Mr. Speaker, I have some questions about the Deh Cho Bridge. I’m not sure who’s handling that file now, whether it’s the Minister of Transportation or not. Having said that, there’s been quite a bit of progress made on the Deh Cho Bridge. I had occasion to drive to Yellowknife once this summer and saw the platform that was built out into the middle of the river from which the work is being conducted, and a significant amount of progress has taken place. However, it was communicated in a media article about a week ago that the bridge is about six weeks behind schedule and that this may have an impact on the work that’s been done to date.
Now, when all the discussion was taking place on the bridge and the concession agreement, there was reference made to cost overruns. I wasn’t very satisfied with the description of cost overruns. Basically, it said anything unforeseen. So I don’t know if the delay in the schedule to date on the Deh Cho Bridge would have been classified as unforeseen cost. This is on the minds of a lot of Northerners. They’re wanting to know, if this delay in the schedule is going to cause the price of the bridge to escalate, who’s going to pay for it?
Thank you, Ms. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, we’re on schedule. The bridge is anticipated to be built by 2010. There is, as the Member indicated, some slippage in time frames. At the initial start of this project some material didn’t arrive as was expected, and also the high water deferred the initial start-up.
We are behind a little over a month, a month to six weeks. We expect to have all the four piers done over the winter, and we don’t expect any cost overruns.
So more specifically, then, if the contractors who are involved in this incur additional costs because of the six week delay and getting into colder temperatures and so on, just for the benefit of the public who are interested, these additional costs will not be borne by the Government of the Northwest Territories. In fact, the fixed price contract stays.
Mr. Speaker, the contract has, as the Member indicated, been signed under a maximum guaranteed price, and we expect any delays or things of that nature to be borne by the contractor and the corporation. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
