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Road 'pretty much a done deal' Tuk mayor says Northern Development minister's resignation won't affect projectT. Shawn Giilck Northern News Services Published Thursday, February 21, 2013
Nor is the project universally popular in the territorial legislature. Duncan's resignation sent shock-waves straight to Tuktoyaktuk and its mayor, Merv Gruben. Gruben said he received the news during a public meeting on offshore drilling being held by the National Energy Board. "I think we'll be all right though," Gruben said. "It's pretty much a done deal." The federal government has said it will pay 75 per cent of the cost of the highway, estimated to be approximately $300 million. Also last week, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen expressed her reservations about the GNWT's plan to fund at least 25 per cent of the Inuvik-Tuk highway. Groenewegen said she didn't think the highway will solve the region's economic problems. "Tough questions, such as a cost-benefit analysis, must be answered before this government puts its support behind the project, even if it is on sale at 75 per cent off," she said. Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland shrugged off the criticism of the project. "That's to be expected," he said. Gruben said he was a bit surprised at the resistance in the legislature, since the Hay River MLA had previously been on side with the project. Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses said he was sure the project would go ahead as well. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Delta MLA Frederick Blake Jr. asked the GNWT to make immediate plans to offer training programs for local people interested in working on the highway. "This government needs to start training the workforce in the Beaufort Delta now for jobs created by the construction of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway," he said. "I see millions of dollars going down the road every year," he said, referring to a tendency to hire construction workers from outside the territory. Many communities in his riding have employment rates of 35 per cent, he said, which is "terrible."
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