Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since it’s our last day before we sit again in October, I want to use this opportunity to question the Minister of Transportation on dust control, because in October we won’t have to worry about it.
The Minister has heard many times from myself and my colleague from Mackenzie Delta on the need for dust control on the Dempster Highway. I’d like to ask him if those decisions to apply dust control are made at the regional level or from headquarters.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the issue of dust control and some of the issues on the highway transportation systems, certainly the regional offices have some say in terms of moving projects forward. They certainly come up to the headquarters level. At the headquarters level we have discussions in terms of funding allocations and priorities in the areas where we have to look at reconstruction. From there we make decisions, and we provide that back to the regional office in terms of the projects that go forward.
I’d like to ask the Minister if the regional office does submit budgets to headquarters, and in those budgets do they earmark particular money for dust control.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is right. The regional offices submit certain projects to go forward. When it comes to the headquarters level, we certainly have some discussion and forward that to the regional office for approval of certain projects based on funding requirements and priorities in our transportation system across the North.
Obviously, the Minister has heard our concerns in this House. The travelling public in the Beaufort-Delta have expressed their concerns to us, to the Minister, to the regional office. There’s a disconnect somewhere; somebody is not getting the message, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to ask the Minister if his department or headquarters would direct the regional operations to earmark a particular pot of money for dust control, so we can have more than 100 feet of dust control on the Dempster.
I have driven the Dempster; I know what the Member is talking about. I certainly made the deputy and the regional office aware. We have set aside a certain amount of money in each of the regional operations. They forward their requests and know that the regional office in Inuvik has indicated it’s very high on the list in terms of the issue of improving the dust-control budget.
We have increased the budget based on his recommendations — not to the amount I know the Member would like us to. However, I made it clear to the deputy that I would like to see the Dempster Highway receive more of the dust-control revenue. It’s a major reconstruction, so I made it very clear to the department that I’d like to keep the focus on this issue — as the Member has talked about — on the Dempster Highway, in terms of dust control.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a concern, because I’ve seen rocks flying. I’ve seen rocks exploding windshields. It’s a serious concern to the travelling public of BeaufortDelta.
The Minister stated that the department does allocate money for dust control. I’d like to ask the Minister, just in closing, if his office monitors the amount of money that is spent on dust control, and the amount of work that was done on the dust-control situation on the Dempster.
Mr. Speaker, I share the concern with the Member, because as I’ve said, I have driven the Dempster Highway. I know what the people there are faced with.
We certainly monitor our dust control in terms of the Dempster Highway. We’ve continued to increase the budget. I would like to see the budget increased to satisfy the people who drive the Dempster Highway. I’ve again asked the department…. If we were to find some additional dollars, I’d certainly like to have the Dempster Highway looked at as one possibility in terms of putting money into it to deal with the dust control.
Just for your information, dust control up there for the North is very expensive. We’ve estimated it at $5,000 per kilometre, as opposed to the southern parts of the Northwest Territories, where dust control on gravel is about $1,500 per kilometre. We have to somehow deal with some of these costs.
I do share the concern with the Member and look forward to working with him in terms of how to deal with this issue.
Thank you, Minister Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
