Postpone Mackenzie bridge construction, N.W.T. MLAs urge gov't

Regular members of the Northwest Territories legislative assembly passed a motion Thursday formally calling on the government to postpone the Mackenzie River bridge project.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay said he supports the bridge, but wants the government to release more information about its costs.

"We've never had a debate, and that's the sad reality of this. Hopefully this motion will get out there, it will allow members to stand up, to talk about the Deh Cho Bridge," he said Thursday.

"These are public funds. We need to have some accountability. It needs to be as transparent a transaction as it possibly can be."

The motion is not binding on the territorial government, which announced last week that construction will begin on the bridge this summer, regardless of whether the federal government contributes funding to it or not. Construction estimates are currently pegged at $130 million for the kilometre-long span at Fort Providence.

Premier Joe Handley said his government will pay up to $4 million per year of that $130-million estimate, but he won't reveal any other details of a partnership with the Deh Cho Bridge Corp. to complete the project. It has been reported previously that the corporation will contribute several million dollars and collect toll revenues to recoup its investment.

The regular MLAs say they're worried the government is moving too quickly on the bridge project, and also wonder whether it's economically viable without any federal funding. Ramsay said taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars a year for decades to come.