Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the last couple of days I've been talking about the road to the Slave Geological Province with regard to my Member's statements. This is obviously a very significant project that could provide many important benefits to the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, it's a major piece of our mandate, but it still remains a little bit unclear as what to our vision and commitment for this critical piece of infrastructure really is. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. Last year the Minister advised the Assembly that the government was conducting a P3 business case assessment of this critical piece of infrastructure. I wonder if the Minister can provide the House with an update with regard to this assessment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Infrastructure.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The P3 business case, we continue to work on it and it should be done shortly, if it isn't done already. I'd have to check on that. We have submitted our comprehensive proposal to the National Trades Corridor Fund with the federal government; we did that last November. We're hopefully going to hear about this funding in the coming months from federal government on what the uptake on that is going to be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister for his update. I'm hopeful that we're going to see a positive reply here from the federal government. So I guess the next question, then, would be: if the funding and the P3 is approved, can the Minister inform us what the actual next steps would be?
That's going to depend on the level of funding. This is a significant project that's been submitted, like I said, with the National Trades Corridor Fund, which is application-based with all of Canada. That's where it's sitting presently. There's $2 billion for the whole country. Depending on the level of funding we're getting, it could done in various stages. We'd have to conduct some environmental studies and some engineering studies before we can move to an environmental phase. Depending, of course, on the amount of funding we get, we're going to have to involve consultation in engaging people Indigenous groups and people in the Northwest Territories.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. The Minister touched on the idea that we would have to undertake an environmental assessment. We know that recently a major concern is the potential impact that this corridor might have on the Bathurst caribou. We've seen roadways built in other areas that, you know, have had some effect on wildlife: our Highway 3 going south, we see bison along the road all the time; the Porcupine caribou have been crossing the Dempster for many years, and they are a thriving herd. We know the Bathurst is a fairly sensitive herd. They are, or are near being considered, an at-risk species. I just wonder: can the Minister advise what the Department of Infrastructure is doing or who they are working with to understand the impacts this road might have on the Bathurst herd?
As I said, this is early days of this project, but we are very mindful of the caribou, moving this whole project forward. Infrastructure has been working very closely with the Department of ENR to identify gaps, particularly around knowledge and opportunities around the caribou. We realize that, as this project advances, this type of work with ENR and others to explore the migration route options and to reduce the impacts of caribou on our proposed route would have to take place, and we will continue to do that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
