Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Today I want to talk about one of the mismanagement projects that we’ve had in our history of the Northwest Territories. In fact, this project has even been earmarked by the Auditor General of Canada as having definite issues with accountability and transparency, and even more recently, the taxpayers are still dealing with cost overruns with this project. I’m talking about the Deh Cho Bridge.
This project is still not done. I’m led to believe that we are still dealing with structural issues and even as of this summer that we’ve just recently sole sourced a southern contractor for a substantial amount of money to fix the pillar that is in dire need of repair, which has failed engineering specifications and it is really an issue of safety. So I’m now going to ask the questions to the department, represented by the Minister of Transportation, or maybe give us a little bit of an update here.
What exactly is happening this summer with this new contract that’s being sole sourced to a southern firm? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that the bridge was shut down temporarily a couple of weeks ago to complete the work that had to be completed. I know that that did not create a tremendous amount of issues. We had some issue with the traffic and people wanting to haul larger loads across. We’re able to accommodate everything at this time. I don’t have the specifics of that contract that the Member refers to, but my understanding is that that’s not an issue. Thank you.
Contrary to what we just heard from the Minister, I don’t believe this is indeed what’s transpiring. What we’re hearing from the industry is that there is indeed a large contract that is coming from the South, sole sourced, to do major repairs on the cement pillar to bring it up to safety code. We’re also hearing that this organization is coming back to fix the railings that were not repaired last year and to fix the electrical system that was not done properly last year. Again, we’re hearing to the tune of up to $4 million. Can the Minister confirm or deny whether or not we’re going to be doing this large-scale project to bring this bridge really to safety code? Thank you.
Thank you. One of the piers that was repaired on the Deh Cho Bridge, we have confirmed that there were three issues with the pier underneath the water. What had happened was that after the repair work was done, we had taken photos of the repair work. Unfortunately, we only obtained two photos of the three areas. We’re going back down when the season is right to look at that pier. That’s my understanding of the pier and the rock that is around the pier. There is some work that needs to be done. There’s some holdback on it.
I’m not aware that we are requesting $4 million to complete work. If there is $4 million worth of work, it would be work that would be done in the budget that was approved here in the House. Thank you.
Thank you. This is exactly the problem with why the Auditor General of Canada was brought in to evaluate this project. We continue to have mismanagement of these cost overruns, we continue to have a clandestine approach to how this project is being managed in the department, Members on this side of the House have no idea where this money is being spent. We go to the website, there’s nothing mentioned. We go to the Deh Cho Bridge info website, what does it say, account suspended – no information.
Can the Minister indicate as to when we’re going to get updated information so we can follow this so-called phantom spending that may happen this summer? Thank you.
Thank you. I know that each time the Members had asked for an update on the Deh Cho Bridge, the department has been more than accommodating. We are prepared to do that and we can provide an update, full disclosure of costs, anything that needs to happen that we need to communicate to the Members.
The issue here is not as simple as the Member makes it out to be. We had an issue with a contractor, the contractor that had to be removed from the site or had been taken off the site. The contractor changed. There were some issues with that. Anytime you do a large-scale project of this size and you have to change contractors in midstream there’s a potential for issues. So, there is some of that and that had happened.
The bridge is substantially complete. There is some work that has to be done, some is seasonal and some are minor deficiencies, but nothing to the scale that the Member speaks of. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again I ask, the Department of Transportation website last correspondence was 2010. That is it. Your current Deh Cho Bridge website is suspended. I appreciate the Minister wanting to provide Members information, but I think the public deserves to know where their dollars are being spent, not just the Members.
Will the Minister commit to do a full disclosure update, update these websites, talk about all the money, talk about the reserve and put a final closure to this project so we know indeed what taxpayers are on the hook for? Thank you.
Yes, I will commit to that.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
