Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Once again I’m here to talk about the holdup of scheduled projects in Nahendeh. Last spring I spoke in the House about the delay of completion of renovations to homes in Nahanni Butte. Today I wish to speak about the delay of improvements to the Nahanni Butte winter road access.
The work was to be completed this summer; however, due to scheduling, the government waited until September to begin, which was particularly rainy and prevented any progress on the project. During a recent constituency visit to the community, residents told me the weather in the months of July and August were excellent, yet they waited until September to begin the work.
Timing on government projects do not make sense to them or to me. The government publicizes government projects to demonstrate what it’s doing for NWT residents, however, there are often problems with the follow-through. It must cause troubles for the Minister in terms of revisions to budgets and rescheduling that may, in turn, affect other projects.
My concern is for the communities. The delay of improvements on the Nahanni Butte access road is an inconvenience to those driving to Nahanni Butte this winter and may jeopardize their safety. However, this construction year for the road is done, with the onset of winter. Today I would urge the Minister of Transportation to advise his officials to ensure that the Nahanni Butte access road is completed early in the 2010 construction season.