Mr. Speaker, I want to speak today about the Stanton P3 project, the biggest infrastructure project the GNWT has ever undertaken, now estimated to cost at least $1.2 billion.
I'm not here to just wag my finger. I want to focus on the value of government publicly admitted its mistakes, which we are often so afraid to do. If this government wants us to take seriously its ambitions to build three new multi- billion-dollar megaprojects, including highways and the Taltson expansion, it needs to address head on what went wrong with the Stanton P3. It's so obviously absurd that we are now subleasing from a private company a building that we still own at a cost of $78 million over 30 years. By refusing to consider the Liwego'ati Building as part of the P3 project, the government is refusing to report publicly on the sublease which, frankly, only adds to the scandal instead of shielding the government from it.
When the lease was signed with Ventura in 2016, the government didn't analyze the value of just keeping the building. It was well known as early as 2014 that the government needed more space for health care services. So, of course, if raises eyebrows when only a year after signing the lease we lease the building right back. We still don't even know how that decision was made, who made it, whether the person who signed the sublease even had the authority to sign it.
Who or what are we protecting by refusing to acknowledge mistakes?
The legacy of this trail of irresponsible decision-making is found all over this budget that's before us. It's a huge part of our interest payments and debt that us bumping up against our debt ceiling. It would be one thing if the new Stanton Building and the Liwego'ati Building were running smoothly, but both buildings have been plagued with serious plumbing, heating, wastewater, and mold issues. We have entire wings of the cavernous new hospital, as well as wings of Liwego'ati, sitting empty because we don't have the staff or resources to use them.
Now, ideally, we would unshackle ourselves from this 30-year payout to Ventura; however, there was indication from the infrastructure deputy minister during the public briefing that there might be no exit mechanism in the lease. That, too, needs to become part of the public reckoning on this issue. I ask this government, Mr. Speaker, to earn our confidence by fully admitting its mistakes. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
