That’s all I had there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, committee. Committee, we’re on page 9, Transportation, operations expenditures, airports, not previously authorized. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to ask a question on the $140,000 with regards to the winter road ice paving program and also to enhance the winter road there. Is the $140,000 something that the Department of Transportation negotiated with industry with regards to their use of the winter road, their use of sections of the winter road? Is it to put water on the roads and to do other work to ensure that there’s safety with industry as they haul their equipment through the Sahtu region?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The $140,000 is a contribution from industry for enhanced maintenance on sections of the winter road that they will be using. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that from industry. I want to ask about the enhancement of the program. Is it entire sections of the Mackenzie Valley winter road that they’re putting the money into this area here?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. They’re looking at areas of how do they speed up the growth of the ice on ice crossings, repairing of winter roads or structures on ice bridges which are caused by excessive use, and then other just reasonable costs near the end of the season trying to extend road life.
Who are these industries?
LTS Infrastructure Services Limited partnership for $80,000 and Suncor Energy ENP partnership for $60,000.
So it’s a common practice that industry contributes also to our highway maintenance and enhancement of winter roads when they come up into the area to do work. Otherwise, the Department of Transportation would not see this type and amount of money going into winter roads. Is that correct?
That is correct.
Mr. Chair, that’s all I have to ask.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bromley.
I would just like to follow up on my colleague’s questions. My understanding is that industry’s use of the winter roads is a great cost to government and can really beat up the infrastructure. That has certainly been found in every jurisdiction. Is that the experience of this government?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The winter roads, by design, are not meant to take extreme traffic. In some cases it happens, so yes. There is a working relationship with industry to try to make sure we maintain the roads both for the public as well as the industry that is putting a burden on those roads, and it’s in everybody’s interest.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t think it’s our responsibility alone, obviously, to provide infrastructure for industry, so I appreciate that expectation that industry would participate in reducing the cost to residents and taxpayers.
Comment noted. Committee, we’re on page 9, Transportation, operations expenditure summary, airports, not previously authorized, negative $624,000. Highways, not previously authorized, $140,000. Total department, not previously authorized, negative 484,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, page 10, Environment and Natural Resources, operations expenditures, forest management, not previously authorized, $2.025 million. Total department, not previously authorized, $2.025 million. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Page 11, Lands, operations expenditures, operations, not previously authorized, negative $165,000. Total department, not previously authorized, negative $165,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Does committee agree that consideration for Government of the Northwest Territories Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2014-2015, is concluded?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 206-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2014-2015, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 206-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’ll just let the motion circulate.
The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Committee, we’ll continue on with what we agreed upon earlier, Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2015-2016. With that, we’ll turn it over to the Minister responsible for opening comments. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2015-2016. This document provides for an increase of $31.614 million to the 2015-16 capital budget.
The most significant item in these supplementary estimates is funding for the Department of Transportation, in the amount of $28.5 million, for the first bundle of projects proposed under the provincial-territorial component of the plan. This funding will be offset by the funding available through the new Building Canada Plan.
I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary estimates document. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. If I can get you to head to the witness table, please.
Mr. Miltenberger, for the record, if you can introduce your witnesses again.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Deputy minister of Finance, Mike Aumond; deputy secretary to the FMB, Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Again, welcome, Mr. Aumond and Mr. Kalgutkar, to the House.
Committee, we’ll open up with general comments. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just some brief comments. I’m really pleased to see these funds finally making it through the budget here. Specifically, on Highway No. 8, the Dempster Highway, as mentioned last year, we had a lot of people unemployed over the summer because this highway, the funds ran out, and I’m glad to see that these funds are now in place for the next 10 years here. A lot of people are going to be happy this summer with a lot of work up in my riding along the Dempster.
Also, as I mentioned, big improvements on this stretch of highway compared to the Yukon. We get a lot of compliments and I think that should be noted to the department as well.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. General comments. Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Chairman, I too am happy to see that the first bundle is making its way through the process here. I want to ask the Minister if there’s going to be a second bundle coming through. Because what I’ve seen in the existing highways, and rightly so, they deserve the work that’s being asked by the Members here for their highways. I’m still waiting for a highway. I’d like to be part of the group here, I mean, because I know in April we’re going to melt away, because our roads are not going to be staying too long.
I just wanted to say that the government is doing some good work to move some of these projects into the highways; however, I am…(inaudible)…waiting for another bundle to come through looking at the Mackenzie Valley Highway so I can be part of the discussion when we talk about highways in the future, and I say in the future. I just wanted to say good work on putting this package together and I look forward to some work here in the future. Those are my comments.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Continuing on with general comments, I have Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. If a member of the public was looking at this document they would see that, despite how many times I’ve been raising Highway No. 7 in this Legislature, over the years there is no contribution here. If the Minister can explain that, and I’ll certainly be looking for a response with regard to that. Why is it not on this document and what’s the attention this government is going to give Highway No. 7?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I’ll turn it over to Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the first bundle there’s going to be four years and $12 million. Then the second bundle is going to put in more funds, I think to the tune of $20-some million for the Liard Highway. The first bundle is a four-year time frame, but in a year or year and a half or so we’ll be coming forward with the work on the second bundle to make sure everything is in place and there’s no break. So the Liard Highway is getting additional attention, not just the money that is before us today. But the plan over the longer term is to continue to invest in the Liard in a significant way. Thank you.
That was previously approved, I think it was in the fall time, in our capital budget. Is that correct, Mr. Chair?
The Member is correct, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. General comments. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to say, for the record, I notice Highway No. 9 is missing, the one that runs off the access road straight into Yellowknife Centre, and I think it’s time we start to put that on the books.
In all seriousness, Mr. Chairman, I’m just wondering, not to get too far ahead of the detail, but is the additional money requested for the Detah road over and above the original contract? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. For that we’ll turn it over to the Minister of Transportation. Minister Beaulieu.
