Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 48 be amended by deleting clause 77 and the heading immediately preceding clause 77. Thank you
The motion is on the floor and being distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Clause 77 has been deleted. Clause 78, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, to the bill as a whole, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Does the committee agree that Bill 48, Arbitration Act, is now ready for third reading as amended?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Does the committee agree that this conclude our consideration of Bill 48, Arbitration Act?
Agreed.
Thank you, Minister, and thank you to your witnesses. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
Committee, we've agreed to consider Tabled Document 72319(2), Capital Estimates 20232024. Committee, we will now consider the Department of Infrastructure.
Does the Minister of Infrastructure wish to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Yes, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I have with me my deputy minister, Steve Loutitt. And I also have my ADM for asset management, David Moore.
Thank you, welcome. The committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Agreed.
Committee, the Department of Infrastructure begins on page 52. We will defer the departmental totals and review the estimates by activity summary beginning at page 53 with asset management, and there is information items on page 54 and 55.
Infrastructure, asset management with infrastructure investment, $82,792,000. MLA Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just curious to know for the Frank Channel Bridge if we can get an update on where we're at for that oh, sorry, just curious to know given that the life expectancy of the bridge is up in 2024, we don't have the luxury of waiting if this project gets delayed any further, so if I could get an update that would be great. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the GNWT continued to collaborate with Tlicho government to ensure that we have local employment. We also are looking at working with the federal government to continue the bridge. It's a project that is funded under the National Trades Corridors Fund.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you for that. Sorry, I just okay, maybe I can rephrase. When do we expect to hear a decision on whether or not the additional funding has been awarded for that project? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to ask Mr. Moore to give an update on where we're at. He's the guy in charge with all of our federal engagements. Thanks.
Thank you. Mr. Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We continue to work with the federal government Department of Transportation, working with them on their National Trade Corridor Fund. We're awaiting a decision from Transport Canada on recent increases, inflationary increases to materials. We're also working with the Tlicho government on next step with respect to a progressive design build process. We're anticipating a decision from the federal government very shortly, within the next month, and at that time we'll be continuing the next steps with the Tlicho on the progressive design build. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Great, that's amazing, and I will hope to hear that news when it gets received by the department and shared with the rest of us. I think that's great.
I guess I have a question on around escalating costs around our road contracts. Considering that the supply chain is within Northwest Territories itself, can the Minister of the department speak about how why we're seeing such huge increases in our budgeting for these projects given that, really, it's gravel and dirt that's already here in the territory. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, inflation is a growing national and international concern. So Infrastructure continues to monitor the impacts of inflation by commodity prices as well as construction materials as we find realistic ways to be able to adjust these rising costs of capital projects that are critical for the Northwest Territories' economic development as well as our residents. Madam Chair, I'm going to see if Mr. Moore wants to add anything further. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Minister mentioned, inflationary impacts are impacting ourselves and actually all jurisdictions in North America, not only due to material increases but affects to the supply chain that we're seeing as supply chain issues on materials as well as talent. And the talent shortages and materials are affecting all projects across the spectrum, including in the territory here, which we're responding to accordingly. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'd like to keep on the conversation about roads and can the Minister or the department speak to what is the reconstruction work on the Inuvik to Tuk Highway, and how much is that going to cost this year? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we have engaged with the federal government on the InuvikTuk Highway. It's the Kilometre Zero to Tuk 139. There's, you know, a number of potholes. There's loose gravel, soft shoulders. So I mean, these require additional annual program to be able to protect this investment. You know, everyone's aware how much money we spent to build the InuvikTuk Highway. So we have an application for the ongoing rehabilitation of the Tuk that is consistent with some of the other highways. These sections include some of the rising of the low profile sections, the culvert rehabilitations, ponding, erosions. So these are a number of things that we are working with the feds to be able to look at the application and perhaps hopefully get some funding announced soon. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you. So from listening to that I hear that we don't have like, or I didn't hear an amount; how much money was that? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. David wants to speak further to that, thanks.
Thank you. ADM Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We continue to work with the federal government on ongoing challenges with ITH, as the Minister mentioned. We're anticipating having tenders for rehabilitation work in the spring of 2023. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you. I will follow up to get the amount of that work, I guess, since nobody seems to have that number right now.
My next question then is around oh jeez, where did it go I'm losing my mind here. The community access road improvements. Thank you.
So under the community access plan, that is my understanding that money is directly into the communities themselves to work on their own projects, which is always a great thing in my opinion. Can the Minister or the department speak more to what projects this entails and whether or not they're going to put more money into that program? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the community access program is a really successful program because it starts to, you know, work with communities in some of the work around some of the planning and design for access roads. So right now in plan for 20232024, where this budget is concerned, we have some embankment work, surface improvements, drainage improvements, the that's more leaning to some of the specific projects. So that's just one example of some of the projects that we have going on. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
