May 31, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the Department of Transportation’s efforts to adapt to climate change.

Wherever you look in the Northwest Territories, you will see impacts of climate change on the transportation system.  The Dempster Highway is settling more as permafrost thaws.  We are getting more freezing rain in the South Slave, so we need to put more sand and gravel on our highways.  The opening of the Tli Cho Winter Road has been delayed due to warmer weather.  More flights have been cancelled in Inuvik due to frost build-up and the loss of friction on the runway.  Airlines are using more Glycol in Yellowknife to de-ice aircraft.  Water levels are increasingly unpredictable, making it more difficult to maintain ferry landings.  Coastal community resupply is hampered by changing ice conditions and sustained high winds.

We are active on many fronts to adapt to climate change.  We continue to build bridges on the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road to extend the operating season and offer greater access to the communities.  We have introduced ice spray technology to build ice faster and open river crossings earlier.  We use ground-penetrating radar to determine ice thickness when we are choosing the routes of winter roads.  We built an expanded Glycol retention area at the Yellowknife Airport and changed highway maintenance shifts to ensure more efficient coverage and improved highway safety, with better response time during inclement weather.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation is doing research to better understand what the future impacts of climate change may be and to develop strategies to adapt.  It is our business to know how climate affects our infrastructure and operations.  It pervades all our efforts, be it planning, design, construction or maintenance.  However, climate change adds a new level of uncertainty.  What happened in the past is no longer necessarily the case in the future, and there are gaps in our knowledge.

The best way to gain knowledge and improve our ability to adapt to climate change is through partnerships and collaboration with other GNWT departments, other levels of government, scientists, the private sector and other stakeholders.  Under the Federal government’s Building Canada Plan, we have allocated $1.85 million for research and development.  With this funding we have carried out a climate change risk assessment for the transportation system.  We have assessed the vulnerability of Highway No. 3 between Behchoko and Yellowknife.  We have developed a protocol for assessing the vulnerability of airports.  And we are currently working on a Climate Change Adaptation Plan that will be completed this summer.  It will inform how the Department will manage the key short- and long-term risks to the transportation system resulting from climate change and how to take advantage of the opportunities.

Also this summer, the Department will evaluate rehabilitation techniques for roads constructed on warm, ice-rich permafrost at four test sections on Highway No. 3 between Behchoko and Yellowknife.  In the fall, we are organizing a workshop on how to keep our winter roads sustainable as our climate changes. The Department will also consider how to optimize our maintenance operations across the highway system, including Highways No. 6 and No. 7 to deal with climate change impacts.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation sits on two Transport Canada sponsored networks of expertise, one on permafrost and the other on Arctic waters. Their objective is to foster northern expertise and conduct research necessary to provide Canada and the three Territories with the capacity to manage transportation infrastructure in the context of a changing climate.  Over the next four years, we will be conducting a number of additional studies to expand our knowledge base.

We are also sharing our knowledge and experience through the development of best practices guides that other governments can apply.  Through the Transportation Association of Canada and the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, the Department has collaborated on a Best Practices Guide for the Construction, Maintenance, and Operation of Winter Roads, and a Best Practices Guide for the Construction of Transportation Infrastructure on Permafrost.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, it is important that I acknowledge the efforts of our front line staff.  It is operators and maintainers that are responsible for ensuring the safety of the traveling public and maintaining levels of service while contending with and adapting to the impacts of weather and climate change on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, the challenges of adapting to climate change are daunting.  We will continue to promote research and development, cultivate partnerships, incorporate climate change in all decisions, improve communications and share best practices to meet these challenges ahead.

Thank you.