In 2005 the cost of runway expansion for the Yellowknife Airport was estimated at around $35 million. The premise back then was to enhance or increase the opportunity for tourism, opening the corridor to opportunity. Knowing full well that this is not a capital budget, but the philosophy, obviously while we’re talking about airports, is something near and dear to a lot of Yellowknifers and people in the tourism sector. The question to the Minister is: Do we have any, is there any appetite out there that this is something that’s going to appear sometime in the near future in terms of the runway expansion for Yellowknife Airport?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I thank the Member for the question. This is an issue that has been around for some time. It is directly related to tourism as well. The length of the runway here in Yellowknife has been an issue. It’s something we continue to look at. There is, perhaps, an opportunity working through the Department of National Defence at expanding the runway length in Inuvik and Yellowknife. Inuvik is more advanced in discussions with DND on expansion there. Costs have gone up tremendously. I believe the project in Inuvik is somewhere between $60 million and $90 million. So it’s a big expense. Of course, with our airport here in Yellowknife, we’d need some assurances that construction on an extension is not going to disrupt the traffic that we have at the airport today. I think that’s a big factor in all this as well. So we continue to look at that. On the tourism side, there may be some other opportunities with smaller aircraft and landing here and then taking off empty and dropping people off here. So there are other

opportunities that might play themselves out as it relates to tourism. Thanks.

So I guess the question I have for the Minister is: Is there a plan of action or a formal review in the works for the department in looking at runway expansions, not necessarily only in the Yellowknife area but an opportunity to put up corridors for opportunity for future business, be it tourism, be it working with the Department of National Defence? When was the last time a review of this nature was done for thorough analysis, Madam Chair?

Yes, we will be updating our Transportation Strategy and issues like that will certainly be a part of that.

The extension here in Yellowknife is probably closer to $20 million. Again, if the need is just so that we can land some jets from Europe and Asia, then we have to gauge that expense against what we are going to receive out of it as an economic benefit. Maybe it’s time we took another look at what the opportunity is there and what that investment would mean. It’s a capital investment of upwards of $20 million to expand the runway here in Yellowknife. I don’t think we can give up hope on talking to the federal government and that’s something we should continue to do. That’s where that project is at today. Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister’s comments. I know the businesses in Range Lake, the aviation industry in Range Lake and my residents of Range Lake would be happy to hear that a development of that nature is potentially in the works to enhance the current offering. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to ask a different one. I’m sure the Minister is aware of Discovery Air’s plans of acquisition of aircraft. I’m wondering what work the department is doing to prepare for the operational safety and reliability issues associated with airstrips. We’ve got about a year and a half, according to the last news release, on the Discovery Air plans. Maybe there have been changes and updates. About a year and a half/two years from now, we are expecting to have airships occupying the airspace in the Northwest Territories and using our facilities, I presume. I’m wondering what sort of work the department is doing to ensure that we have operational safety and reliability issues figured out. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Indications are that program initially would be a pilot-type program, so the department’s monitoring the advancement of the use of dirigibles in the

Northwest Territories. That’s where we’re at today. We’re monitoring the situation.

I think that’s a wise place to start. Obviously, a year and a half is the announced schedule. We’ll see whether they stick with that.

First of all, these are not small pieces of equipment and they’re very unique and I assume would have implications. I wonder if the Minister would commit to starting to give some thought to that and maybe let us know. No rush, but I think some assurance the department is starting to consider those sorts of things so we’re not caught flat footed. That’s all I had on that.

I appreciate the Member’s comments. We will continue to monitor this. Those type of airships, it may be that they don’t even need to use the airport, the type of aircraft that they are. We will continue to monitor and I know the department is aware of the plans there. If we need to act and work with that company, we will do that.

The Minister could be dead on there. The other possibility that I’ve heard is I’ve heard them called hybrid air vehicles. So they do use runways and so on. It could be either one alright. That’s the last comment I have.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Just with regard to airports, I know that we’ve made some significant headway with some of the small communities in my riding in terms of infrastructure and some runway lighting issues. I’d certainly like to continue to ensure that they are followed up. Begging the committee’s indulgence, I do want to speak about the Trout Lake Airport construction. It’s a capital issue but it’s kind of stalled right now. I believe the government’s going to be taking over controlling the contract. The concern from the community is that they don’t lose out. The concern for me as MLA is that they don’t try to do a plan like they did the first time when they tried to run it with bringing in contractors from outside my region without giving due process or opportunities to proximity communities like Fort Simpson and/or Fort Liard to provide for the contracting services of hauling gravel or whatever has to be done there. That’s a significant concern and I just wanted to advise the Minister that as MLA for Nahendeh I will not stand for it and I will be closely monitoring the progress of the construction of the airport this coming fall and winter. Just with that concern, I’d like the Minister to address that that’s not on their plan at all.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the Member’s concerns related to the Trout Lake Airport construction. There have been

some issues there. We’ve been working through the issues with the community. The community has requested the department and agreed that the negotiated contract be set aside and that DOT take over the management of the project. That’s what we intend to do. Construction, again, should start sometime soon, with an eye to maximizing opportunities at the community level. That’s something that we will be keeping a close eye on as well. I think we were there before and there were a number of concerns over the management of that contract by the community. We take those concerns seriously. This time around we want to ensure that construction is complete and the project gets finished with the greatest extent of local involvement as possible.

I know that it’s in everybody’s best interest to have a good-news story as we work towards the completion of the Trout Lake Airport. Regretfully, it was delayed almost by a year. Everybody wants to see it done, and done properly.

My concern again is, like many of our other regions, we’re kind of like a have-not and it hurts the community and it hurts the region when our government is offering contracting opportunities to other regions before they even work with the contractors in the Nahendeh riding. That’s my initial concern and I just want to advise the Minister that the community wants to be involved and as soon as they’re not involved or see other people who are, if outside contractors are allowed in, they’re the first ones to know and they contact me immediately. That’s not something I think we should be going forward with, and I just want the department to be aware that all best efforts need to be done to utilize local contractors and/or proximity community contractors to get that work done and they can be easily managed and smoothly and in a win-win situation for the community and for the region.

We will endeavour to do that. At the end of the day we want to see the airport construction in Trout Lake concluded for the benefit of the residents in Trout Lake. We do feel that they have to benefit from that construction as well. We will do our utmost to ensure that happens.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m going to tag along with Mr. Menicoche on the question of the small community airports. I’m talking specifically about Colville Lake and that project. I know that community has advanced somewhat to the stage of near completion and I wanted to look at continuing to work with the department to design/build a terminal. I know that’s in the books. There’s still work yet to be done to complete the new airport. They went through the learning process and they came out pretty well. I wish the best to the people in Trout Lake to work out similar

situations as we have done in Colville Lake. I wanted to ask the Minister when does he anticipate, under the operations and maintenance of this budget, the Colville Lake Airport will be in use and we’ll have everything there.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s our expectation that will be in operation late this fall.

I want just to again relay to the Minister and to the government that the experience up in Colville Lake has been quite good. They did quite well. I think the department did good in this process here. Congratulations to working well with my people.

I want to ask the Minister my second question about the commercial lands at the airports are becoming increasingly scarce in terms of the development of lands. I want to ask the Minister what type of plans he has on the books for advancing the airport commercial lots. People are asking now because things are getting busy in Inuvik here and in different communities and a lot is becoming valuable all over. What are the Minister’s new plans for looking at how we deal with these commercial land developments?