Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today dismayed by the sudden prospect of up to a $32 million claim to the GNWT for the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk Highway. We’re not talking about nickels and dimes. This is a massive potential expense that the GNWT has not kept Regular Members up to date properly.
The GNWT press release last Friday says the contract claims are a normal part of the process, but the amount of the claim is not normal.
This is a potential absolute blow for our small communities. If the GNWT picks up the tab for this kind of contract over-expenditure, it eats into the money available for other projects. That means essential community infrastructure projects in our small communities suffer. In Nahendeh alone, that kind of money could have been spent on a school for Trout Lake, the Fort Simpson Health Centre and Highway No. 7.
On a territorial level, the recent CBC News report states it would cost $21 million for universal child care. Imagine that was possible or could be possible, but these claims are interfering.
Without a doubt, the Inuvik-Tuk Highway has made big improvements in employment in the Inuvik and Beaufort-Delta region, contributing to our NWT economy, and the project promises vital all-weather road connections, but it is unacceptable that other projects throughout the NWT could suffer.
As the GNWT evaluates these claims and because we’re so close to the election, Members must be regularly updated and there must be a full and fulsome debate here in the Legislative Assembly before any decisions are made.
I will be asking Cabinet to ensure that they do not proceed without consulting with Members or, and if needed, to discuss this fulsomely in the 18th Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
