Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have some questions addressed to the Minister of Transportation today. I’d like to get an update on the Deh Cho Bridge
It was my understanding that it was to be completed in the summer of 2013. I’d like to first of all ask the Minister, is the bridge considered completed, and if it is not, what is left to be completed and at what cost? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is no further outstanding work to complete the bridge. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister for that confirmation. I’d like to go back to December of 2011 when the then Minister of Transportation said in a Minister’s statement, December 13th it was, “At this time I also want to reiterate the commitment of the previous government, which was to undertake a retrospective analysis of the project after it’s completed. The analysis will include total project costs as well as lessons learned.”
I’d like to ask the Minister, now that the bridge project is considered completed, the Minister in 2011 stated that that analysis would take place within six months of completion. I figure we’re probably at about six months of the summer by now.
I’d like to know from the Minister of Transportation if the Department of Transportation is in the process of doing an analysis of the Deh Cho Bridge Project. Thank you.
The Department of Transportation is aware of the full cost of the bridge and whatnot and the evaluation will be based on the tolls that we’ve put in place for the crossing of the bridge at one point. At the end of I think the last fiscal year, we had completed an analysis of the cost, the toll costs and the revenues that we’ve received from that and we have that information available. Thank you.
That only goes partway to what I had understood was going to be the analysis of the project. I think the previous Minister spoke to lessons learned. Certainly, there were a lot of things to be learned from that project. It started off as a P3 project, it did not end up as P3 project. Certainly in the 16th Assembly there were many comments about what we needed to do to do a comprehensive analysis of the project, where things went right, where things went wrong. I understand that the Minister says there are costs there, but I’d like to know whether or not there’s going to be a further analysis, a comprehensive analysis of the project including all aspects of the project and provide that response to Members and to the public. Thank you.
I will talk to the department about what extent the bridge has been evaluated in as far as looking at the bridge for lessons learned and so on from the time the bridge was approved until the time the construction was completed and provide that information to the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thanks to the Minister, but I want to reiterate that what Members were asking for in the 16th and the 17th and what we’re now expecting is a full analysis of the project, as the Minister said, from the time that it was contracted…actually, from the time that I think the act was passed to when it was fully completed.
I’d like to know from the Minister, if that has not been done, when he responds, will he please advise when Members can expect that kind of analysis and report? Thank you.
Thank you. I don’t have a timeline on that. What I can do is go back to the department and they will provide me a timeline of that full analysis that the Member speaks of and then provide that timeline to the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
