Yes. Can we go back to highways, $850,000?

Does the committee agree to go back to the $850,000 on the previous page?

Mr. Krutko.

With regard to the $350,000, $100,000 is for planning improvements to the Bear River ice crossing on the Tulita winter road realignment. Presently, the crossing system is that they go out from Fort Norman across the Mackenzie, then they come in under Bear Rock because of the Bear River, which is a fast-moving river and it does not freeze until possibly December or into the new year. That is the system they use.

Are we going to improve the transportation system by trying to cross a river system which to date has not been crossed by our road system? What is the outcome of that plan? Are you looking at eventually building a bridge across the Bear River?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I will refer that to Minister Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the department is planning to update the information we have on that particular crossing. It is causing us a lot of problems and we are hoping to find a route that would allow for earlier crossing of that particular river. It would also allow for earlier access to the oil and gas activity in the Sahtu. The project itself actually involves some aerial photography and engineering aspects of the whole river mouth area, so that we can come forward with some kind of plan to allow for earlier crossing.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is quite a bit of money to see if you can possibly cross the Bear River on an ice crossing. Ice crossings are usually built in the wintertime, so I am just wondering, if anything, should you not be doing your test during the freeze-up period so you can see if it is even feasible to build an ice crossing at those points? Is there something else we are not being told as to what those dollars are for? That is quite a bit of money for planning, $100,000.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the information we have provided is a collection of geotech hydrologic and environmental data, $70,000; aerial photo work is $90,000; and preparing engineering design reports is another $90,000. Total for this year, 2001-02, is $250,000.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

I would like to ask the Minister, at what point in time was the department going to notify the committee responsible for overseeing the Department of Transportation on these particular matters so we can see how these strategies and dollars are being expended in the business planning process? We are going to be getting into that process in September and October, so I would like to know why this was not put off until the business planning process, so that committees could have a chance to look at this to see how exactly all of these expenditures fit into the overall department? When you start pulling money out through a supplementary to the tune of $850,000 which has not been previously authorized, so that you can do these special projects and use the Non-Renewable Resource Strategy as the means of getting it through a supplementary -- why was it not put through the business planning process?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, these were not put into the business planning process for the same reason I mentioned before. Development is happening very quickly up the Mackenzie Valley. We want to be ready to respond to it. We want to spend the money where it is needed. When we prepare business plans for the current year, and that goes back a year ago, we did not know whether or not the development was really going to happen. We did not have the agreement with the Minister of DIAND for $3 million plus for bridges and so on. All of that came after.

To put it off and not do it this summer would mean having to put it off for another year. I think we do not want to slow down the opportunity for people to benefit from the development that is happening. We feel it is a worthwhile expenditure and, unfortunately, it does not fit within the budgeting cycle, but I think it is worth it to do it now. Let us get the benefit from the development. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, if I may add to that. We as a department experienced some problems with the federal authorities in receiving permits for our accelerated bridge program, and that resulted in some work this year being put off and hoping that it will take place next year. It is because we did not have these studies completed that we did not have the information available to them. Federal Fisheries are requiring more and more information now on these stream crossings and the river crossings, so therefore we are preparing ourselves for our applications. In order for us to qualify for federal funding, we have to have our programs and studies in place so that we can have the projects going forward as planned and therefore qualify for funding from the federal government. We do have a timeline to meet in order to complete these projects for the federal government.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. The chair recognizes the clock as being 6:00 p.m. I will rise and report progress.

The House will come back to order. Item 20, report of committee of the whole. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2001-2002, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the committee of the whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Do we have a seconder for the motion? The Chair recognizes the honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried. Item 21, third reading of bills. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.