Debates of March 5, 2013 (day 18)

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Statements

QUESTION 182-17(4): COST OVERRUNS RELATED TO INUVIK TO TUKTOYAKTUK HIGHWAY PROJECT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to say that the $299 million was not hypothetical; those are the Minister’s own words. So let’s roll down to some of this.

It’s not hypothetical when the GNWT is brokering a deal with the federal government. So maybe the Minister can enlighten this House, and educate the public, on what the risks are with this particular deal if and when cost overruns do happen. And that’s not hypothetical because there’s not one single GNWT project that hasn’t had cost overruns. These are real risk matrix problems that the department will be working on.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That confidential briefing was provided to Members two weeks ago. It included a risk matrix. I also committed during that meeting to provide Members with an updated risk matrix.

We don’t have a funding agreement with the federal government. We haven’t wrapped up negotiations with the Inuvialuit on royalties and land tenure. There are some things that we have to finalize before we can get that number into committee and get another presentation before the standing committee. No decision has been made on this project. We are still awaiting word from the federal government. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I can’t argue with the facts that the Minister just said. He’s right; no decisions have been made. But I can tell you, clearly, that there is a deal being brokered that sounds like a decision made by Cabinet.

Speaking to the risk matrix, would the Minister be willing and certainly be innovative by providing a plain language document of the risk matrix based on the Inuvik-Tuk Highway Project so Northerners can fully understand what their territorial government is taking on and what burden they may be burdened with? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that would be pages 9 and 10 of the briefing that was provided, the deck that was provided to the committee. The Member is well aware of what the risks are. We laid them all out on the table two weeks ago.

As the project moves forward, we will continue to lay out the risks associated with this project. For a project that’s close to $300 million, there will be some risks. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, when it goes $299 million and you say it’s close to $300 million, that is pretty well $300 million, so we can’t undersell this. I do not have the authority to release the risk matrix, but the problem is that the public is being denied the facts of how risky this project is and how scary it looks from this side of the House. Only the Minister has that authority.

Will the Minister release a plain language document, the details, the risks that have been identified and what potential burdens that Northerners may be taking on similar to what just happened to the Deh Cho Bridge? They need to be fully informed.

Mr. Speaker, we will have a project soon. Hopefully sometime this week we’ll get answers back from the federal government. Our objective is to have that risk assessment, the risk matrix out for public consumption hopefully by the end of this week.

For the Member to stand up in the House and say that it’s only going to be Cabinet’s decision on this project and that we are brokering a deal, he’s making it seem like we’re doing this behind closed doors. That decision will be made on the floor of this House by Members of this Legislative Assembly. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister’s light on detail when it comes to how risky the risk matrix actually is. It talks about potential problems.

Will the Minister fully commit to this House in a clear answer as to all the particular risks in a plain language document so Northerners from north to south, from east to west, all Northerners will have a full opportunity to realize what risks are involved in this project and how serious the GNWT is in ignoring some of the risks and what we may be taking on as taxpayers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are not ignoring the risks. The reality is, in a project this size, there are risks. There are risks in everything. There are risks when you walk outside the door. We will, like we provided to the Members of this House, provide publicly the risks associated with this project. We are still trying to put this together. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.