Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Two years ago we embarked on the very important project of the construction of Access Road 177. This $12 million three-year project involves local contractors and local suppliers and employs 75 to 80 people. The majority of the locals are all Inuvialuit. The project is an excellent start to what will one day become the Mackenzie Valley Highway, but it is only the start.
Recently the Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik road project required $975,000 towards the project description report and preliminary design. Currently the projects are being evaluated by the Environmental Impact Review Board. Once the project is finished this phase and gets the required funding, then hopefully we can get the shovels in the ground. All of these pieces are part of the Mackenzie Valley construction project.
This project would inject $1.2 billion to $2 billion of infrastructure of spending in the Northwest Territories, especially when the area is not currently benefitting by the large mining programs. These would push the Mackenzie Pipeline one step closer to reality. This would only generate huge employment in our region, would provide attractive infrastructure to industry.
This project is seriously to reduce the cost of living in the communities that I represent in Nunakput. This project would generate $35 million annually in the highway operations and maintenance contracts up and down the valley to create 181,000 person years of employment.
This government must lobby the federal government and must show the commitment. They must allocate multi-year funding. Even though this government is currently financially stretched, there are ways the parties could work together to get this going. Currently the Gwich’in and the Denendeh Development Corporation have majority shares of the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation who has initiated a P3 leaseback arrangement for the Mackenzie Highway Project. I know this government is well versed in P3 leasebacks. Currently there are many similar arrangements across the Territory. The Inuvik-Tuk working groups.
Lastly, this project would generate $250 million.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Lastly, this project would generate $140 million to $250 million worth of construction activity in the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk portion alone. It would be a huge shot in our economic environment in the region and in our Territory. Only with the completion of the highway, the federal government and the territorial government must say that Canada is truly linked coast to coast to coast.
I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation and Industry, Tourism and Investment at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
