Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the importance of our winter road system and acknowledge the hard work being done by Government of the Northwest Territories staff, in the construction, maintenance, and operation of these winter roads.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is responsible for building and maintaining several public ice roads, winter roads, and ice crossings, spanning over 1,300 kilometres, roughly the same distance it takes to drive from Hay River to Calgary. This vast winter road system connects nine northern communities that otherwise do not have access to the all-season highway system.

Mr. Speaker, the work to inspect, construct and maintain these roads requires teamwork from different departments within our government. Despite assumptions about winter road construction, it goes beyond simply waiting for temperatures to drop and a path to be cleared. Our crews are consistently monitoring weather conditions and measuring ice thickness and snowpack levels. When conditions are not optimal, they adjust, often flooding surfaces to build thicker layers of ice or fill gaps to ensure safe operations on all our ice and winter roads.

Once safe road conditions have been constructed, these roads are opened to certain weight limits. Weight limits will increase over the season as conditions change and the ice grows thicker. Maintenance crews are consistently planning and adapting to issues brought on by fluctuating weather and climate, such as water overflow or extreme snowfall that can present safety challenges for drivers.

Proactively managing these challenges helps ensure the safety and longevity of our winter road system and is essential to its success each season. Many residents rely on these roads for the delivery of critical goods and services.

Mr. Speaker, activity on our winter road system continues to increase each year. The movement of fuel, cargo, and dry goods across these roads is an essential part of our supply chain.

The provision of materials across the North is a priority for the Department of Infrastructure. For example, our Fuel Services Division plans for the delivery of nearly 10 million litres of various fuels to 12 communities every winter utilizing various ice and winter roads.

Government of the Northwest Territories staff collaborate with northern businesses throughout winter road season to report road conditions, strategize and compensate for road capacity to move fuel supplies and freight services. 

This collaboration not only strengthens relationships between government and industry; it also creates a network of information sharing. Our staff maintain open dialogue with fuel suppliers to make sure the added weights on the roads do not deteriorate the roads. Simultaneously, regional crews are compiling information on road conditions, and make sure they are reflected in official reports and on our highway map, DriveNWT.

Mr. Speaker, our winter road system serves many purposes: supporting community accessibility, economic growth, and provision of goods and services. The Government of the Northwest Territories champions the importance of winter roads, and we encourage everyone to stay up to date on road conditions by visiting the DriveNWT.ca website before they embark on a trip to keep themselves and others safe while traveling on these important winter roads.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.