Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, the Deh Cho Bridge has been on the books not only of this Legislature, but on the minds of our Northerners for many, many years. I think it's about 50 years, even, Mr. Speaker. However, I'm proud to be the Minister that is looking after this now and it's something that our government has really considered a priority and we'd like to move forward with it. The Member is asking for more involvement. Certainly, we've briefed committee before and I can commit to brief committee for further details soon, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we did receive a briefing about a month ago. However, Mr. Speaker, we don't know what the total cost of the project is going to be; we don't know what the tolls are going to be; the public hasn't been involved at all. I believe we, as a government, at the very least we should go back to the stakeholders in the North Slave region where costs of goods are going to increase if the tolls on those trucks crossing that bridge are going to be in excess of $6. I'd like to know what the impact is going to be on residents in my constituency and the rest of the residents here in Yellowknife in the North Slave region. Has the Minister got that level of detail on what the increased costs will be to residents here in the North Slave? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Some of the discussions that are ongoing with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation are exactly that, are doing the financing modelling and certainly the toll is between $4 and $6 per ton. Just as an example, Mr. Speaker, $6 per ton, that's like $250 per truckload and that's the figure that's currently being used in our financial modelling right now, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would hazard to guess that tolls will be in excess of $6. I mean it doesn't take a mathematician to figure that out. With the project in excess of $130 million, the tolls are obviously going to have to be over $6. It was obvious from yesterday's discussion that the government isn't going to wait for the federal government to come in with capital dollars to put into this project. It is obvious. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation, has the government drawn a line in the sand where it can say too much is too much? Be that either on tolls or on construction costs, on costs to the government over the 35 year period. Is there a line that has been drawn? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am not too sure what the Member implies by drawing a line in the sand. If there is a line to be drawn, Mr. Speaker, we cannot wait any further for a project of this significance. However the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation is doing their negotiating on this. Our government is really involved as a P3 project. Previously, DIAND has committed up to $3 million in equity to get the project off the ground. They continue to stand by that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I am hearing the Minister say today is it doesn't matter what the project costs. If it costs 150 or 160 million, it doesn't matter what the toll will end up being at the end of the day; $6, $7, or $8, that doesn't matter. What matters the most to the government is that the bridge gets built. I think that is foolhardy, Mr. Speaker. I think the government has to come up with the real numbers and provide the House with the details on this project. No agreement should be signed off until Members of this House have a chance to look at it and question what the tolls are going to be and what the cost to the government is going to be over 35 years. Without doing that, we are failing the residents here, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, when can we get a briefing with the Minister and perhaps the Premier on this project? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The tolls are laid out in the Deh Cho Bridge Act. It is $6 right now plus inflationary factors as the years go on. As well, I can commit to having a briefing with the committee any time soon. But as for divulging the information to the public right now, Mr. Speaker, where sensitive negotiations are ongoing, that is something that is just not doable at this time. I can reassure that the real winners of this project are the North and northerners, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are in relation to the Member's statement I made today and my questions are for the Minister of Finance. Can the Minister please explain his department's reasons for restricting fuel resellers from purchasing heating fuel? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the work that we are doing within Finance around fuel tax collectors -- and there are about 30 of them in the Northwest Territories -- comes out of a result of a number of things that have occurred. One, in the tax administration of how we deal with home heating oil versus diesel, or motive diesel as we call it. In the Northwest Territories, there is no distinction between that. When a supplier purchases from a bulk supplier, there is no difference when it comes in the Northwest Territories. In fact, they can purchase home heating oil and motive diesel, but it is put in the same tankage. Our problem in the Northwest Territories is when it comes to reselling that. The changes that we are looking at are as a result of doing some of the work. We are realizing and having to focus on some of our collectors around the sale. We see a lot of purchases of home heating oil which doesn't have any sales tax on it or fuel tax in the Northwest Territories, but motive diesel does have a fuel tax applied to it. We see a lot of purchases of home heating oil, but we are starting to look at it and question the fact is there that much home heating oil being sold or is it being sold as motive diesel. We have to follow up on that. That is what is happening here. We have to follow up on that and do better work on our end, and that includes involving some of the fuel tax collectors. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. That is a nice way of involving our fuel tax collectors. I want to ask the Minister what consultation, if any, took place between the Minister's department and the fuel tax collectors and resellers who are impacted by this decision? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our normal procedures are we have contact with the fuel tax collectors around tax season or regularly as we get input. We have some good tax collectors. The status of our fuel tax collectors is good. We also have areas where we are challenged in and doing further investigation. We normally would contact them initially with written correspondence around any potential changes and inform them through that avenue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given perhaps unforeseen impact that this restriction on purchasing heating oil will have on small businesses and customers, would the Minister agree to rescind his department's earlier direction? I think there must be some other way of addressing this tax issue without taking such a broad sweep approach to it. I would like to ask the Minister, does this inability of fuel resellers to buy home heating oil...Am I going to have to pay as a consumer? Am I going to have to pay the extra 9.1 cents that includes the tax for my home heating fuel if they are not allowed to buy home heating fuel? Thank you.