Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm going to ask Mr. Moore if he can speak a little
Thank you. ADM Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Most definitely, Highway No. 1, we are looking at from near the border up to Hay River. We've examined that highway very closely. As the deputy mentioned, we are prioritizing our dollars to the areas of greatest need, which in the case of Highway No. 2, for example, would be from Kilometre Zero to 42, with the work being planned for the summer of 2023. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
No further questions. Thank you.
Are there any further questions? Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'll start with some comments that I find the capital plan estimates to be one of the unworkable documents ever, and I get that first and foremost it is a Finance document, not an Infrastructure document. But as an example, we require every municipality to have asset management plans we are trying to get them all to have asset management plans. And they're great documents. They tell you the total replacement cost of every single asset they own. They kind of give you a timeline for construction. And I know the department has a lot of stuff inhouse. You know, obviously we know some information about deferred maintenance and we have some longterm capital planning, but none of that is public. The only public thing we have is this document that doesn't tell you the price of any project, doesn't tell you the timeline for construction, doesn't tell you whether it's on budget, doesn't tell you what we're planning to do beyond a specific fiscal. So I'm just wondering if the department has any plans to create some sort of asset management plan for the GNWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I think the Member will be happy to know that, yes, we are looking at something a little more transparent, and it's going to be called the dashboard. We are working on it now. Hopefully get it online by the fall. So I think that's great news. It'll be out in the public like the Member's asked. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Well, I feel like I don't have any more questions other than waiting to see this dashboard. I'm very, very excited about that. I guess well, I'm going to ask some questions about this potential dashboard.
I know that a lot of jurisdictions publish a fiveyear capital plan where it kind of breaks down what's being spent over five years and the year to year amount and kind of what's in the future. We don't presently do that. We don't presently even say how much we're spending in an individual year. Is that the kind of information I could expect in this dashboard? Thank you.
Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, you know, there's a lot of work that's being put into this to get it off the ground in the fall. But further to that, I'm just going to have Mr. Moore speak a little more detail as he's looking after the project. So I will give him the opportunity to be able to share with the committee on some of the great work that's happening. Thank you.
Thank you. ADM Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Minister mentioned, there's a lot of moving parts to this. We have a lot of great systems that track the asset conditions of different assets. For example, we track bridges and bridge conditions. We also track vertical infrastructure. And you're they're using different systems in different ways and different metrics. And so putting that all together into one dashboard is a complex process. Our plan is, by the fall of 2023, to have a public dashboard which demonstrates the status of our assets that folks can see over time. But we're still working through the details on that, Madam Chair. So more to come. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. I'm happy to hear that. I guess I believe that dashboard will address a lot of the concerns I have about, you know, trying to find some public information on asset management planning, deferred maintenance, kind of where we're at with that money. But I'm not sure it'll necessarily address the other concern I have which is that there's a fear that if we publicly state the cost of any project before tender in this House it's going to obstruct the tendering process. So the document I'm looking at right now doesn't tell us the cost of anything we are voting on. And I'm just wondering if the department has any intention to make some of that more public. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the Member's correct; I mean, we don't share detail about some of our tendering process in any of our projects. But, I mean, we would be able to share what we can publicly so it just doesn't skew the whole mess the information that we provide publicly. So I want to make sure that we share what we can so that people can just have a look at that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. And I think where I find this especially frustrating is sometimes it's public. The Minister released a news release saying the Frank Channel Bridge cost $50 million, and we got 75 dollars from ICIP, and then, you know, that happens, and now I look at that you know, I heard the Minister say that, you know, we're going through this process and we're going to work with Tlicho, but it's not now clear to me whether that $50 million is a true number and whether we're actually going to be higher. So, you know, I think once it's definitely some sort of public announcement is made, making sure that we keep track of that, would be very helpful. So I guess another way, do we have an updated cost of the Frank Channel Bridge beyond is it more than $50 million which was already announced? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to get the deputy minister to speak about, you know, some of the information we can and can't share because we it's federal funding as well so we need that engagement. Thank you.
