Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak today about an agreement that’s posted on the Department of Transportation’s website. It’s entitled Community Opportunities and Involvement Agreement. It’s an agreement between the community of Fort Providence, represented by the Deh Gah Got’ie First Nation and the Fort Providence Metis Council.
Mr. Speaker, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation was, for all intents and purposes, the best laid efforts of the community of Fort Providence to construct and manage the Deh Cho Bridge. Events of the past year have led to the dismissal of the original general contractor and the removal of the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. For most people across the Northwest Territories, the belief is that the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation was out and the Government of the Northwest Territories was stepping in to manage the construction costs and the project through to conclusion.
The wrinkle was the concession agreement had to be terminated and an agreement reached with the community on benefits. The letter agreement provided for an orderly termination of the concession agreement. It also provided for the Government of the Northwest Territories to manage the legal defence to claims against the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation.
The former government and Premier kept repeating that the project would benefit the community of Fort Providence through a return on investment via their equity position in the project. The equity was supposed to be $5 million. It never ever did materialize and this did not stop the previous government from still signing the concession agreement. When asked, the former Premier used the term “deemed equity.” The truth is, Mr. Speaker, without the equity, the benefits were never ever going to materialize.
Once the concession agreement needed to be terminated, the government and Minister felt it necessary to negotiate a deal with the community of Fort Providence. The deal is, Mr. Speaker, $8,000 a month until March of 2012 and from there on an annual grant of $200,000 to the community for 35 years beginning April 1, 2012. That’s $7 million with no less than four opportunities to address adequacy over that time.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve always supported opportunities for the community, but I remain sceptical of this very one-sided deal which will be the envy of all communities across the Territory. The way I see it, the deal was always a partnership. If revenue does not materialize to pay for the bridge, are taxpayers in this Territory going to be forced to pay for this agreement and make up any shortfall in the operation of this bridge? Most definitely. I’ll have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
