Wally Schumann

Mr. Speaker, we are on the road with our consultation on this. We went to the regional centres, but this initiative that we put forward, we have an extremely important Web portal with interaction where anyone from within the industry or the Northwest Territories can interact with the department and answer a number of questions and put their thoughts forward. They have the mail-in option. They can email us. They can phone the department and we'll have someone discuss these options with them. That's our commitment, and we will continue to do that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is right. The Buffalo River bridge is almost completed. The tender for the Hay River bridge will be coming out shortly for its procurement for the rehabilitation of that bridge. Frank Channel bridge has been deferred. We are thinking about having another look at that after we went out to public consultation, and there were a number of concerns about us rehabilitating that bridge and having a full canopy on it as the way it is right now; it is a bottleneck of the whole system of anything coming north of Yellowknife, and we are having another look at it. I think...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We can pull that information together in the next few weeks and get that to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct; we have delineators up there at present. Right now, we're doing a planning including a survey and design work is currently under way for the installation of guardrails at that particular site, and also at kilometre 13.5 in 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think the idea of a bridge across the Liard River would be someday considered at some point, but I think right now the mandate of this Assembly is the Mackenzie Valley highway, the Slave Geological Province, or the Whati road. I think if we get the opportunity to build the Mackenzie Valley highway at some point and have it completed, and industry picks up in the region and the amount of traffic would come up to warrant a bridge across there, we could do that, but for us to spend the money on a bridge right now versus completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway, I do not think is something we...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If we are talking about the Whati road, that is built in with the P3 project. They are responsible for that road for the next 25 years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Economic Advisory Committee is going to be meeting on November 2nd and, probably sometime maybe in late November, that's when we'll be able to share it with committee or with Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Like I have said, that is something we can look at considering doing. I would be interested to see what the general public thinks about us doing that. I have talked to lots of people about this section of highway; they are not scared to come up to me and talk to me about this section of highway right across the Northwest Territories, not just Yellowknife, Hay River, general public travelling back and forth, and it is something we can consider doing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The MV Lafferty Ferry in Fort Simpson is a low-draft vessel. The other vessel is not. There is about a three-foot difference in draft on these two boats, and so the Merv Hardie ferry would not work in the Fort Simpson area, particularly at this time of year. I know the captain of the ship is doing the best he can. They have put on the least amount of fuel they can to keep their bilge as dry as possible and are keeping their fresh water to a minimum, as well, to be able to keep the weights up. They will continue to monitor it as we move forward.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I can take that back to my officials and have a look at that. Maybe we can look at at least posting it on our web site and get that type of information out there. We will have that under advisement. Thank you, Mr. Chair.