Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I have some questions on the Deh Cho Bridge for the Minister of DOT. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if the entire management structure for the Deh Cho Bridge is the sole responsibility of DOT or is there any management outside of DOT for the Deh Cho Bridge? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I thought the main objective or primary purpose would be to keep the GNWT dollars in the NWT. I thought the level playing field was a result of trying to do that. Will the Minister go back to the small communities, maybe not every small community, not a full consultation process, but to some of the small communities to hear first hand from the small community contractors what the issues are with the BIP? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Business Incentive Policy as it’s applied in the local preference adjustment. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI questions on this.

Will the Minister go back to the department to see if the current BIP is working in the small communities in the sense that the small communities are getting the majority of the contracts within the small communities? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to discuss the simplification of the Business Incentive Policy. Today the current Business Incentive Policy local preference has a local percentage of 5 percent. This is not enough for the small communities. For example, in Fort Resolution a local contractor lost a contract to another business by just over $100 and that contractor brought workers from out of the community.

I think the GNWT should change the Business Incentive Policy to a single 15 percent local preference calculation. This will make it very simple and it will give the small communities...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the chipsealing project this summer, can the Minister direct his staff to work with MACA and the hamlet, try to gain some economies of scale, because the community is planning on doing chipsealing in the community as well this summer. I’m just wondering if this Minister could work with the hamlet and Minister of MACA to complete the chipsealing of the community while they’re chipsealing from Buffalo River. Thank you.

Thank you. Could the Minister tell me what the plan is for the rest of the highway, the highway that goes from -- they’re planning on chipsealing to Res, not that portion -- but the portion that goes from Little Buffalo River towards Pine Point? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be talking about Deninu K’ue in Fort Resolution. I’d like to thank the Minister of Transportation and his department for the work done on Highway No. 6 to date. It’s a very good job. The job is not finished, however, Mr. Speaker. Highway No. 6 is 90 kilometres long and at this time there’s still about 40 kilometres that are gravel. Mr. Speaker, the department has done a very good job in addressing the worst areas first, but Highway No. 6 needs to be brought to a chipseal stage from the beginning to end.

Mr. Speaker, the majority of that 40 kilometres that’s...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today I will be talking about education. [Translation ends]

Young citizens are learning how to speak the Chipewyan language, Denesuline, as I walk around the community now much more than it was in the past. Small kids are coming up to me and speaking the language and so on, and I think that putting the elders in the school will only enhance that and make it easy for the elders to communicate with the kids in the school in both Chipewyan and Denesuline and English.

Thank you. Can the Minister place that number into the infrastructure plan for the department, $15 million? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I talked about the completion of Highway No. 6. I’d like to ask the Minister of DOT some questions on that. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell me what the plan is for addressing the chipseal stage of Highway No. 6 from kilometre 67 to kilometre 90? Thank you.