Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a few specific issues on transportation and I have one comment on the Deh Cho Bridge.

I want to go straight into the Sahtu concerns with the proposed funding here that we are looking at. The first one has to do with the O and M on the Bear River ice crossing at Deline. I received an e-

mail from the regional office in Fort Simpson and the ice crossing at Great Bear Lake is at 30,000 kilograms. Hopefully by the end of this day and further days to come, the weight category will go up to 45,000 kilograms within days.

My question to the Minister is that people in Deline also need to support themselves, the heavy equipment and construction companies that are there, and they certainly can’t put their heavy equipment to work because the weight limits are not safe and it’s not advisable for them to cross on the Great Bear Lake. I’m asking the Minister if there are any further types of machinery with your O and M that could be brought to Deline to increase their weight limits so that these heavy equipment machines can be used to work in the Tulita district, the oil and gas exploration. They are losing a lot of money in Deline.

The ice crossing at Great Bear Lake is a concern for the people, for the businesspeople there. They also looked at in the plans for future roads. They are looking at a route that would go around the lake so that would cut out a lot of concerns for the people. That is something that I want to raise with the Minister.

The other issue I want to raise with the Minister is a portable licence machine. Some of the communities such as Colville Lake do not have that type of service. They have to drive to Norman Wells in the wintertime, and that is about a six-hour drive, or in the summer they have to fly the machine, when available, to Colville Lake. People would like to see this portable machine being brought to the communities on specific times in the regulations as they require them to receive that service.

I was in Fort Good Hope in September and people were coming up to me and saying we need to get our licence updated or we need to get our vehicles registered, and there were some problems about having somebody come in from Norman Wells into Fort Good Hope. They couldn’t wait, so some of them actually had to fly to Norman Wells, get the licence, make an appointment, stay overnight and fly back. It cost them $300 or $400 to get their vehicle registered. I know the department made several attempts to try to get the people into Fort Good Hope. It just didn’t work. I want to see what the Minister can do to strengthen this service in our communities and see if within the department they could make that service more, how do you say, the community said the contract to do this is not very high and it costs them more, it costs them more to operate it, so more beneficial, I guess, to the organization that’s running the road licence program. That’s something that I want to add on to my concerns.

The third one is I want to ask the Minister if he would look at the operations of Transportation. I’ve raised it over a number of years that the Sahtu now

should be considered as a regional office. The winter roads and the highways come from the Fort Simpson regional office. The airports come from the Inuvik regional office. We have outside people dictating or have the authority within the region. I think we have done enough and I think it’s time that the Sahtu has its own regional office. I’m hoping that the Minister can look at this request to see if the Sahtu can begin to have more autonomy, moving away from the Simpson and Inuvik offices and have something in the Sahtu. Sahtu people have been telling me that they always have to wait for Inuvik or Fort Simpson to give the approval for something that’s happening right there, and it just doesn’t make sense anymore. That’s a strong request I have for the Minister and I will be following it up as we go on with the life of this government here.

My last matter for the Sahtu would be if the department can look at moving some of the personnel. The Minister and I had some private discussions on this and I’m not going to get too far into the details about moving some personnel people into the Sahtu. That makes sense where it can be more efficient, more effective. We have computers, we have a fax system and we have people on the ground that would start looking at our projects in the Sahtu. We are grateful for what we receive under Transportation. I want to ask if we could look at some type of initiative to transfer some of the personnel from headquarters into the Sahtu where it would make more sense to us. It may not make sense to the department, but it makes more sense in the Sahtu.

My last comment would be with the Deh Cho Bridge. I would like the Minister to, in the time that we have, look at some of the explanation of the interest payments that we are setting up and having with the Deh Cho Bridge project there. Those would be my comments.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In regard to the issue of ice roads, at the risk of possibly stating the obvious, there is no money in this interim appropriation for ice roads. The ice road money will come in through the regular main estimates in May/June and it will be targeted for the winter of 2012-13.

