Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to bring what happened in my riding to the attention of all MLAs. Mr. Speaker, I am not happy with the way funds are being moved around for capital projects. The way it works now, Municipal and Community Affairs funds projects, the Department of Public Works tenders them, then DPW or Transportation decides what happens to the projects.
In the case of the Bay Island Bridge for Rae-Edzo, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Transportation met with community leaders behind closed doors. It was not a public meeting and the public was never consulted.
I want to make sure that does not happen again to any other community. The Bay Island Bridge project went ahead as a one-lane bridge, a done deal. All that was needed was another $45,000 to $55,000 to make it a two-lane bridge. The department asked the community to dish out the extra funding to make it a two-lane bridge.
When the Ingraham Trail Bridge was built at Yellowknife River, did they ask Ingraham Trail residents to kick in part of the money for their bridge? I do not think so, Mr. Speaker. I question why Municipal and Community Affairs did not dish out the extra funding for this project and why the option for a two-lane bridge for Rae-Edzo was not seriously looked at by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Transportation.
My concern for my constituents' safety was never considered. As a result, the people of Rae have been left to deal with a higher chance of accidents and congestion at both ends of the bridge. This is unacceptable, Mr. Speaker.
The plan to stick us with a one-lane bridge was short-sighted by the departments. I believe some funding could have been moved around to accommodate a two-lane bridge. However, the project went ahead as a one-lane bridge.
What Rae-Edzo has now is a couple of steel girders shoved across the river, leaving the problems of traffic flow up to the community. In the future, our government departments should notify the public as well as leaders for any capital projects that will affect the community.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions on this for the Minister. Thank you.