when needed basis. It is always determined by someone else that you cannot maintain a road because there is not enough snow. You cannot get the calcium on the road because you used up your limit.
But somehow, there has to be a system in place where we are able to give the powers to the people that work on these roads day in and day out. The contractors get a lot of flack from the general public because they are wondering why you are not on the road. Why is your grader not grading this spot? Then we have to raise the issues here in the Legislative Assembly.
I am wondering if there is a mechanism in place that the department, along with the people in the field and the contractors, could come up with solutions to these problems we hear a lot of complaints about, especially from the general public? Could we find a more workable solution to deal with those problems? Is the Minister and his department open to considering such an offer to see if there are ways we can find a more fair and open process for maintaining our highway systems? Thank you.