Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the community of Tuktoyaktuk we have recently embarked on a very important project: the construction of the access road to Tuktoyaktuk Gravel Source 177. This 22-kilometre road, this three-year project, evolves through a local contractor and now employs 80 people, 53 are Inuvialuit. This project will continue to be strong and economic generating in the community, especially during these difficult times. This road will not only provide access to the badly needed gravel source for other construction projects, and will open up additional land for possible future development.
This access road to 177 is a truly monumental project. Opportunities such as this may not come along for quite some time. This Government of the Northwest Territories and the Aurora College and the community need to take advantage of this and coordinate as many training opportunities as possible, such as Class 1 operators, heavy equipment operators, land monitors, and surveyors.
The training costs are high, but when training is coordinated in conjunction with a project such as this it spreads the cost. It’s a win-win for everyone. Badly needed training is provided to companies that need additional staff to work with.
The speed of this project and, once again, the momentum was truly remarkable, coordinated between organizations such as the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Tuk Community Corp, and the hamlet. The people that really pushed it through is the Government of the Northwest Territories. And the environmental, and the federal government, and the environmental screening must all be commended, especially all my colleagues and all the support in this House, again, thank you very much.
Lastly, the government needs to continue the momentum through the various industry partners of all levels of government to acquire the funding to complete the plan to the road from Inuvik to Tuk. Only with the completion of this highway can the federal government and the territorial government say that it’s truly linked us coast to coast to coast. This infrastructure is needed for the Mackenzie
Valley Pipeline. The economic returns to the Territory will pay back tenfold.