Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Vician.
Debates of Feb. 27th, 2001
This is page numbers 1265 - 1329 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Vician
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The program for community access roads is targeted to access what is considered recreational or other types of renewable resource harvesting areas, as described in the description in the main estimates. Typically, the program provides access to a recreational area that the community has used over the years, or to some resource that is of interest.
It could include some traditional activity or access to a firewood area. We have seen a variety, and if we went through each of the individual projects, each one was different in its purpose. It is everything but access for the purpose of connection to the highway system in terms of its policy. Thank you.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
I would like to ask if a community such as the Hay River Reserve that have been trying to secure dollars to improve their road would qualify for this program.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, the Hay River Reserve road has been called an access road because it accesses the reserve. It is not the same definition of an access road as we have here. It is an access into the community. The amount of funding the department already spends on this road is more than the $50,000 that the Member would be getting under this program. It is a totally different definition of an access road.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
The program does not apply to access roads, only to firewood lots and recreations, not to fund dollars that are earmarked for access roads, or to consider the 13 access roads we have in the Territories?
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
The Chair Paul Delorey
Mr. Steen, would you like to elaborate on your definition of access roads? Mr. Steen.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1300
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the explanations given to me by the department in regard to the difference in access roads, if I may use an example, we have the Hay River access road. We have an access road into Nahanni Butte. We have an access road into Jeanne Marie River. Those are access roads that eventually become and are part of the highway system. They are not recreational access roads as under this program.
I believe the deputy did give the definition of where these program dollars apply and how you can qualify for them. It is not to build an access road from point A to point B and then eventually become an all-weather road. That is the difference.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
Thank you. Mr. Chairman, am I to understand the Minister, in his response, that there are two types of access roads then? In the case of Jeanne Marie and Nahanni where they are working on a road, a link to the highway system is one thing. The reserve in Kakisa where they are already linked and referred to as access roads are under a different category, or a different standard? If the dollars are going into Nahanni Butte and Jeanne Marie and they are working on developing and improving roads, what is the difference? Why is there a difference, where one can access dollars in this program and the other cannot, yet the end result is the same?
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, perhaps a simple way of explaining it is the access roads that I mentioned, like the access road into the reserve. The access road into Jeanne Marie and Nahanni Butte are included under the highway budget. It is included in the section dealing with highways. This particular program applies to different types of roads than the ones I just finished mentioning.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Leon Lafferty North Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The access road funding, I see roads and trails here. I am just wondering if it is the Ingraham Trail or something. If there was a campground at the end of the road, would funds be put in to upgrade the road that goes to...let us say there is an airport and then a campground passed that. Could access road funds be put towards upgrading the airport road? Thank you.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, could I direct the question to my deputy?
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Vician
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The current program requires the submission of a proposal by a community. The community proposal is then considered against the criteria it has for the road and the project overall. Based on that, subject to funding, availability is approved or not approved, depending on the circumstances. In a hypothetical sense, if a community wanted to make an application on some parameter, they could do so and the department would consider that. This program is set up for that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Leon Lafferty North Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What I gather here is that we can put roads to wood lots. If there was a wood lot at Wha Ti, can I use this money to build a road to Wha Ti so we can pick up wood?
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, as the deputy indicated, the community makes a proposal and we consider it.
Committee Motion 39-14(3): To Revise The Highway Strategy To Incorporate Cost-effective Inter-community Travel (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1301
The Chair Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Steen. Page 10-27, community access roads, budget summary, operations expense, total operations expense, $587,000.