Thank you, Mr. Chair. The advanced education went by so fast I just wanted to ask a quick question with respect to Aurora College. I understand for the Yellowknife Campus – I think we asked this last year – that we’re running out on the lease. Has that been renewed? Where are we at with that and what’s the thinking on providing a new campus for Aurora College in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. As I stated earlier, we did extend that lease agreement this fall for up to three years, and potentially up to five years, depending on the progress that we’re making. We’re working closely with Public Works and Services and also private contractors out there. We’re looking at all options, how we can build this facility and that is the discussions that we’ve been having. So we have extended the lease up to five years. Three years first and then we can extend it for another two years if we need more time. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Again, committee, 8-2, Education, Culture and Employment, department summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $3.205 million. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Does committee agree that consideration for Education, Culture and Employment has been concurred with?
Agreed.
Thank you very much. Committee, we’d like to thank our witnesses today, Mr. Devitt, Ms. Eggenhofer and Minister Lafferty. Thank you very much. Could I get the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort our witnesses out of the Chamber?
What is the wish of committee? We’ll ask the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay, does he have witnesses he’d like to bring into the Chamber?
I hope so, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. We’ll just take a brief break here for one second.
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Welcome back, committee. Mr. Ramsay, witnesses seem to be in transit. Do you care to proceed without witnesses?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe we have one witness here that I’d like to bring into the Chamber. If the other comes, they come. We can start with one.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. When the witness comes in, if I could get the Sergeant-at-Arms to bring the witness into the Chamber. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. If you’d care to introduce your witness to the committee, please.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We will only have one witness with me today to review the capital plan for the Department of Transportation and that is Deputy Minister Russ Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Welcome to the House, Mr. Neudorf. Welcome back. We are on page 9-2, Transportation. We’ll defer that. If I can get you to turn to page 9-4, Transportation, activity summary, airports, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.5 million. We’ll be going to the Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question about one item on this particular budget. Actually, I think I’m on the wrong page. Which page are we on, Mr. Chairman?
Airports.
I’m on the wrong page. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Okay. Pages 9-4 and 9-5, Transportation, activity summary, airports, infrastructure investment summary. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just going to the budget. I’d like to stress the need for an extension to the airport in Aklavik. I do not see it in the plans over the next few years but I just wanted to stress that it is needed for the community to expand the runway there, just for safety reasons. It was done in Fort McPherson, and I believe there were plans to do the same in Aklavik and I would just like to stress to the Minister that I would really appreciate it if that was in the budget for the coming year.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a comprehensive review done in 2007 and the airport in Aklavik wasn’t identified at that time as a priority. We do review annually the priorities and needs around the territory, so if things have changed in Aklavik and the need arises to have another look at that, it’s something we would consider.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Moving on with questions I have Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wonder if I can get, I don’t see any project substantiation sheets for this. It could be the new technology I’m trying to use here. The runway stabilization for Aklavik, Deline, Tuk and Liard, I wonder if I can get an explanation of what that’s about.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m not sure why the Member wouldn’t have the project substantiation on the runway stabilization. I’ll go to Mr. Neudorf to provide an explanation on how that money is going to be spent.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is an ongoing program that the department has, where we apply a product called EK35 onto gravel runways. It helps to hold the granular surface of the runway together to maintain its integrity. It maintains the surface of the runway for a longer period of time. As I mentioned, we’ve been doing it for a number of years. So this current year we were in Fort Good Hope and Tulita. We did a first application in Aklavik. We supplied product for Deline and Tuk. In 2013-2014, in the year under consideration here, we will be taking that product that we moved into Deline and Tuk and applying it there, as well as doing a second application in Aklavik. Runways in the future are Nahanni Butte and Fort McPherson.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Bromley.
Thanks for those details. Is this something we do on regular intervals? How long does this last? Has there been any change in the longevity of the efficiency or the resilience of this treatment?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that is done every, roughly, 10 years and we have had some success with that application. It’s also used, I’ll mention this, that compound EK35 has also been used in the community, I believe, of Tulita. They had used that to put it down in the community of Tulita to supress the dust and it does work. They were happy with that application. We’ve had success with it at runways around the territory.
Thanks again for those comments. I guess just for my own education here, how many gravel strips, community airport strips do we have? Is that information easily available?
It would be 27 total. Six would be paved and the remainder would be gravelled, 21 gravelled.
That’s all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Moving on with questions I have Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister if the airport division has done some analysis or projections regarding the Sahtu oil and gas early exploration activity in and around Norman Wells and Tulita. I met with the Deline Charter Community last week and they were asking, because of the increase in that airport facility they are starting to see more and more activity with passengers and freight, and they were asking if the department would consider, in its capital plans, to expand the airport terminal in Deline.
Also, if the Minister could help me out with types of analysis that his department is taking in regard to the oil and gas activity that’s going to happen this winter in Norman Wells and Tulita, and also in the future with Fort Good Hope. I just received the award bids for that community in that area. Basically, it’s the Sahtu-wide infrastructure on transportation – marine, airport and roads – so I’ll be asking the Minister these questions throughout this process here. But I want to know about the airports in our region.
I also want to take the time to say thank you to the Minister and the government for working very well with the community of Colville Lake in their construction of the new airport. It was a job well done. It was top notch. The Minister and his staff need to be commended on this work here. There are very rare times that we commend the government on good work from time to time, however, when the Minister is up there with his staff members that the people up in Colville Lake were very happy that they were allowed to expand their capabilities and skills to prove that the small community in Colville Lake could build a $13 million airport. I want to just thank the Minister for that job that was well done by everybody that was involved.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the Member for his comments. It was certainly a pleasure to be in Colville Lake and open the Tommy Kochon Airport there in the community about two weeks ago with the Member. We’re happy to do that.
