Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the early days of this government, we called on the government to determine the cost of buying our way out of the Deh Cho Bridge Concession Agreement, and yet this government declined that opportunity. We are now saddled with this bridge project.
The most recent news of an additional $15 million cost has severe implications for us. What does it mean? With the most recent news, we can forget about a new hospital wing in the immediate future and there are many other options we were considering that have now heard the door slamming shut with a disappointing bang. The soaring bridge costs puts undue pressure on our ability to meet our core social needs like improving daycare and early childhood education, protecting the environment and dealing with the onslaught of social ills we must address in more effective ways.
Mr. Speaker, I keep drawing the analogy of our personal lives as a test of our public policy. If we were a family, we would be getting close to living in the streets. Our credit cards are maxed out. We poured our money into building a new garage when the house is falling down. We are not penny wise on our controllable costs like energy. We are at that point where we can easily spiral into crippling debt. So what’s to do?
Mr. Speaker, I think we need to stabilize the current situation. We need to consider an assessment, perhaps a complete audit, of where we are at and how we got here and especially, Mr. Speaker, where our vulnerabilities are so that we don’t experience unexpected events that push that spiral faster and deeper.
We need to consider those aspects that are currently difficult to predict and get our house in order so that we can afford those eventualities. They will happen. We will hear and we have heard that we are expecting this not to be the final word on the costs for this bridge. It would be wonderful if it was the final word and we could come in at the current price, but the final action that we really need, Mr. Speaker, will be to consider and put in place some sort of mechanism, be it legislative or otherwise, that will actually prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future. We were saddled with this as a result of a ridiculous action by the previous Assembly and previous Cabinet and we must deal with that. Sorry, Mr. Speaker, we came into this with a situation…
Mr. Bromley, your time for Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I was saying, we came in saddled with this situation, we need to be sure that we are not going to saddle future Assemblies with the same sorts of yoke we had to bear here. I think that’s something we can do and I’ll look forward to making sure that happens and I ask for support on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today in response to the press release regarding the latest news on the Deh Cho Bridge. It was just two weeks ago that the Minister and his staff came before committee and said everything was fine even though numerous questions remained. The main contractor, ATCON, had been let go, the design work was still not complete and yet the Minister and even the Finance Minister in his budget address said the project could be completed on budget, although there will be a year’s delay. The government was quick to say that the new design would be less expensive to construct and here we are just two short weeks later and they want $15 million more to complete the project, again, without a signed contract and without a firm design.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve been greatly concerned about the project on many different levels since my election to this House in 2003. The process that allowed the last government to enter into the deal in the first place is one that I maintain was greatly flawed. The project made some sense when it was a 50 to 60 million dollar project that would be self-financing. However, when the project went to $160 million it was no longer self-financing. It defied any logic why the government would continue to pursue the project when the updated cost benefit analysis would indicate the project would have a $53 million negative impact.
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. The alarm bells were going off on this project and so-called partnership many years ago. The sad thing is, Mr. Speaker, not everybody was listening. This project has had problems from the very beginning and we can sit here and blame the last government, but this government’s been on the watch here for the last two and a half years and has to answer to that as well.
The question for government today is how to go forward with any confidence that this latest $15 million to be thrown at this bridge will be it. Residents want to know what this bridge will ultimately cost. Now the government is telling Members and residents its $182 million. Personally, Mr. Speaker, I don’t believe that it will be the final number. My guess is this project will cost close to $200 million by the time all is said and done and this, Mr. Speaker, is a complete and utter disaster of a project.
Mr. Speaker, the darkest days may yet be upon us as we continue to look at this project in this complete and utter boondoggle that the Deh Cho Bridge Project has become. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
