Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement, can the Minister of Infrastructure say what the department's current plans are for the Merv Hardie Ferry. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Deh Cho. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department at this time, and MTS through the department, doesn't have specific plans to attempt to refurbish the Merv Hardie or to get it back up to speed. What investigations there has been has given a fairly high cost estimate to get it to be recertified pursuant to Transport Canada regulations. So at this point, more likely would be an attempt to sell the asset than it would be to refurbish it. Thank you.
Well, she just answered two of my other questions. So well, in the event of an emergency, Mr. Speaker, such as a fire or flooding in the Deh Cho, I guess it's not useable so my question would be could the Merv Hardie be used for evacuation or other critical needs, however the Minister can answer that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, no, I guess we can surmise this answer, based on the last, that the Merv Hardie isn't the path by which we would look to support any communities that are being evacuated, if they're being evacuated in the region. Mr. Speaker, I will say that while it's not certified for use, we certainly are preparing for the ferry season with the other ferries in the region, ensuring that they are, you know, inspected and ready to go.
So what I can also say, Mr. Speaker -- one last comment -- was with respect to the Deh Cho Bridge. This is one of the reasons that we actually went ahead and replaced all of the cables that -- after the events that one of them had some damage on it was -- we are conscious certainly, at the Department of Infrastructure, about maintaining the transportation networks that we do have and wanting to make sure that they remain secure and safe. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