We are watching closely, as development occurs in the Sahtu and exploration continues, what the impact is going to be on transportation infrastructure in the Sahtu. I know the Member’s comments in this regard were airports. The region is served by a regional airport in Norman Wells. Last winter landings and take-offs increased threefold. We expect that trend will continue this coming winter, and probably be even twice as much as it was last winter. We’re keeping a watchful eye on that.
When it comes to a community like Deline, if exploration continues and Deline becomes a place of activity and there’s more of a requirement there, the runway length in Deline is certainly something the government would consider if that happens.
We did a runway study back in 2007 which resulted in a couple of extensions in the Sahtu. One in Tulita and the other in Fort Good Hope. We worked with the community of Fort Good Hope to extend their runway, as well, an extra 500 feet. We’re anxious to again improve transportation infrastructure in the Sahtu when it comes to airports, and hopefully at some point in time that will include all-season roads as well.
The runway extension in Deline, maybe the Minister could help me here with explaining the new Transportation rules on take-off and landing with the type of aircraft that is used in the Sahtu, primarily by NorthWright Aviation. Deline is in partnership with NorthWright and they are stating that with the new Transportation ruling coming in, that they’re only allowed a certain amount of weight and passengers on their aircraft that could safely fall within the guidelines for taking off and landing. Maybe the Minister could help me understand this, that this is why they are asking for a partnership, if they could look at a situation where the community or land corp and the Transportation department can extend their runway so that they can fly in freight and more passengers, rather than limit their capabilities to a number that they have to abide by under Transportation Canada. Is that something the Minister is willing to look at with the community? I could possibly be wrong here, so I want to ask the Minister if he could help me understand how it would help the community of Deline with their initial proposal to extend their runway to a length that would be more economically beneficial for them on passengers and freight.
At the same time, they would want to look at their airport terminal, which is getting quite crowded now with the number of passengers coming in through Deline, and that terminal is pretty cramped when you get a lot of people into one spot at a given time when an aircraft is coming in or taking off. That’s what I would like to look for in the Minister’s reply back to this runway situation. It is causing some hiccups with the community. Thank you.
I appreciate the Member’s concern about the runway length in a community like Deline. As he’s referenced, the runway in Deline is almost 4,000 feet. I know when I was on the Regular Members’ side, the Member had brought this concern up a number of times in committee and in the House. Since I became Minister a year ago, I haven’t received a formal proposal from the airline or the community. I’d be more than happy to try to work, like we did in Fort Good Hope, to try to come up with a solution if an extension is required in Deline, to try to find a way to work toward that. But, again, I haven’t received a formal proposal or anything of that nature from the airline or the community, but certainly, it’s something we’d be willing to look at should that happen.
I will relay the comments of the Minister to the community of Deline and I look forward to working with the Minister throughout this Assembly to see what possibilities are out with the extension of the runway. I’ll take it as that.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Reminding Members, we’re on 9-4, Transportation, activity summary, airports, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.5 million. Does committee agree?
Agree.
Thank you. Moving on to 9-7, Transportation. Actually, 9-7 includes 9-8, Transportation, activity summary, marine, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $450,000. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to ask the Minister, my line of questions again are around the Sahtu and the exploration activities that are happening this year and…(inaudible)…well, for a long time. I want to ask the Minister on the transportation support that the community is going to be needing in the future, and again ask for, I guess, a comprehensive analysis of all the transportation to support the infrastructure, again, happening in the Sahtu. I want to ask about the marine and if there’s any thought of his department considering moving a marine ferry up into that area to support the activity in Norman Wells or Tulita.
Again, I had my meeting last week, a couple weeks ago with the leadership from Deline, and they talked about the climate change and the freezing of the Great Bear Lake and how thin that ice is being frozen every year. They asked the question of would the department consider putting a ferry at Great Bear Lake. These are some of the things that are happening in my region.
There are two points that I want to ask the Minister. First is if he foresees a possibility of once the Deh Cho Bridge is open and used, you know, they’ve got an extra ferry in the yard here. Is that something that the department would consider to support the oil and gas activity in and around the Sahtu, for having a ferry up in our area? Would he consider looking at Deline’s request for a ferry at Great Bear Lake? I mean, that’s a pretty far out idea; however, we’re actually at the point where they need to look at things like this in the future because of the climate change.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Ramsay.
I thank the Member for his questions. Certainly, the Sahtu holds much promise from an economic standpoint, and there’s going to be, again this winter, a tremendous amount of exploration in the area. We’ve had some preliminary discussions with industry on how we can work together. First off, we are, again, looking at partnering with industry on the maintenance and enhancement of the winter roads in the region so that heavier loads can be brought in, so that they can be opened earlier and last a little bit longer. That will be beneficial to residents as well as industry in the Sahtu.
As far as the utilization of a ferry in the Sahtu, we would have to look at the possibility of an all-weather road being constructed from Norman Wells south to Wrigley, and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities, given the potential of the Sahtu and the amount of oil that’s in the ground there. As the resource is proven up and if it does get into commercial production, that is something, I think, that certainly could happen. If we don’t have the $70 million to build a bridge across the Bear River, a ferry would have to be put into service at the Bear.
There are possibilities. I think the possibilities are endless when you look at the Sahtu and the opportunities that are there. We’re going to continue to work with industry, continue to move things along, and when it comes to road, marine, winter roads, airports, we’re watching quite closely what is happening in the Sahtu and we’ll be ready when we need to be, and making the decisions we need to, to ensure that we’re maximizing those opportunities. I believe by working with industry and working with the communities in the Sahtu, we’ll be able to do that.
