Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The nine-plex in Fort McPherson was an interesting process, actually. We did have a contractor originally scheduled to complete it. There were some issues. We had to dissolve that contract. Then I entered into a negotiated contract with a local company, which fit the true definition of negotiated contracts in that it was about building capacity for the contractor and providing in the community, so we were really eager to actually begin that process.

The difficulty was that, in trying to do that negotiated contract, the contractor actually came back at more than double the projected budget that we expected it to be, so part of the negotiations to bring that price down was to look at cost-saving measures.

The contractor stated that it would be more expensive to actually have to build in the winter because of the additional costs, the additional costs to heat, power, et cetera, and so it was a negotiation that we would actually agree that they could stop the process during the winter months to actually be able to come closer to what we projected the budget should be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that we constantly run into, having contractors underbid projects. Mr. Speaker, it's not the fault of the new contractor that just took on this project here, the reason being that the first contractor underbid this project by quite a lot. I would like to ask the Minister: when does the Housing Corporation expect that the Fort McPherson nine-plex will now be completed and opened to residents?

As stated, the projected budget that the Housing Corporation had estimated for the construction of that building was not based on a low bid. It was actually based on a cost analysis that is done for a building within each community that takes that into account. We are hoping that the building will start up again in April and that it will be done as soon as the contractor can do that. However, if the contractor wishes to build over the winter and can promise me that he will be able to do that contract within the negotiated contract price, then I am willing to allow the contractor to move forward.

That probably would have been possible if the department actually gave the contractor the price they were initially trying to get, which included all the costs for working through the winter months, but I will leave that there. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister give me other examples of when the Housing Corporation stopped construction through the winter months?

As stated earlier, this is an exceptional agreement that we made. This was a negotiated contract. We do set budget amounts when we put buildings out to tender. If we had gone with the normal contract procurement process where the bids are open to the public, then we would expect that the bids would have come in at a more reasonable figure, closer to our projected budget. We did make the exceptions because of the negotiated contract, and so therefore, because of the great discrepancy between the estimated amount and the amount brought forward to us, we had to look at ways that we could actually bring it in. I have 2,400 public housing units, 200 market housing units. I cannot go more than double the budget for any one complex, and expect to address the core need that we experience within the Northwest Territories.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will ask the same question because I did not get an answer there. Can the Minister give me an example or examples of other contracts ever put on hold during the winter months, like we are having in the case of Fort McPherson?

My understanding is that the Hay River hospital actually went through the same process and therefore did have to stop construction over the winter months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on September 21st the Department of Infrastructure released a public announcement saying that on Friday, September 22, 2017, load restrictions would be affected for the Liard River crossing due to low water levels. In the release, it stated that loads will be restricted to no more than 64,000 kilograms and service would be interrupted if conditions deteriorate. I would like to thank the department and regional staff for getting this information out to the public, businesses, and leadership across the region. However, this is a huge concern for my riding. This is a service that has a huge impact on all communities in my riding and surrounding areas. The scary thing is the 15-year average closing date is November 3rd, but, if the water level continues, we will see a closure for the first time in 25 years. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Infrastructure please tell the House what the department is doing to address this issue beyond reducing the weight of the loads to 64,000 kilograms?

Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for commending the department. They are doing a great job communicating the situation that is taking place there on the Liard ferry. They are using our public communications through our Twitter feed and our websites and stuff, and reaching out to industry within the community. They have already had a number of discussions with industry, the Northern Store, the local contractors, and such. From my understanding, most people are well aware of this situation and have got everything into the community that is needed. There is a little bit of bulk fuel that needs to be brought in, and that is going to be addressed in the next few days, as far as that going forward. We will continue to work with the community on the low water issues and advise them what is going on.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise us if the issue is the drafting capabilities of the MV Lafferty Ferry? Would the situation be alleviated by recommissioning the Merv Hardie ferry to this crossing?

The MV Lafferty Ferry in Fort Simpson is a low-draft vessel. The other vessel is not. There is about a three-foot difference in draft on these two boats, and so the Merv Hardie ferry would not work in the Fort Simpson area, particularly at this time of year. I know the captain of the ship is doing the best he can. They have put on the least amount of fuel they can to keep their bilge as dry as possible and are keeping their fresh water to a minimum, as well, to be able to keep the weights up. They will continue to monitor it as we move forward.

I thank the Minister for his answer. I have to agree. The staff for his department are doing a great job in that community. Mr. Speaker, in the past, I have had the opportunity to submit some ideas from my constituents, myself, to the Minister. He has said that he and the department would look at them. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise if they are looking at moving the ferry crossing to the Mackenzie River side, or that it goes into town, or onto another location of the Liard River?

I have the information on these three options that were put forward. The first option was to relocate the ferry from the existing location to haul to Fort Simpson. That would be a $16 million price tag, capital cost, to do this, and the length of the ferry trip would be definitely too long because it would be over an hour's sail versus a seven- to eight-minute sail.

The second option we investigated was to relocate the existing ferry location to deep water upstream of the Liard River, with a capital cost of $3 million. This option would not likely increase operating season, mostly to do with the ice floes in the area.

The third option was to relocate the crossing to the island on the Liard River and install a causeway. This was deemed not very viable, as well, because of the fluctuations of low waters and high waters as such could be up to 13 metres in that area. None of these ideas have been very viable, and we continue to stick to our current location.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. It is great to hear that the department has been looking at it. I can now share this information with my constituents. Mr. Speaker, if these options are not workable, which the Minister says they are not, will the Minister look at the idea of building a bridge across the Liard River or look at the idea of a floating bridge similar to the one in southern BC?

I think the idea of a bridge across the Liard River would be someday considered at some point, but I think right now the mandate of this Assembly is the Mackenzie Valley highway, the Slave Geological Province, or the Whati road. I think if we get the opportunity to build the Mackenzie Valley highway at some point and have it completed, and industry picks up in the region and the amount of traffic would come up to warrant a bridge across there, we could do that, but for us to spend the money on a bridge right now versus completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway, I do not think is something we want to consider at this point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I talked about the knowledge economy. In the future, when we look at how technology is changing Canada's economy, we can see that, where new technologies have been introduced, there is a demand for highly skilled workers, particularly highly skilled information and communications technology workers. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if the department has a plan to harness potential information and communication technologies, and what they are doing about that field and how it can transform our economy. Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, we are going through a foundational review that is going to help identify some of the priorities and program services, which we are going to be working on with the Aurora College in regards to education here in the Northwest Territories, but we also have the Aurora Research Institute that hands out research licences every year. On average, it is about 200 licences that are given out. Recently the Aurora Research Institute just completed a new strategic plan, and it focuses on things like research priorities, partnership, knowledge, management, education, and outreach. As you heard earlier this week, with the new fibre optic link coming into effect, that is an opportunity to promote some of this kind of research and education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.