In regard to the specific questions about licensing, the DOT operation in the Sahtu becoming a regional centre, the possible move of personnel from Transportation to the Sahtu and possibly the Deh Cho Bridge, I will ask the chair for your indulgence to let the Minister of Transportation answer those. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. Yakeleya on his concerns.

Starting at the beginning, I think what we are seeing in the Sahtu – and I know the Member is aware of this – is when there is resource activity and development in that region, some of the benefits come in improved infrastructure. We saw the capital involvement of industry there and what it has done for an ice road in the Sahtu. We need to be looking at opportunities to work with industry to get more of that happening in the Sahtu. Given the activity that is happening in the Sahtu, not just this year but next year, I think there is a lot of likelihood that improved transportation infrastructure is going to be a very large concern as we go forward.

On the portable ice machine or icing machine, I think again industry may play a role in partnering with us on the availability of that technology and in getting that there. I agree with what the Member was saying about equipment located in a community like Deline not being able to get to the work. That is an issue that goes back to the possibility of even constructing some type of all-weather road from the community of Deline to Bennett Field. That is something, too, I know that is of interest to the community of Deline and something that as we move forward again, given all the activity there, that this could be possible down the road.

The Member also talked about Fort Good Hope and people having some difficulty getting registration and licensing. Maybe I can ask the Member to give me the specifics on that case, and I would be more than happy to get him a response on that and how we can improve service delivery in the communities.

The other question was looking at moving regional operations into the Sahtu. I know we are going to be going through the business planning process here in short order. That is an issue that can be brought up by the Member and the Regular Members as we move through the business planning process. Again, I think we have to look at opportunities to ensure that we are delivering efficient service and program delivery around the territory. That is something that we could potentially look at as we move forward. Again, I think we can examine that further.

As far as moving some personnel into the Sahtu, again I think we would have to see which positions they were. Obviously, that would be of great importance. Again, going through the business planning process we will get to see a little bit more of how things work. The Members will be able to have a good dialogue with myself and the other Ministers. We look forward to those discussions on possible areas where we can enhance the programs and services that we provide out in the

regions. I look forward to the opportunity to work with the Member in doing that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Next on my list I have Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two points I would like to raise with the Department of Transportation. The first one involves an activity of your department that includes destruction of migratory birds and their habitat, which is illegal against the International Migratory Bird Treaty that Canada has signed with the United States. I think that is well known by the department. The Environment Canada I believe has tried working with standards for provinces and territories on when they should do right-of-way clearing to avoid the destruction of migratory birds and their habitat. It is a seasonal habitat so it is not so much they can’t do that as much as when they do it.

I have constituents who volunteer their expertise as part of a North American-wide network of breeding birds surveys that have documented the decline, the amazing decline of songbirds in Canada and boreal forest birds included. They do these in the same areas and the same dates year to year to year. Unfortunately, when they were doing last year along the Ingraham Trail, Highway No. 4, they did the surveys, and on their return they watched the very habitat they just surveyed and documented, actual nests and birds being destroyed, mowed and mulched. That was raised with the department. The department said yes, that is a legitimate concern. They would try and do a better job of that.

I see in the proposed budget for this year the Department of Transportation has dollars identified for contract for that work again. This is an interim budget to cover April, May and June, which just happens to be the peak of the migratory birds’ breeding season in this area. I am aware of no cost to delay that work until August or September. I would ask the department is there a plan to delay that work. I know some contracts are listed in this quarter-year’s budget because they will go further on in the year, but this contract should not be let during the peak of the breeding season. It is illegal. I would ask that I get some assurance that that will not be done.

The second aspect, I had a meeting last night with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Council and with respect of the Detah road, they are not aware of the current status of funding on that project. I realize it is a capital item, but my understanding is that we are looking for support for that project. In the meantime there is probably a considerable amount of work that could be done under operations, such as clearing and so on, working with the Mine Training Society and so on. Can I expect that has been done in the past two or three years? Can I expect that this budget will include

some support for that type of work during first quarter of 2012-13? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To the first point the Member brings up with migratory birds. I will talk to the officials with the department and find out the game plan going forward on when that contract may be let and if it can be put off to later in the year, I would appreciate the Member’s concerns and I’ll raise those with the department.

