David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to continue trying to make some sense of the mess that is the Deh Cho Bridge Project. It was interesting to hear the Transportation Minister state in a media interview on Friday with CBC that finally the government admits in some fashion that it went ahead with the project despite a cost-benefit analysis that clearly indicated that the government could expect a $53 million negative benefit from the bridge at $165 million. Throw in at least another $15 million and you have a project that will have a negative cost to this government and Territory of $70...

I appreciate the Minister’s response. I guess the last question I’d have is whether or not the Minister understands that, as I said earlier, for a government project which -- let’s not fool ourselves; it has become a government project -- it’s unprecedented for work of this nature on a project like this in this country of Canada to be sole sourced, that this is completely unprecedented, Mr. Speaker, the way this project is moving forward. Unprecedented. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll continue on with these questions. This is obviously, for all intents and purposes, a government project now. We’ve taken it on lock, stock, and barrel by the looks of things. I’d like to ask the Minister, when he talks about contracts that are outstanding, what are we waiting to sign? Are we signing this project management team up to a contract? If that contract hasn’t been signed when is it going to be signed and who is it going to be signed with? I think this is a public government and we’re talking about public funds. The Minister should be able to stand up and...

I apologize if it sounds the same. March 1st is the key date that I wanted to put out there. If the government and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation knew the problems before March 1st, like I said, it would take 30 days to go to the marketplace, get some pricing for the superstructure. That didn’t happen and now our backs are against the wall. We’re going to negotiate a contract that we obviously won’t be able to get out of. We won’t have any latitude. There’s nobody else bidding on this work. It’s one company. Again, I think given what’s happened with this project and the history of it, at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few more questions for the Minister of Transportation pertaining to the Deh Cho Bridge. I listened to the Minister when I was talking about the design earlier. The government has always said that the design was essentially completed. It has been essentially complete for six years now. According to the Minister, most of the components of the redesign and the design work are concluded but not all of the components are concluded. I am wondering if the Minister could elaborate a little bit more. Are we setting ourselves up for more cost overruns on this project...

Mr. Speaker, obviously the government hasn’t learned much. It negotiated a contract with ATCON, allowed the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to negotiate a contract with ATCON, and we all know where that’s gotten us. I want to ask the Minister, who ultimately calls the shot on whether this project would go to tender and which project team is doing this. Is it the former Deh Cho Bridge Corporation project management team or is it our project management team, Mr. Speaker? Because I’d like to know that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some more questions today for the Minister of Transportation. It goes back to my Member’s statement talking about the Deh Cho Bridge Project. Obviously the government’s coming back looking for another $15 million because of the increased costs on the second half of the project, the superstructure, as it’s called. I’d like to ask the Minister today why exactly the government, who is project manager now, is negotiating with one company. Why hasn’t this gone out to tender, given the cost of this superstructure? Why are we negotiating with one company?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a few opening comments on MACA. I guess a few good things to say. I’ve been impressed with the amount of money that’s going towards youth officer positions and also to the youth. I know Mr. Beaulieu has done a great deal in championing the cause for youth.

The one thing I just want to throw out there, this Youth Development Strategy, I wouldn’t want to see the department, you know, as important as youth is, every community is created differently, obviously, and I don’t know if you’re going to get the desired effect by going to a Youth Development Strategy. I...

I’d like to ask the Minister, with all these things outstanding, how can the Minister with any certainty be sure that $15 million is enough to cover all the bases on this project?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess ultimately we are going to be paying the price for the poor performance of that project management team. I would like to ask the Minister today whether or not the Government of the Northwest Territories is going to have any legal recourse with that former project management team on the increased costs and the failure to deliver this project, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.