Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I received a response Wednesday to my written questions to the Minister of Transportation’s climate change adaptation statement of May 31st. It contains some startling cost figures and is clearly a prophesy for the future.
I asked for information on a number of topics, including cost impacts on the road systems. A five-year-old conservative estimate sets the impact on roads to $1.2 million every year. Five-year-old figures aren’t too useful when Arctic sea ice melt estimates are withering faster than the ice.
Elsewhere the response tops up the bill: $300,000, for ferry ice spray equipment, $1.5 million for Highway No. 3 test strips and $100,000 for a vulnerability assessment, $700,000 to extend openings at three ferry crossings, $852,000 to repair shifting highways. The report goes on: $230,000 for Climate Change Adaptation Plan development, $140,000 for ice penetrating radar, $90,000 for ice road adaptation projects, $860,000 for improved de-icing facilities at the Yellowknife Airport.
Mr. Speaker, I asked for information on the Inuvik Airport when their plane slid off the runway, but that wasn’t supplied.
In all, over $6 million in increased costs just for the specifics I asked for. Remember, this is only the Department of Transportation budget. It doesn’t even touch the costs to all other departments for damage to infrastructure, increased costs of maintenance, or impacts on cost of living for all of our citizens for shrinking roads, impacts on different structure, et cetera, damage to their property.
As the Minister’s May 31st statement said, the facts are daunting and pose a new level of uncertainty. So what’s the response? Well, the proud news release of last week confirmed we hope to limit NWT greenhouse gas emissions of 2020 to a 66 percent growth over 2005 levels. As our current highways degrade and soak up increased maintenance dollars, we plan to drive new roads across some of the worst construction conditions in the world.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
We may be able to build the Inuvik-Tuk highway and Mackenzie Valley Highway but can we maintain them? Just ask my colleague Mr. Menicoche about Highway No. 7.
So what would be an appropriate response, Mr. Speaker? We clearly need to recognize our situation and provide the leadership so needed on this pervasive issue. Let’s put in place the policies that lead aggressively to a low-carbon economy in ways that build new industries, provide new jobs, strengthen our local economies and generate the environmental benefits we all want so much.
Such action would attract the people we want to come north and join our society as we lead the way. I will be asking questions later during question period, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