On the second question that was related to the access road and any further work that was going to take place there, I believe there is some more work that is going to be required. It’s, I believe, about $7.5 million and we’ll have to try to get this funding through the capital planning process to complete the project as we move forward. We can look forward to that. Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister’s response. On the migratory bird side of things, I think the hope of Environment Canada is that they would continue with an operating standards approach rather than having to permit things, but apparently there have been enough problems with jurisdictions that they are now contemplating a requirement for permits and so on, so they can have a more hands-on management of that. So I think there is an opportunity here to adhere to this and avoid that sort of more onerous situation.

With the Detah road, I realize it’s a capital project and I was really wondering if there was something that could be done under operations such as the clearing of rights-of-way and working with the Mine Training Society. I think we’ve done that sort of thing the last few years associated with the project, but I just wanted to ask if this budget might contemplate the possibility of following up on that opportunity.

Again, we’ve had to identify some funding to allow that type of activity to be carried out. It’s not saying that it couldn’t happen. Maybe working with the Yellowknives Dene, Deton’Cho, there could be a possibility over the next season to do something. I don’t want to say no. I think if we can identify some dollars, we may be able to do a little more work out there, but... I’ll just leave it at that, Madam Chair. Thanks.

That right-of-way clearing would be after the breeding season for migratory birds, of course. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to follow up on Highway No. 7 here. I know the Minister had indicated in his last response

to me that he would look at expending monies early, but I think I’m looking for a firm commitment that the department be serious about Highway No. 7 and spend the money early in the new year.

I’ll probably take the opportunity to comment on the $1.3 million of capital carry-overs and also I’d like the Minister to confirm that those projects will go ahead early in the new year. Like I said, I’m not happy with commitments anymore. I want this in writing. The Minister has to tell his department to get that work done early. I’ve got to see it done early. My people have to see it done early. That’s the only way we build trust and start believing in the government again. Actions go further than words. That’s the kind of thing I would like to see. That’s what I’d like to hear from the Minister. That’s what I’d like to hear from this government when it comes to Highway No. 7 this year, this spring, because the road collapses every May, it’s only around the corner that they will get out there early with their men and equipment and with the capital dollars that we continue to approve. It’s got to be spent early; the equipment has to be out there. We shouldn’t be waiting until August/September again to be working on those roads. Those roads get shut down for weeks at a time in the springtime.

That’s what I’m saying here today. I’ll continue to recommend to my colleagues that we not pass this interim appropriation until I get satisfaction and the satisfaction to this House that you pay attention to Highway No. 7. It’s equally important as the Inuvik-Tuk road. I know that ended up on our list of priorities, but that doesn’t mean we stop working on other areas and other highways in our great territory here. I’d like to look for that commitment and ask the Minister to commit to me in writing that our forces will be out there this spring in preparation of the spring thaw, in preparation of Highway No. 7 collapsing and to make sure that we begin early.

As well, part of our federal engagement strategy is to talk about the Inuvik-Tuk highway, but you’ve got to talk about Highway No. 7 as well. You’ve got to talk about our other infrastructure needs in the North and that’s the kind of level of interest that I want to see from this government and from the Minister of Transportation as we move forward in this fiscal year. I know we’ve been red flagged for any future capital projects, but in reality, even if we didn’t get any money at the end of this March, we won’t be talking about capital expenditures until June/July by the time we get it all sorted out. The tension is today and it’s not tomorrow. That’s what I want the department to consider, the Minister to consider and our government to consider. We cannot wait until next year to be spending money. We’ve got to come up with some kind of plan, some kind of action plan that’s firm and solid, that gives us a base and a base on that highway as well.

