SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Deline Self-Government Act unanimously passed second reading Feb. 24, a monumental step for the community.
"You are setting a government, a model, for all of the other communities to look at," Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya said, addressing the people of Deline.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy, but you stuck together and you worked as one, one people, one vision, one voice."
Last March, the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Deline voted 64 per cent in favour of self-government. The next step was then to get both territorial and federal approval.
"This bill also gives effect to the Deline Tax Treatment Agreement, which is an agreement in relation to the tax treatment of the Deline Got'ine Government," Premier Bob McLeod said, moving the second reading.
"This bill provides for the legal recognition of the Deline Agreement, the Deline Tax Treatment Agreement and laws made by the Deline Got'ine Government (DGG)."
With federal approval pending, the DGG will replace the Deline First Nation Band, Deline Land Corporation and Community Charter. The power to enforce some local laws and control over programs and services will also now be enacted by the DGG.
Review on Deh Cho bridge project in question
A much-awaited review of the troubled Deh Cho Bridge project may never be done, Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieu told the house Feb. 25.
He said that decision will come after a few finishing touches are put on the kilometre-long structure.
"One of the things that I have been discussing with the department has been the value of a retrospective analysis and determining whether or not it is beneficial to do a retrospective analysis," Beaulieau said.
"We have a functional bridge that is doing what it's intended to do."
The minister's answer was in response to questioning from Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro. In 2011, the Department of Transportation committed to a review of the project, Bisaro said, asking for an update.
Beaulieau's response garnered apparent surprise from Bisaro who urged the importance of a review on the project that was first slated for completion in 2010 and after several challenges opened in 2012 - though, as the minister noted, there is still work being done.
"This was a P3 project which went from a P3 project to not a P3 project, which was fraught with problems and cost us all kinds of money," said Bisaro.
"It's not the value of the bridge itself, it's looking at the process and the process that broke down and determining why it broke down and what we can do to make it better."
If the department decides an analysis of the project could be done efficiently and at little cost, Beaulieau said it would happen.
"If we make a determination that we think it is a valuable piece of information that will help us in the future and it's not just being done to show what has happened, but something that has been done so we can learn from it, then we will do that analysis," he said.
Rough roads in the Sahtu
Winter roads in the Sahtu are rough, rough and rough, MLA Norman Yakeleya told Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieau on Feb. 25, asking for improvements to "washboard alley".
"I was fortunate to read the letter that was written by one of the members from the Sahtu, indicating how bad the road was," Beaulieau said.
"We had not anticipated that the roads were that bad. We thought they would be improving."
On the 147-kilometre stretch between Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope, Yakeleya said the drive is taking people up to five hours, travelling at 20 km/h. He emphasized the need for a fix that would alleviate the damage on vehicles and long travel times.
In the Sahtu, Beaulieau said a winter road team is currently going through and looking for some of the worst spots to put water on and grade.
"There are a lot of 'worst spots' on the winter road," Yakeleya responded.
Looking towards next winter, The Sahtu MLA urged Beaulieau to consider holding meetings between communities, contractors and operators to discuss winter road plans and maintenance, prior to the three-month season in which they are accessible.
