Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously the days are getting much shorter and the weather is turning cold. Snow is on the ground both here in Yellowknife and at the Mackenzie River crossing at Fort Providence.
Back in July when it was much warmer, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Abernethy and I had the opportunity to tour the Deh Cho Bridge Project in Fort Providence. Work was continuing on the piers and the approaches, but there was no steel anywhere on site. We were told then that the steel would be showing up sometime in mid-September, but it didn’t.
It is now the third week of October. I would like to know when exactly the steel will show up in Fort Providence. The Minister and the department both are still adamant that the bridge would be operational in November of next year. I hope they are correct.
The reason I remain so concerned, Mr. Speaker, is that if we miss the date, it will cost us at a minimum $8 million in debt servicing cost and, Mr. Speaker, aren’t we expecting costs to construct this 1,100 metre steel bridge in Arctic conditions to go up?
Mr. Speaker, when talking about potential costs to this government, where exactly is the construction audit at? Will the Minister be reporting back to the standing committee or this House on the findings of that construction audit? It was supposed to take two months and it has been six months. We haven’t heard anything. If we are paying for costs for that audit, has it cost us more than we budgeted for?
I recently visited the Department of Transportation’s website and I didn’t find a summary or a breakdown of funding sources for the annual operation of the bridge. Mr. Speaker, originally the government stated it would commit $1.8 million for the Deh Cho Bridge Project, which was the actual cost to operate the ferry and maintain the ice crossing at Fort Providence on an annual basis, and the decision of the last government, which would be to commit another $2 million annually to the project.
With the delays in getting the project complete, these numbers have changed. Mr. Speaker, so have projected toll revenues. Just last September the Minister and department stated that toll revenues would be $5.1 million per year, and just recently that number had fallen to $3.2 million. What was a $3.8 million contribution, Mr. Speaker, has risen to over $5 million. The real economics of the project...
Mr. Ramsay, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
The real economics of the project should also be put on the Transportation website as well, and I’ll have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
