David Ramsay

We had hoped to get before committee and give a presentation on the status of the Inuvik-Tuk highway. We have provided a written update to the committee, and we were happy to do that. This fall when we have more information, again, we’ll be very happy to work with Members on that side of the House to show them what we’ve done that will identify where the granular material is and next steps forward. We’re going to need the support of Members to ensure that this project moves forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once we complete the environmental assessment, it goes through the review process. I’d be more than happy to share that level of detail with all Members of this House. Thank you.

That very much is a hypothetical question. Our expectation is the bridge will be open this coming November. I thank the Member for his question but it is a hypothetical question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That has been the case on the project for the past two weeks. We’ve been two crews working 20 hours a day and when concrete begins to be poured here shortly, that will increase, undoubtedly, to 24 hours a day construction on that project.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to pursue the completion of the environmental assessment and that is currently underway. We’ve also done a great deal of geotechnical analysis on the route and are working with both the community leadership in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Return to Written Question 2-17(3), I wish to table the following two documents, entitled “Department of Transportation Negotiated DOT Contracts April 2009 to June 2012” and “Department of Transportation Sole Source DOT Contracts April 2009 to June 2012.”

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question submitted by Mr. Hawkins on May 29, 2012, regarding negotiated, sole-source or similar contracts.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table documents titled “Sole Source DOT Contracts April 2009-June 2012” and “Negotiated Contracts DOT April 2009-June 2012.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have to get a determination of what the price is going to be on the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk highway. Before we go to the federal government and get that number, we need to know exactly what we’re talking about. Again, this is part of the exercise of doing the geotechnical work, going through the environmental assessment, and like other partially federally funded projects in this territory that we’ve seen through the Building Canada Plan, we need to do an environmental assessment first. We are going to continue down that road. Again, Mr. Speaker, the discussions are ongoing with the...

We have employed this project management approach in a number of small communities across the Northwest Territories and we haven’t encountered difficulties. We are encountering some difficulties here. I’ve had an opportunity to sit down with the leadership from the community of Trout Lake. We are back there and doing what we can to work with the community. It’s moving forward and our commitment as a department is to work with the community. I just wanted to reiterate that. If the Member or the community feels that’s not happening, I’d be more than happy to address those concerns.

The project manager certainly would have to come from outside of the community, but our expectation would be that the project manager would work with the community in trying to identify local labour contractors, and if they are not available in the community of Trout Lake, certainly looking at other communities located in the Member’s riding.