Deputy minister Loutitt.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Minister is correct. There's certain figures that we can share, and there are oftentimes more of a global figure and in line with what we're getting from a federal contribution. Bear in mind that those costs are not specific for the entire project. They're broken down into department and to engineering and to getting water licenses and the planning and engagement with our Indigenous partners and such so it's more of a global number. But we do share the numbers in confidence with committee, and we continue to do that. But for to keep in line with the procurement process, we keep those numbers confidential. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you. I guess I'll try and get some numbers out of the department. I'm going to ask about the Slave Geological AllWeather environmental assessment and planning, which I we're going to do I see that it's been changed to finish planning for 20272028 for the first phase to Lockhart Lake. I also see that there's some federal money there. I'm not sure that the procurement concern applies so much to planning. I can kind of not really understand it for, you know, the actual building, but is someone willing to tell me how much we are going to spend on planning and how much money we got from the federal government for a section of the Slave Geological Province Corridor? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the deputy minister responsible for that project is coming up next but I'm going to give it a shot to ensure that we have some information out there perhaps.
So planning and engagement is underway to be able to advance this project. You know, we are looking at a target of late 2024. You know, the IGOs have been engaged through the summer and discussions about collaboration work continue. What are some some of the planned work that are that is happening is the environmental and geotechnical fieldwork as well as some Indigenous knowledge studies. We continue to engage with Indigenous governments, participation. This is a $40 million project that was announced, and it is 75/25. And as my deputy minister pointed out, that, you know, we probably won't go into detail. There are a number of factors that take up this amount of money so the thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you. Okay, I'm glad to hear well, I don't know if I'm glad to hear but I heard a number. We're spending $40 million on the planning. Sorry, but I heard the Minister say estimated completion 2024, and then I'm looking at the page 55, and it says 20272028 so can I just for environmental assessment and planning, when can we expect completion for the first phase to Lockhart Lake? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, yes, that is correct. That's the estimate time to be completed, 2027. But, however, the planning work for the environmental and geotech fieldwork is continuing so some of that work will continue up to 20232024.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. I'll just ask one more question that illustrates my frustration with the lack of transparency. I hear we're spending $40 million. Well, maybe it won't be frustrate me, but can someone tell me how much you're presently asking for or how much we plan to spend in this next fiscal? I can't see how that has any affect on procurement for me to know how much money you're presently asking the Assembly for. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the project is in a fivedevelopment phase. So phase 1 are some of the environmental planning that's funded under NTCF. So some of the federal funding is allocated to that. So I mean, some of the other stuff is very confidential because we still need to go out and do that work. But I want the Member to know that, you know, each different phases are funded. Thanks.
Thank you. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking just going through this budget here and understanding it.
This budget you're proposing, you're putting forward, you talking you look at your energy our project listing and that kind of thing. Does this cover winter roads as well, Madam Chair? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. No, this process does not cover that. That comes through some our operational maintenance. Thank you.
Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess what I'm just thinking is that, you know, we had a we got a budget of almost $2.2 billion, and in my riding we have 1.7 percent of the overall budget but yet in the South Slave Region, on the map here that I'm looking at, it says it's you know, we got 15 percent of overall costing but yet when I look at this, it doesn't cover off Fort Resolution, Dettah, N'dilo, or Lutselk'e. So I guess I'm wondering, like how do I, like, in Fort Resolution, we need chip seal in the community. They've been asking for that. And the question is when can we have that discussion, and maybe with the municipality is there something we could do there? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I can work with the Minister of MACA to be able to discuss some of the municipal roads and stuff. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for that. Now that what I was thinking is that when I take a look at all the winter roads right now here in the Northwest Territories, we got Colville Lake, we got Deline, we got Gameti, Nahanni Butte, Norman Wells, Sombaa K'e, Tulita, Wekweeti, Whati, Wrigley to Wrigley to Tulita, then we got Aklavik, and we got Dettah ice road. But yet, you know, we have the in Lutselk'e, we have an isolated community. You know, we have no means of transportation other than air and boat during the summer. There's no winter roads. And the community's been asking for a way to look at the high cost of living. And I just want to know if there's a way we could start really engaging with the chief and council, now that they have one in place now where the chief is James Marlowe, because they want to see a winter road as early as even this winter. But I know there's probably a process in place, or I just want to know if there's a way we could talk about that. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, within you know, within our Cabinet and with our department, we engage with the Indigenous groups to have a look at some of the things that we can do; however, I do want to assure the Member that we can talk off line to be able to have further discussions with the Indigenous group and how we can all work together. Thank you, Madam Chair.
