Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Listening to my colleague Mr. Bromley bring it up before, and in my Member’s statement regarding the news that we had from the Prime Minister today, my questions are asked to the Department of Transportation. What are the chances of seeing if we could get extra funding this year to start from the Tuk side to kilometre 22 on extra funding to bring it up to 90 kilometre standards to get work in the community of Tuk and to bring outside people in the riding from Inuvik, such as Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk, to get jobs in the community? What are the chances of that?

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of things that we would like to continue doing and working on. Source 77 road is, of course, always on our agenda. We also want to do more work on the Environmental Impact Review Board submission. We’ve earmarked some dollars internally to address that and we want to continue those discussions. We also need to start our discussions with the Inuvialuit on some of the gravel sources that we’re going to need, and use of the land, and purchase of the land. There are a lot of things we’d like to do. We want to keep the momentum going on this project. Of course, the final decision will be resting with the 17th Legislative Assembly to decide

whether this all-season road goes ahead or not. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

The federal government gave us $150 million for this project to open up the highway system sea to sea to sea. I think the question that I’m asking is pretty straightforward. Do we have money in the government transportation to see if we could keep the roadwork

able to start this winter for 90 kilometres standards between 177 in Tuk? The review board and that is doing the rest of the highway, but do we have funding in place that we could start?

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, with the project, all of the regulatory processes are in place for 177. With the money starting, I mean, with the 17th Legislative Assembly over a four-year term, I won’t say the numbers, but it’s doable, and I hope to be here to push it through. At the end of the day, from 177 to Tuk, we have no work in the community this winter. All we’re going to have is the ice road. The ice road work that is yearly, $600,000 a year. The government has to try to stimulate the economy up north.

All I’m asking for is if we’re sure of the federal government’s commitment for the $150 million, would the Minister commit monies to go forward this winter to start work in the 177.

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

I hear the Member loud and clear. The reality is there are a number of initiatives that we have to embark on to get the information that is required to help the 17th Assembly make the decision on a going-forward basis. We want to ensure that they have the best information in front of them as possible. If I was to commit to finishing some of the work on source 177, then in all probability we wouldn’t have the money to do the environmental impact report, which is close to a million dollars.

I can commit to the Member that we’ll look very closely. The money that’s required will have to come from internal sources, and at this point we don’t know if it will be available for contingent work in that area.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Moving on to the meeting with the federal government, will the mayors of Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik be invited, and the parties that are involved with this project be invited to the meeting?

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, we have been pushing for a meeting since the announcement of these dollars was made, and up to now it’s been challenging to get all the schedules to coordinate. We’ve indicated we would like to have the mayors from Tuk and from Inuvik join us, and we again today reinforced that we still would like to have a meeting, and we’re hoping to have positive feedback on that.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister further questions on the issue I just spoke about. Mr. Speaker, I live on the Mackenzie River. A lot of my people also live on the river and live in areas where water is their source of life. The Auditor General report from 2010 states that water quality monitoring in the North is not adequate. The federal government signed a Water Stewardship Strategy with the GNWT that talks about improving the water quality monitoring in the Northwest Territories. In closing, Mr. Speaker, the federal government signed a land claim agreement within the Northwest Territories that includes provisions related to substantially unaltered water quality.

I want to ask the Minister, in light of what the federal government has done today to suspend water quality monitoring stations on the Mackenzie, what is this government going to do to see if this agreement here that the feds have signed and we have also signed, that we know that our water isn’t altered in any way of the quality that we are receiving. Who’s looking out for the water?

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Who’s looking out for the water, Mr. Speaker? We are. We, this Legislative Assembly, we, the working group, the Aboriginal Steering Committee that drafted and brought together the Water Strategy. I have on my

desk a draft letter, that I have to get signed off before I leave tomorrow, to the Ministers, expressing our strong concern about what has happened and the cutback to those resources and cutbacks that are happening in general, and their inability to come to the table to participate fully through Indian Affairs with the water transboundary agreements. We have some significant issues that we’re going to have to deal with the federal government and we are taking the steps necessary to do that.