Michael McLeod

Mr. Chairman, chipseal is the preferred material for us to use as we are familiar with chipseal. We know the durability of chipseal. We have in the last little while been experimenting with putting the fibre barrier underneath chipseal and we’ve also looked at different ways that we can improve, including double layering. Mr. Chairman, it’s also the most cost-effective process to use. Asphalt and other products, including concrete, are very expensive. We have involved a company out of Yellowknife to do some testing on their product and right now we still haven’t been able to get more cost...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We plan to continue the chipseal work that was undertaken this year. We had anticipated we would do 70 kilometres from the junction heading towards Simpson. We weren’t able to do that, so we will have to carry that over and continue that next year.

As part of this capital plan, our intention is to start from -- time providing and weather cooperating, of course -- complete the work that we identified for this year and start next year from Checkpoint and head in the other direction up to kilometre 375.

I don’t believe it has cost us any more. Thank you.

The issue of the Mackenzie Valley Highway has been on the drawing board, has been on the radar screen for many, many years and with many governments. This is the furthest we’ve moved it with the partnership with the federal government in the history of the development of this road, I think since the last stretch was constructed. The 16th Assembly has been able to secure some funding to do the PDR and I think that is going to provide some of the backup information that maybe was missing. We’ll be able to put a very good business case together to bring it forward.

We are also securing dollars to...

That’s a very specific question and I think it’s chipseal all the way to 28. I should point out that there is some consideration at this point for some internal reallocation that we provided notice to the Members that fall outside of the capital plan as it is money already approved but reallocated.

Mr. Chairman, we have signed agreements with a number of the aboriginal governments allowing the Mackenzie Valley route up to Tuktoyaktuk. We have agreements for the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk portion. That research has been completed and the work in the Gwich’in Settlement Area is progressing. We have an agreement with the Gwich’in Tribal Council and we also have an agreement with the Tulita Land Corporation. We have yet to sign an agreement with the Fort Good Hope people and the Dehcho. A lot of discussion has taken place and I think we should have agreements in both those communities or both those...

We feel that we’re meeting the obligations under the water licensing through the amount of gravel that we’re using and the amount that we reclaim. Therefore, we’re meeting the stipulations under the water licence. That’s an issue again that is going to be discussed as we move forward in our application for a new water licence.

Our focus has been to invest in the reconstruction of our highways prior to providing chipseal. On Highway No. 8, for example, we intend to look at some type of surface protection as we move forward. However, our plan is to do the reconstruction up to Tsiigehtchic and then start to do either chipseal or some type of hardtop on our roads on Highway No. 8.

Other jurisdictions, of course, are using revenues from industry, oil and gas to upgrade their sections of road and we’re not in a position to do the same thing.

We are looking at construction methods on our roads. We are looking at different systems that may be a way to alleviate some of the challenges we’re facing as a result of climate change and the slumping that we’re starting to see in our infrastructure. We do, along with looking at different technology, have some research dollars that have been made available through the Building Canada Program. It’s a seven-year program. There’s $1.85 million and we’ve spent about half of that. So there’s still about 50 percent of those dollars remaining to do other research.

Mr. Chairman, for clarification, money identified here, that would go to royalties and it’s for our own material that was used.