Thank you, Madam Chair. I certainly share the Member’s enthusiasm that’s taking place in the Sahtu and in his riding. It is very nice to see equipment moving, people working and people happy. I think that’s a direct result of the investment there by the companies across the river from Norman Wells that will continue for the foreseeable future.
When you have that type and level of activity in a region, I think it only stands to reason that you see the benefits, not just the jobs and the employment but in the transportation infrastructure. If projections are correct and there is a substantial amount of oil across the river from Norman Wells, the Sahtu region is going to be an economic powerhouse in this territory and we will need to start to look at the importance of all-weather roads again, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, bridges, a bridge across the Bear River. These are key pieces to the puzzle and I think as we move forward we can certainly anticipate much more in the area of transportation infrastructure in the Sahtu, given the level of activity there and the potential of that reason. It’s immense. I certainly look forward to working with the Member.
I have got some preliminary plans to get up to the Sahtu probably in about 2 weeks’ time to visit a well site, and I extended an invitation to the Member and look forward to getting up there and seeing for myself the activity that’s taking place there. I know I’ve seen the trucks moving. I’ve been to Norman Wells a couple of times. But I look forward to actually getting out to a well site and doing that, and if the Member can accompany me, that would be great.
On the Canol Mile 222, I can make the inquiry with the department about old surplus equipment. For the most, I believe, that’s sold at auction, and I’d have to get back to the Member on a response to that question.
The other question was the interest on the Deh Cho Bridge. That is something that, because of the delay in the project, something that we have to obviously pay for. It’s a cost of the delay, and hopefully the bridge will be complete this fall and we’ll have traffic moving across it this fall. Thank you.