I realize the implications. I know they’ve done an engineering study that I have yet to see, that’s about a million dollars a kilometre, maybe more, to reconstruct Highway No. 7, but we’ve got to start. We had started already. We’ve done about 20 kilometres near Fort Liard and we’ve got some chipsealing that was going to be done last year and that’s the chipsealing I was talking about. We approved the budget in November, but they are tendering this thing out in July. What’s going on? The department did the wisest thing I’ve ever seen. They’ve actually tendered it out, but they didn’t do the work. I commend them for that, but I cannot commend them for waiting until July to tender out appropriations we gave them in November.

So I’d like to know where that work is. I’d like the Minister to guarantee that the chipsealing will continue on Highway No. 7. I’d like to see a firm plan to spend this $1.3 million capital carry-overs in writing to me, as well as a firm commitment that men and equipment will be out there in springtime in anticipation of spring thaw and the annual Highway No. 7 spring collapse. It shouldn’t have to be there if we are prepared. We know it’s been happening. It’s been happening very severely for the last three or four years and having a plan to deal with Highway No. 7 by monitoring conditions is not good enough. I would like to hear a response from the Minister with regard to that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to speak to the broader plan that we do have as a government. The Assembly is fully aware of the fiscal constraints we are operating under, but we will be spending $1.4 billion. We will be spending, all in, about $130 million on capital. We recognize that there is a far greater list of needs than resources. The whole focus of our negotiations from the borrowing limit is to be geared specifically to getting the ability and flexibility as a government to build and make strategic investments that will allow us to supplement our very modest capital plan. The intent is when that borrowing limit is agreed to, that that good fortune has to be carefully used. We have to stick to our fiscal plan, but it has to be able to raise all boats, not just one boat in one region, but it has to raise all boats. We recognize that. We commit to that and we will lay out that plan.

In regards to the very specific questions about committing to spend the $1.3 million early, I will turn that question to the Minister of Transportation, Madam Chair, with your permission.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I do appreciate the Member’s concerns in regard to Highway No. 7. On the $1.3 million that

we do have for this coming season, as I mentioned earlier, that money undoubtedly will be spent early in the season and if the Member wants a commitment that that will happen, I would be more than happy to get the department to get a letter together indicating that the $1.3 million earmarked for Highway No. 7 will indeed go into work on that highway as soon as possible in the season and not in July and August. So that’s something I believe that the department and I can make a commitment to the Member on.

What we can’t obviously commit to is future capital dollars that we just don’t have today. I wish I could make a commitment like that to the Member. All I can say is should more capital dollars free up, Highway No. 7 should be given priority for a number of reasons, and that’s something, again, I look forward to working with the Member on. It has far-reaching effects if we’re shutting that road down for extended periods of time and it’s unsafe and has to be closed down. Those are things we take seriously.

Again, we need to come up with a long-term plan, a reconstruction of that highway and it’s going to require a substantial amount of capital dollars that today we just do not have. Again, we need to work towards that. I agree with the Member.

We do have eight highways here in the Northwest Territories. We’re in the process of looking at the construction of a new highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk and I don’t want the Member or any other Members of this House thinking that just because we’re pursuing that means we’re taking our eye off other highways around the territory. I think we need to have balance and we need to have fairness. We do have a capital planning process that as we move forward, the needs and the priorities will be addressed in due course. That’s the reality that we’re living in today. But as far as a commitment on the $1.3 million, we can get that in writing to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche, anything further?

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I’m glad that the Minister wants to rise to the challenge and provide a written commitment. I’d like to see that, and with that I would recommend to my colleagues that with their support that I defer consideration of the Department of Transportation for another day until I get that written commitment from the department so I can continue to make the case once again that I get lots of money for Highway No. 7, but they never spend it. They’re always waiting until the end of the season, and that’s all I’m doing here today. I’m tired of hearing that yes, you’ll commit to spend it and you’ll do it early in the season. I’ve heard that eight years and I refuse to do it anymore on behalf of my

constituents. I want to see that money spent early and I want to see it in writing.

I’m glad that the Minister will provide that and I’ve got no further comments on this other than a motion to defer continued consideration of this. I don’t know if the Members have any further comments on Transportation, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Menicoche, did you wish to make a motion?

