Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Committee, Education, Culture and Employment, capital investment expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $2.803 million.

Agreed. Department of Transportation, capital infrastructure expenditures, airports, not previously authorized $2.567 million; highways, not previously authorized, $10,648 million; marine, not previously authorized, $619,000; road licensing and safety, not previously authorized, $138,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $13.972 million. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a question under highways with regard to the Ingraham Trail realignment, a question in terms of where that project is at. I think the description of this project

talks about lighting needing to be done and some what I consider reasonably minor bits and pieces that were unable to be done before the snow fell in the fall. I haven’t driven the road often, but I’ve driven it once and it suggests to me that it still needs a fair bit of work on the roadbed, not just on lighting and other bits and pieces to be added. So I’d like to know what this almost $1.2 million is earmarked for and if there is any plan in the works to do some more work grading, et cetera, on the roadbed itself. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks. I’m sorry, I didn’t get all of that, but was there any indication of any work being done on the roadbed itself?

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Besides chipseal, I think was your last comment. Minister Abernethy.

My apologies, Mr. Chair. I missed her question. If she can repeat it, that would be great.

Ms. Bisaro, could you please repeat your question?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I originally asked what this $1.2 million was for and did it include any work on the roadbed which, to me, seems like it needs a little bit of work done. Apart from chipseal, is there any plan to do any kind of grading and/or upgrading of the roadbed itself?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to go to the Minister of Transportation to answer that question, if you don’t mind.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That money will be used to prepare the road right from where the paving stopped until where the road connects to the other road, and we’ll be applying chipseal and also putting up the signage. That would cover the $1.2 million that’s identified in here.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you to the Minister. Could I get an explanation of what preparing the roadbed means, because it’s pretty rough in some spots right now?

Preparing the road is just to ensure that the road is ready for the application of chipseal.

Okay. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what the road is like after chipseal is done. I hope it can all be done with no more than $1.2 million.

Thank you. I’ll take that as a comment, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am continuing my questioning where Ms. Bisaro left off because I, too, am a bit concerned with $1.2 million left. I, too, have been on that road and I can assure you, given the experience that I’ve had in this room looking at budgets for transportation and road costs, there is a heck of a lot more than $1.2 million left to do there.

My question is this: Is this project still on budget? I’ve asked that a couple of times, and I’ve always been reassured we’re on budget, we’re on budget, we’re on budget, so I’m going to ask again, are we on budget?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The amount of money that is being carried over is enough to meet the commitments with a contractor to complete the project.