Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to highlight one aspect in general and that is the sustainability, the reliability and the sustainability of the winter road connection into the diamond mine country, Mr. Chair. This winter we've, I think, kind of all held our breath a bit because of the extremely warm weather, the high water, the high levels of snowfall which have severely delayed the opening of this road to full roads. I understand it's open to at least partial loads now and everyone is hopeful that this cold weather that we're receiving now will stay with us, I think, and strengthen the roads and enable what I understand is a record volume of traffic to make it up the road in time.
Mr. Chairman, I recall discussions about this vital winter transportation a few years ago in the Assembly, and with, I think, the same kind of strategy, if you will, that we're seeing winter road bridge construction up the Mackenzie Valley. It was known that the portages, of course, and the stream crossings are the last to freeze and the first to thaw and, therefore, the weakest link in the road. A similar condition, of course, exists on the diamond resupply road off the Ingraham Trail. I'm wondering if the department has been spurred somewhat by this year's warmer weather, whether there's been any sort of revival of the ideas expressed a few years ago where would it
make sense for the sustainability, the reliability, and the length of season for the diamond winter road to put some bridges in the stream crossings at least in the southern part of that road so that we're going to be able to ensure the winter resupply? So that's what I wanted to asked about, Madam Chair. With the advent of this trend, warmer winters, are we going to need to make more of an investment, or try to see more of an investment into the winter resupply road to the diamond mines?