Yes, I did, but I didn’t know if my colleagues had any more comments on the Department of Transportation, but I do have a motion to defer consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I have a few comments here before we get to your motion. I wanted to raise the point with the Minister of Transportation. He alluded to the amount of oil and gas exploration that’s going to happen in the Sahtu, because of the land sales and the exploration that’s going to be happening up there for the next five to six years or longer depending on some decisions that will be made in this government or within the Sahtu region on oil and gas. It makes more sense to have a push for a permanent, established regional office of Transportation in the Sahtu. Speaking to the ITI people, we are going to see up to $70 million spent in the Sahtu this winter for one oil company to drill two wells and explore gas and do seismic. We are still talking about other companies coming up there.

This is supposed to be happening in the next five years or longer, with over half a billion dollars; close to $600 million is going to be spent in the Sahtu because of oil and gas. So I strongly urge the Minister if he would look within his department, talk to his colleagues and see if it makes sense to start establishing a permanent regional office in the Sahtu for Transportation.

I do appreciate the contractors on the winter road. They do a damn good job building the road and maintaining it with the support of the companies to make it a lot smoother. You will notice in our region where there is no oil and gas activity the roads are not quite as good as the ones the companies are using. People rely on those roads, they now are taking it for granted that it’s part of the government’s greater responsibility for safety and making a good road.

So I ask the Minister again, I urge strongly that this Cabinet look at steps to move it to another level while we have the economy in the Sahtu. I’m making a plea here to the department on this issue.

The Deline ice crossing at Bear Lake is an O and M issue. I know the infrastructure is coming later on,

but again I’m making the plea that the Minister will look at this so people in Deline can have the opportunity to participate in the oil and gas development in the Sahtu area. Specifically the Tulita area because of the wait and the weather, we just aren’t able to do that to get heavy equipment over to areas possibly where they could be put to work. It’s a short time frame; three months. I’ve seen your work this winter, I’ve driven on the winter roads from Wrigley to the Wells and Tulita, I’ve driven on the Bear Lake road towards Deline and we’ve got to commend those contractors for doing good jobs on the road. So I want to say that.

The other issue I wanted to ask the Minister through the O and M budget here for 2012-13 is if he would look at the area up in the Mackenzie Mountains on the Canol Road between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The site is called Mile 222. That’s a site that has been used a lot by the Department of ENR for reporting of hunters and outfitters, but we also have Selwyn Resources now in that area and they have proposed to use that land for extracting large amounts of lead and zinc, but they also need to take that material out. They’re looking at a road in that area. So I want to ask the Minister if you ask this department if they have any type of old equipment that’s surplused, if they could somehow get that equipment to Mile 222 to maintain that road. It doesn’t take very much. I’ve talked to some of the people in Norman Wells. They say if we had equipment at 222 we could maintain that little stretch of road, which is still under the Northwest Territories highway system. It would help with the outfitters coming in. It won’t take much and it’s a good opportunity for tourism.

Maybe the Minister can talk to the ITI Minister and see if they can work together on this issue. More importantly, we have a huge opportunity with Selwyn Resources. They’re in the stages they want to come into production. When I read their report, they want to put a road on the Northwest Territories side to bring out the lead and zinc. That’s a lot of trucks a day they’re going to use to haul down to Watson Lake and then further south. It’s billions, Madam Chair. So I want to ask the Minister through his planning with his colleagues and the department here is looking at seeing if we could take some of this old equipment that’s in surplus and use it at Mile 222.

I want to bring those two points up to the Minister. We have a lot of activity right now in the Sahtu. The Minister is going to come and tour with me sometime. I’ve asked some other Ministers. One already came and the other one is planning to come shortly and look at it. Hopefully, we will see some of the activity. It’s booming, and people are happy and they’re working. People are doing their best to keep the roads in a safe manner. I’ve seen some work there, so I ask the Minister if he could

look at that more closely and put some emphasis to the operations and maintenance of transportation.

I’d like to hear from the Minister on my previous comment on the interest payments on the Deh Cho Bridge. That’s it.