TABLED DOCUMENT 102-17(4) TABLED ON JUNE 6, 2013 A PLAN FOR STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN NWT TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS FOR CANADA III Building for Prosperity June 2013 Government Message Achieving our Legislative Assembly’s through two successful funding pro- vision of a strong, prosperous territory posals to the federal government called, requires commitments to strategic in- Corridors for Canada 1 and II. vestments that advance our priorities for Corridors for Canada III – Building social growth and economic prosperity for Prosperity is the Department of in all regions of the Northwest Territo- Transportation’s strategic plan to invest ries. The Government of the Northwest $600 million over ten years to improve Territories is committed to developing our winter roads, highways, bridges, and implementing plans that will make marine and airport infrastructure. This this vision a reality through investments action plan will address transportation in transportation infrastructure, essen- infrastructure needs identified across all tial for enabling economic development, regions of the Northwest Territories with fostering prosperity, and social growth. investments proposed under two sepa- In March 2013, Canada announced rate components of the new Building details of its infrastructure investment Canada Fund: the $10 billion Provincial- strategy that includes a new Building Territorial Infrastructure Fund and the Canada Fund. This fund will provide our $4 Billion National Infrastructure Fund. territory with opportunities to comple- The objective of Corridors for Cana- ment previous infrastructure funding da III is to continue working with Cana- agreements that led to significant im- da to concentrate on territorial, regional, provements in NWT transportation in- and local transportation infrastructure frastructure. Since 2002, the Govern- priorities that lead to jobs, economic ment of the Northwest Territories has Robert R. McLeod growth, and prosperous communities in David Ramsay Premier made significant investments in trans- Minister of Transportation the Northwest Territories. portation infrastructure facilitated Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Transportation Over 300 employees within the Department of Transportation provide services to operate, maintain, repair, and construct NWT transportation infrastructure, which is comprised of 2200 km of all-weather highways, 1425 km of seasonal winter roads, 95 bridges and 244 major culverts, 27 airports, and 4 ferries. Our operating environment and strategic actions are guided by the following vision, mission, and goals: VISION Safe, secure, affordable, reliable and accessible personal mobility A higher standard of living for the territory and its communities through the more efficient and lower cost of freight Sustained economic growth and prosperity through better development access to the territory’s renewable and non-renewable resources MISSION To provide for the safe, secure, accessible and reliable movement of people and goods to serve the social, economic, and political needs and aspirations of the people of the Northwest Territories GOALS The NWT transportation system continues to improve The NWT has an ongoing high level of northern business and employment opportuni- ties in the public and private transportation sectors The NWT has a safe and secure transportation system in all modes The department has a high performance workplace that is adaptable, effective, efficient and innovative in delivering programs and services The high quality of the NWT environment is maintained The department supports local transportation infrastructure TableTable ofof ContentsContents INTRODUCTION 6 THE PARTNERSHIP 7 THE POTENTIAL 11 THE NEED 15 THE PLAN 17 CONCLUSION 27 5 IntroductionIntroduction The natural resource base continues to support the ing Canada Fund announced in March 2013 as part of economy of the Northwest Territories (NWT) while Canada’s Economic Action Plan. supplementing the Canadian economy overall. It is Corridors for Canada III describes our current eco- widely known that our country will soon gain access to nomic circumstances, our existing infrastructure, and significant reserves of natural resources with the devel- presents our plan for repairing, rehabilitating, and con- opment of oil and gas discoveries in the Mackenzie Val- structing infrastructure necessary to harvest the boom- ley Corridor and Beaufort Delta regions. Prospective ing resource development potential for growth in the mining initiatives are also developing in the Dehcho NWT and to produce results that benefit all Canadians. Region and the Slave Geologic Province where investors This strategic investment plan builds upon the trans- are gaining increasing confidence in the potential value portation achievements the GNWT has fulfilled under of mineral and base metal deposits in the North. The two previous successful funding proposals. Corridors opportunities are here in the NWT. for Canada I (2002) resulted in federal/ territorial in- The reality, though, is that Northern resource devel- vestments of $130 million over six years, beginning in opment and the quality of life in NWT communities are 2003/04, through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure inextricably linked to the availability and quality of Fund. Corridors for Canada II (2005) resulted in fed- transportation infrastructure. A well-maintained trans- eral/ territorial investments of $200 million in transpor- portation system that effectively connects our commu- tation infrastructure, over seven years, under the Build- nities to markets, services, and businesses reduces the ing Canada Plan which concludes in 2014. cost of living. It is the foundation of a strong economy and vibrant, prosperous communities. Strategic investment in Northern infrastructure is key to the future prosperity of the NWT and Canada. A The Government of the Northwest Territories new Building Canada partnership between the territori- (GNWT), working with the Government of Canada, pro- al and federal governments proposed in Corridors for poses to invest $600 million over ten years in strategic Canada III will address our infrastructure deficit, pro- transportation infrastructure across all regions of the tecting the investments we’ve already made, and ex- NWT. Our plan includes improvements to bridges, panding the system to accommodate economic and so- roads, and airports to meet the increasing social and cial growth. Achieving this goal requires a plan focused economic needs and support growth and development. on rehabilitating our existing system, enabling econom- The GNWT is proposing investments under the Nation- ic development, and mitigating the effects of climate al Infrastructure Fund and the Provincial-Territorial change. Infrastructure Fund, two components of the New Build- 6 The Partnership PARTNERING TO ADVANCE OUR COMMON GOALS Corridors for Canada III: Building for Prosperity Canada’s future. Canada’s vision for the North is stated builds upon the achievements of Canada’s partnership in the Northern Strategy as: with the Northwest Territories to invest in transporta- Canada’s Northern Strategy is based on Self-reliant individuals live in healthy, vital commu- tion infrastructure under the Building Canada plan. four priorities: exercising our Arctic sov- nities, manage their own affairs and shape their own Our proposal’s objective is to continue working with ereignty; promoting social and economic destinies Canada to address territorial, regional, and local priori- development; protecting our environmen- ties while supporting national objectives, such as ensur- The Northern tradition of respect for the land and tal heritage, and improving and devolving ing our country’s future prosperity through strategic the environment is paramount and the principles of investments in transportation infrastructure that in- Northern governance. responsible and sustainable development anchor all crease access to Northern resources. Our new, long- decision-making and action term transportation investment strategy takes into ac- Improvements to the transportation system serving count the present and future social and economic the NWT will assure more communities can participate needs. and benefit from resource development and the spin-off Since 2007, the territorial and community govern- opportunities. The infrastructure improvements will ments contributed a total of $125 million toward priority contribute to better planning and implementation of projects that included 19 transportation infrastructure resource exploration and development in the NWT. initiatives worth over $204 million, such as highway Our transportation infrastructure investment plan, rehabilitation and investments in local and regional Corridors for Canada III, is guided by federal and airports. The resulting benefits of the Building Canada territorial strategies. Plan are demonstrated through the improved geometric CANADA’S NORTHERN STRATEGY and surface conditions on the Mackenzie, Dempster, Yellowknife, and Ingraham Trail highways. Bridge Canada’s Northern Strategy, published in 2009, is building and grade improvements on the Mackenzie based on four priorities: exercising our Arctic sovereign- Valley Winter Road have helped to extend and stabilize ty; promoting social and economic development; pro- the winter road season. New airports at Colville Lake tecting our environmental heritage, and improving and The NWT transportation system received an investment of $204 million over