Legislative Assembly briefs
MLAs want bridge contractor paid
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, October 12, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Several members of the NWT legislative assembly said last week they believe the territorial government has a moral obligation to see that a Hay River company gets paid for work it did on the Deh Cho Bridge.
Rowe's Construction initially claimed it was owed about $1.3 million by a New Brunswick company, ATCON, that had gone bankrupt. The work subcontracted to Rowe's was done some six years ago.
The dispute went to an arbitrator who ruled that three of five financial claims by Rowe's could not be substantiated but ruled that there was still about $374,00 that was owed to the company.
The arbitrator's decision was not legally binding but several MLAs expressed that even if the territorial government was not legally obligated to pay Rowe's for the work that was done that it had a moral obligation to find the money and pay Rowe's, particularly because it is a Northern company that performs a substantial amount of work for the GNWT.
When grilled by Nehendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche on the subject Oct. 6, Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieu indicated that the GNWT will not be paying Rowe's at this point. Beaulieu feels that the New Brunswick government should be on the hook for the outstanding claims.
"What happened was that the bankrupt company was supported by the Government of New Brunswick. We needed to prove to the Government of New Brunswick that that money that was held by them or their support for the company that went bankrupt would be money that would be used to finish the bridge and complete all the deficiencies on the bridge," Beaulieu told the legislative assembly.
"We are still continuing to work with the company and also with the Government of New Brunswick."
In an e-mail to News/North, Ronald Schaub, general manager at Rowe's, stated that the company is pleased that the issue of the nonpayment is getting some political traction after six years.
"We continue to work with the department of transportation and the GNWT to get this resolved," he stated.
"All parties agreed to a third party mediator review and this has been completed. We accept the findings and support recommendations. We are under the understanding that the department of transportation has also agreed but needs support from the GNWT."
Menicoche wants answers on Fort Simpson Health Centre
Nehendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche has expressed his concerns over how long it is taking to even complete a planning study for the replacement of the Fort Simpson Health Centre, never mind getting shovels in the ground.
He said he was very disappointed to learn that a new health centre may still be seven years away.
"This is a 40-year-old building that needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. A new facility will improve the quality of health care delivery to Fort Simpson and the region," Menicoche told the assembly.
"With a new building and new modern health equipment, we can deliver better services."
Menicoche asked public works minister Tom Beaulieu to update the status of the planning study and the project on Oct. 5.
"There will be two phases in the planning study. The first phase one will be completed in February of 2016. Phase two, which will be complete with schematic design ... and then used for the peer review committee," Beaulieu said. "The peer review committee will be discussing the capital need for the Fort Simpson Health Centre in comparison to all of the other capital needs put forward by all of the departments. We're expecting ... the planning study will be completed by fall of 2016."
Menicoche seemed frustrated with the answer and the apparent slow pace of progress.
"The health centre was flagged the last two years meaning that the facility was to be built at the next opportunity. It was our own engineers who recommended a replacement due to its age and increasing maintenance costs, Menicoche said. "We all believed in the importance in replacing this facility. Why ... is it now moved seven years into the future?"
Moses: more can be done to stop bootlegging
Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses said that he thinks the RCMP is doing a good job of cracking down on bootleggers in communities in the NWT but still thinks that more can be done.
He said he would like to see it made easier for residents to report illegal alcohol and illicit drugs coming into the communities and asked Justice Minister David Ramsay exactly what is being done to help in that regard on Oct. 5. He said he is particularly concerned with the almost dozen communities without RCMP officers in them.
"The only way we are going to rid our communities of bootleggers and drug dealers is to let the authorities know. In the communities, folks can contact the local detachment. If they want anonymity they can look to Crime Stoppers," Ramsay said. "There's a renewed effort to get that board up and active in the NWT. There are opportunities for folks to provide information to the RCMP whether it's anonymously or through the local detachments."
Moses said the government needs to do more work with NWT liquor stores to prevent the sale of multiple mickey bottles to a single customer when there is a suspicion that those bottles are being used for resale.
