Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to congratulate my colleague across the floor, Minister Tom Beaulieu, for taking on the big portfolio for Transportation.
My question is: Can the Minister provide an update on the relationship of the GNWT with the community of Fort Providence since the bridge has been in operation for about a year? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT has entered into a Community Opportunities and Involvement Agreement with the community, paying the community $200,000 a year until the bridge is paid off, over 35 years. So that money is for the community to take a look at tourism opportunities and any opportunities that they may want to look at as far as tourism, such as a museum for transportation, marine transportation in that area and so on. Thank you.
I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer. Can the Minister, other than the $200,000 annually that the community receives, clearly explain to the community – I’m sure they’re listening at this point – their obligations other than the funding to the community? Mahsi.
Thank you. The Department of Transportation has tried to find positions for individuals that were working on the ferry and the ice crossing. So at this point, the individuals that normally built the ice crossing will be given opportunities to assist on the Dempster ice crossing if they wish to do so. There were 13 employees on the ferry, most of them being casual employees, but three affected full-time employees. One retired. One of those positions was maintained by the department and another one had moved to run a different ferry, at Fort Simpson, actually. Thank you.
Thank you. It’s encouraging that the government continues to at least build upon the relationship agreement with the Community Opportunities Funds and the Community Involvement Agreement.
How could the Minister of the Department of Transportation perhaps help out the community by, maybe, discussions with the community to help enhance the strategic location of Fort Providence as a major highway and marine centre and not just simply a drop-by community? Mahsi.
Thank you. Certainly, anything that the community, the Fort Providence Metis Council and the Deh Gah Got’ie First Nations wish to do with that opportunities money that involves transportation, whether it be highways or marines, the department would be prepared to work with that community in order to develop something so that, as the Member indicates, it’s not so much a drive-by community, because the bridge is in and the traffic does flow through more readily than it used to with the ferry. So, yes, we will be prepared to work with those two organizations to try to develop something that can attract people to stop in, in Fort Providence. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you. I’d like to once again thank the Minister for his response. It seems there’s a positive spirit to maintain the working relationship with the community. One of the opportunities that the community faces, of course, is building upon the tourism opportunities.
Would the Minister agree that the GNWT Department of Transportation would continue its obligation to maintain the winter road access of the ferry crossing? Mahsi.
Thank you. The department is prepared to look at the cost of maintaining the stretch of highway from the ferry on the north side of the river to the old ice crossing. Right now the only program that we have available is a capital program, the Access Roads Program, and that would be something that would go to make sure that road doesn’t deteriorate and that would probably be summer work. But one of the main things where work is needed was to clear the snow. So we’re going to work with the community to, first of all, determine the cost of that because it’s not in any program, and then determine how we could maybe cost share to keep that road open from the bridge to the old ice road. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
