Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister: what were the reasons for the recent halt of work to the elders' home in Fort McPherson? Thank you.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of it is the building seasons that we have to do work up in the high Arctic. There were also some discovered structural design issues with that, and we had to do a new design, get a new consultant to develop a design, and then get that to us at the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, you know this is a serious issue, but it's kind of funny because these issues were identified during the negotiations with the new contractors, and I'm glad that the department woke up and smelled the coffee and realized that this work needed to be done. So I'd like to ask the Minister: when can we see construction starting up again for the summer months?

On Monday, the NWT Housing Corporation is going to be meeting with the current contractor as well as the structural engineers to look at the redesign, and, as soon as the ferry opens and the road opens, we'll start working on that building again.

Mr. Speaker, I know this put a little delay in the construction, but I'd like to ask the Minister: are we still on target to complete the elders' home for the fall?

Yes, we're still on target for this fall. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I lost Cabinet with my earlier statement, so I'll try and get them back with a compliment here. The Department of Infrastructure, at least the transportation portion of it, does a pretty good job of informing the public and stakeholders of fee increases, and they've had a lot of practice lately, so I'm sure they are getting better day by day. Maybe I lost them again. The Department of Lands hasn't been around as long as Transportation, and maybe that's why they're not quite as adept as Transportation in getting that type of information out. The recent changes to the cost of territorial land is one example where there could have been better communication, and that's received quite a bit of attention as of late. Another example is the doubling of the quarrying fees that occurred on April 1, 2018. I did some research, and I found that the increase was mentioned in the House by the Minister once in early 2017 and once in early 2016, but, beyond that, it wasn't conveyed to the public in any meaningful way.

When a business is bidding on a job and they use materials from quarries, it needs to know what its costs are, and, as a result of this change, some small businesses are out thousands of dollars. So now, what's done is done, but I'm sure the Department of Lands will increase fees again in the coming years, so my hope here is that we can improve their communication process to avoid these types of incidents in the future. So, first, I'd like to ask the Minister of Lands if he could explain how this 100 per cent increase in quarrying royalties was conveyed to the public and the stakeholders? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is important that we do communicate with the public as well as MLAs. There are several processes that we follow, which were also followed with respect to the changes in the lease fees. In this case, with respect to the specific question, the department in late 2016 engaged SCOPP with our intent and duty to consult Indigenous governments on the proposed fee changes. This consultation included changes to fees for administrative services, quarry royalties, and lease rent minimums. This was followed up in November 2016 with consultation letters to IGOs to inform them of the department's intent to change fees and royalties, as well as to hear any impacts that the proposed changes may have to their organizations. The NWT Chamber of Mines engaged the department in February 2017 specifically on the subject of the granular resource fee increases. There was concern with respect to the proposed change and impacts on the mining sector. Department officials advised the chamber that their concerns were noted and that there would be a pre-gazetting period when written submissions could be submitted. So we followed a similar process with respect to the changes in lease fees. So there has been consultation, therefore, with the IGOs, and there also has been direct communication with the mining industry through the Chamber of Mines.

So did the Minister say that they brought the information to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning in 2016, and they consulted with Indigenous governments, and the Chamber of Mines actually approached them regarding these fees? That's in contrast to the Department of Transportation, or now Infrastructure, which will put on Facebook and Twitter and the radio that there are changes to the fees to cross the Deh Cho bridge for commercial vehicles. So that's the type of communication that I'd like to see coming out of Lands to avoid these types of issues that I've been talking about. So will the Minister commit to reviewing their communication policy and updating it so it's something similar to what Infrastructure does?

Yes. Certainly, Infrastructure has set a very high standard. I would be prepared to look at their processes and see if they are applicable to our situation. Clearly, we want to communicate with the public when there are changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Question 296-18(3):
Ingraham Trail Maintenance Schedule

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I spoke positively about the Ingraham Trail. My questions today are for the Minister of Infrastructure. I have a few questions relevant to some of the maintenance issues with regard to the road.

First of all, we still have a section of the road here that has been maybe somewhat forgotten. It goes from the turnoff at Highway No. 3 out to the Old Giant Mine town site. It is still used quite regularly by those that use the boat dock there and go to the mine heritage exhibit as well as the city solid waste management facility and the skiing lodge.

I would like to ask the Minister if he has been down that road recently and seen the conditions of that road. It is really pitted with potholes. I am just wondering what the maintenance schedule would be for that section of road for this coming year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have travelled that road as of a couple of nights ago with Member McNeely when we were out having a look around town. There are a number of potholes on that section of highway. I suspect that the maintenance crews that will be looking after and maintaining all highways across the Northwest Territories, as all Members know, have to wait until the road thaws out and get on these situations.

I believe this section of highway is ours at this point. I think we are having discussions with the City of Yellowknife in taking over that section of highway. We can keep the Members abreast on that. I will look into what the maintenance schedule is of fixing these potholes on that section of highway.

Thank you to the Minister for that commitment. I look forward to him getting back to me so that I can inform constituents. The department has done some really good work recently with regard to visibility on the Ingraham Trail. They have done significant brush clearing. However, this brush clearing has raised some concerns with residents and other users.

I am wondering if the Minister can maybe indicate to us what process it was that they undertook to do the brush clearing. Would there be improvements in the future? Specifically, could residents or others get access to some of the wood that was cut during the brush cutting so that it could be utilized in wood stoves and for other means, possibly?

I am not aware of the brush cutting that took place out there recently, but I can certainly have a look into it. If there is an opportunity for residents along the Ingraham Trail to access some of that wood, we will certainly consider that. I will get back to the Member.

Thanks again to the Minister for that commitment. I appreciate him looking into that and look forward to getting the feedback. Thirdly, I have been asking for a couple years now to make an investment with regard to some guardrails in a couple sections of road that still appear to be unsafe as it relates to the steepness of the road going into sharp corners. I won't reiterate where they are. The Minister knows where and what I am referring to. I would just like to ask the Minister what the update would be in terms of the work being done for those guardrails. Are they expected to come this construction season?

Last year, we replaced three guardrails at kilometre 33.8, 37.6, and 45.5. The department has here in my note that we are doing a planning and survey, and design work is underway for possible installation of guardrails at kilometre 13.5 and kilometre 18.7 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that, I think that, it is in the main estimates that we are making this commitment to these guardrails, is my understanding. I will take "possible" as a soft commitment from the Minister for now. I will certainly keep on him.

Lastly, I did take a drive out on the road recently, all the way to the end. In fact, the paving of the road is almost done. It is already up to Cameron River, I believe. I would like to ask the Minister what other funds and investments are going to be made for the remainder of the Ingraham Trail. Can we look forward to it being completed up to Tibbitt Lake possibly in the next year or two? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For Members who aren't aware, on Bundle 1 from the BCIP money, we spent $8 million, roughly, on the Ingraham Trail. I am glad to say that, on Bundle 3, the approval that we had from the federal government here recently, we will have an additional $10 million that we will be able to spend on Ingraham Trail between 2019 to 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.