Debates of May 10, 2007 (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to continue with a line of questioning for the Minister of Transportation. Again it’s on the Deh Cho Bridge project and I’d like to certainly sign up to negotiate with this government. I mean, here the Minister talks about negotiations going on and these guys can’t even put a top level on what they’re willing to spend; what the tolls are going to be. It’s an open-ended negotiation. I think that’s what I haven’t heard from the government is what is the ceiling? Where are we going to go to? What are we prepared to spend? What are we willing to put the residents here at risk of paying in terms of consumer goods? What’s going to be the increase to consumer goods here in the North Slave region? So I’d like to, again, ask the Minister of Transportation, and I understand negotiations are going on, what is the ceiling? Is it an open-ended negotiation and we’re going to build a bridge at any cost? Is that what’s going to happen, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 55-15(6): Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As per the Deh Cho Bridge Act, we’ve committed to $6 per ton for the trucks per load plus inflationary costs over the years that come. As well, Mr. Speaker, we have committed a lot of the costs that it actually costs us to operate our ferries and ice bridges right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 55-15(6): Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m still a little bit confused on this aspect of it, too. Yesterday in the sessional statement by the Premier, the Premier talked of a couple of things: the Deh Cho Bridge project on one hand and then on the other hand we talk of the Taltson expansion, which would take, in his sessional statement, an estimated 2,000 truckloads of fuel from going across that bridge. In my estimation, and the Minister said it earlier today, it’s $250 a truckload; that equates to over $1 million in lost revenue, lost whole revenue on that bridge. Has the government accounted for that lost revenue should the Taltson expansion go ahead? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 55-15(6): Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of the discussion that we have been talking to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation with is, of course, still in our concession agreement, but some of the maximum costs that we are looking at is up to around $4 million a year annually to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 55-15(6): Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to get that figure of $4 million, and I guess it’s in Hansard now, so I’m not sure if it’s written in stone anywhere but that would be a good place to start, and I don’t think it should go over that, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to ask a question to the Minister about risk. Should the toll revenue decrease $1 million a year five years from now, who’s going to absorb that $1 million in risk, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The time for question period has expired; however, I’ll allow this line of questioning to continue. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 55-15(6): Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. That level of detail is in the concession agreement as to risk factors, what happens if the federal government bans trucks altogether where do we even collect any money at all. Some of those details are in the concession agreement. That level of detail, I cannot state in this House at this moment, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, that points clearly to why it is so very, very important that before the government enters into a concession agreement, that it shares the information with Members of this House so that we can ask questions so that we can assess the risk that the government, not just this government but the next governments for the next 35 years are going to be having to live with. So will the Minister commit to sharing that level of detail with this House before a concession agreement is signed off? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Deh Cho Bridge Proposal

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we can provide that to the Member and to the committee at the appropriate time. I think I said we committed to find some time next week to further discuss the Deh Cho Bridge project in as much detail as we can to the committee. Thank you.