Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had a few other questions for the Minister of Transportation as it pertains to the Government of the Northwest Territories future financial obligations to the Deh Cho Bridge project. The Minister had mentioned that our first payment, I believe, is due in January 2010. I just wanted to clarify with the Minister what that payment is going to be. Is it going to be $3.8 million? Mr. Speaker, that is the question that I have. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I believe I said the payment was due in December for $2.5 million.
I thought I heard January, but it could have been December. That would, from my knowledge, include $1.8 million and that is the cost of the ice road crossing there, and the ferry operations, and the $2 million that we can thank the last government for as a top-up on that payment. That is $3.8 million that the government is going to have to pay whether it is in January or December of next year some time. I would like to ask the Minister where that money is going to come from and if that is the correct amount, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the money I was referring to was the payment that was due to the lenders. We expect that we would probably be in the position to have to cover that portion of it and have a recovery plan through chargebacks of some sort. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister what the government’s yearly payment is going to be to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation for the Deh Cho Bridge once the construction has concluded. Is it going to remain at $3.8 million or does the Minister foresee it going higher than that? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the payment is going to be the subsidy that is going to be provided to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, $2 million and a portion of the operations that we currently operate right now through the ferry service and the ice bridge construction, minus the operation of the toll that we are going to be holding back. We expect that to be around $300,000. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering if the Minister can give us an estimate. I know the $2 million and if you add that to the $1.8 million...I want some assurance from the government that it is going to be a certain amount. I don’t think it is something that we can just guess. I think we need to know what we’re getting ourselves into. Is it going to be the operation to the ice crossing and ferry operations at the time or is it going to be what we were told two years ago when the bridge was being talked about then? That was $1.8 million, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we certainly can provide that information to the Member. We have already indicated how the calculations are going to be made, what formula is going to be used and how much our subsidy is. He is asking us for specifics on dollars and cents here, so I would be very reluctant to give him that information from the top of my head. We will calculate it. We will provide it to him in short order. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
