Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The biggest problem, as I understand it, is with the RCMP being ready to implement. They need to have adequate, or their system upgraded somewhat in order to be able to provide access to the system, and it is through their computer system that this system operates. So until that is done, we are at a bit of a stalemate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for your answer. Mr. Speaker, my last question I believe at this time is will the Minister take any additional steps or actions to ensure the protection of the NWT citizens from convicted sex offenders during the delay of the implementation of this act? Is he willing to take any additional steps? Thank you.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of protection of the public is one that we take very seriously at all times. The RCMP is certainly

aware of the concern and is very careful to monitor convicted sex offenders as they do normally, and as we do through the parole system. So I think that over the last few years there has been a change in the approach and it has gotten more rigorous. I think that while standards have changed, monitoring of the sex offender registry will provide one more tool that we'll be able to have. Until the computers are updated, and there is adequate training and we have the forms in place to deliver, we will have to work on the programs that we have been working on to date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to ask a question to the Minister of Transportation. Things are happening in the Sahtu, and especially in light of some recent news over the last couple of days. The community of Fort Good Hope's bridge was shut down, their bridge is falling down. The people over there are quite concerned with the situation and they have to take some extraordinary steps to ensure that transportation flows freely in Fort Good Hope. There are quite a few concerns from the people. I want to ask the Minister if he would inform the House in terms of the status of the bridge in Fort Good Hope, and what can the people of Fort Good Hope hear from the House today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue with the bridge in Fort Good Hope is something we have been working on for the last couple of days. We have sent engineers into the community to do inspections, and as of today we are still looking at our options. The first one is to create a bypass around the existing bridge, and the other one is to do something more long term. Until we come to a firm decision on that issue, we continue to keep the facility closed. Thanks.

Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the bridge has been closed in Fort Good Hope, it becomes quite difficult for people to travel to and from the airport of the community, and the community has gone to some creative and extraordinary measures to make sure that people come from the airport, get across the bridge hauling freight and mail, and it has caused some expenses by the community to ensure that things are taken care of in Fort Good Hope. I am going to ask the Minister how he is going to deal with the incurred costs to the community. I know that it is a concern for them, and I am not too sure how this government is going to deal with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now our priorities are to ensure that there is still access to the airport, and getting the bridge repaired or a solution to some of the damage that was done to the structure. We do recognize that there are additional costs because of this issue, and we encourage the community to keep track of the costs, and we work with all of the other departments involved to see how we can accommodate some of these additional costs, unforeseen costs, that this bridge has caused. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Minister. The bridge, I understand, without having the information in front of me, is fairly new. Again, I have had enquiries about the bridge and why this has happened. Would he consider that those that are made from this type of model or the type of design that is in other communities, it may have been caused by just the erosion of the banks that are situated in Fort Good Hope? Would the Minister inform or advise us that he would look at other bridges of similar design that maybe have some similar incidences in other communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct. The Jackfish Creek Bridge in Fort Good Hope is fairly new. It was constructed in 1995. A big concern to us is this facility has experienced a number of problems in the last little while. So we do monitor all of our infrastructure. We have regular maintenance, regular inspections. However, we will step up those inspections, especially bridges of this nature. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad it is called the Jackfish Bridge rather than the London Bridge. Mr. Speaker, my last question to the Minister is in terms of the environmental impacts of the erosion of the bridge, and there is some concern about the potential for environmental impacts to the river and to the jackfish. The river is used by the community during the fall and springtime. Can I ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, for a commitment that all precautions will be looked at in terms of the potential for the environmental impacts in terms of the reconstruction or the assessment of the new bridge that may be going in to Fort Good Hope? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We certainly will commit to that. The environmental concerns are always issues that we take very seriously. We also are looking at what environmental issues come about as a result of any bypass or any alternate routes that we build. So as with any other project, we would certainly keep the environmental concerns in the forefront. Thank you.

Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Ramsay.