The answer to that is yes. We have had those discussions. I know I was helping the Member with a concern that one of his constituents had. I’d be happy to lead anybody in the right direction with the Department of Transportation to get the answers that people need in the advance of the bridge opening and tolls being collected at that bridge.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for bringing this to our attention this last fall here. Certainly the department recognizes the importance. The regulations would require amendments, and we have them into Justice for formatting and translation. That’s a process that typically takes three to four months, but that work is in progress.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Tourism is hosting its AGM next week, and gala. I would certainly like to hear more about the opportunities the Member talks about in the Beaufort-Delta. Certainly, we have supported other initiatives in the Beaufort-Delta, most recently $50,000 to the Inuvik Golf Association to help with the golf course up there. We are looking for opportunities to get funding into the Beaufort-Delta, so I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities with the Member to see how ITI could help. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we work with what we have. I believe between the Northwest Territories Tourism and the staff at ITI, we do the best job we can with the money we have. We have some great staff up in the Member’s region working in tourism. Certainly, we could always use more money when it comes to marketing. That is something that perhaps, over the next few years, we will be able to realize some additional dollars to go into tourism marketing here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

As part of the Growing Forward money, we’ve had a commercial harvesting processing and marketing of fish and meat in the Northwest Territories, and I think that program has gone a long way to helping. We’ve got a new fish holding and processing facility in Kakisa for pickerel. We’ve also provided money for renovations to the building at Wool Bay that will provide for the processing of fish. We intend to get together with fishermen in the near term here in the fall and over the winter to discuss ways in which the government can help the fishing industry here in the Northwest Territories be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of ITI certainly was happy to be a part of the success in Hay River with the opening of the egg grading facility. We have a long way to go.

Just last month we signed a new agreement with the federal government on the Growing Forward II money that will bring $6 million more to the Northwest Territories in the area of agricultural development. We’re hoping to continue the successes that we’ve seen there. That money will be put to good use in trying to get more products onto people’s tables around the Northwest Territories.

The Deh Cho Bridge Project has been a project underway for the past several years. There have been a number of questions asked in the House related directly to the line of questioning the Member has. I would certainly be more than happy to get the Member and committee the dates and times where public consultation has taken place on this.

The bridge is set to open here in a few weeks. The tolling has been in place. The tolling system has been in place and the tolls have been well known now for a number of years, and we intend to open the bridge here in the next few weeks.

Our belief as a government and department is that the cost will be offset because companies will have to stockpile goods. They will not have to store goods. There will not be the need for refrigerated units. There will be no need to fly things over during freeze-up and breakup. Those costs in warehousing that will be saved, the feeling is it will be a wash. Certainly, the toll that transportation companies are going to have to pay, it will be up to the companies whether or not and how they pass that onto businesses that they do business with.

We haven’t got a firm date but it should be, the expectation is by the end of November. If it can happen before that, we’ll be advising the House of such.

We’re always looking to other jurisdictions. We always are paying attention to what other jurisdictions do, and through organizations like Westec and working with other Transportation Ministers, especially in Western Canada. That’s certainly an area where we can bring our concerns to the table and have them addressed. We certainly look forward to continuing to build relationships with other jurisdictions, especially here in Western Canada when it comes to regulations in the trucking industry.