The Rae Access Road project must be put out for public tender as the federal government is jointly funding it, Premier Caroline Cochrane said on Thursday in response to concerns about the project near Behchoko.
SA国际影视传媒淭he rehabilitation and maintenance of the Rae Access Road is necessary to ensure safe community access, and requesting approval for a negotiated contract for this project now could result in significant project delays,SA国际影视传媒� Cochrane said.
The premier's response, emailed to SA国际影视传媒, comes after the Tlicho Government and Jackson Lafferty, MLA for Monfwi, both blasted the GNWT this week for its refusal to cancel the public tender for the road work.
NNSL file photo
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Lafferty said he stood with the Tlicho leaders SA国际影视传媒渋n condemning the actions of the GNWT in denying the request of the T艂谋台ch谦 Chiefs Executive Council to cancel the public tender for the Rae Access Road reconstruction project.
SA国际影视传媒淭his project represents millions of dollars of economic opportunity for T艂谋台ch谦 communities and jobs for T艂谋台ch谦 citizens. At a time when our economy is fragile and many have lost jobs, our people need every dollar of government support to pull ahead of this unprecedented crisis,SA国际影视传媒� Lafferty stated.
His statement goes on to cite the final T艂谋台ch谦 Agreement, signed in 2003 and the provisions of Chapter 26 that deal with economic measures.
The third section of that chapter states that the GNWT should give priority to T艂谋台ch谦 entities and individuals when projects take place in T艂谋台ch谦 communities or on T艂谋台ch谦 lands. It also stipulates that consultation with T艂谋台ch谦 communities be done to find the most suitable business to undertake the projects.
However, that section also states that the GNWT can proceed to a public tender SA国际影视传媒渋f there is no suitable corporation, business or person to achieve the financial, affirmative action, training and economic objectives of the activity.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒 has requested further comment from Lafferty on that part of the Tlicho Agreement and is awaiting a response.
The T艂谋台ch谦 Government, in a statement released July 13, said it has requested a direct negotiated contract for the Rae Access Road reconstruction project and accused the GNWT of putting the contract out for tender without responding to its request.
SA国际影视传媒淭he tender provides for no T艂谋台ch谦 employment and no T艂谋台ch谦 subcontracting commitments. It is flawed and ignores the pressing needs of our community to support itself,SA国际影视传媒� the statement reads.
SA国际影视传媒淲e do not want companies from outside our region that do not respect our people and have a poor track record of hiring T艂谋台ch谦 workers in our community when we have companies and citizens that can carry out this work,SA国际影视传媒� said Behchoko Chief Clifford Daniels.
The project will involve the reconstruction of the Rae Access Road from kilometre 0 to km 9.74 with the quarry site at km 5, according to a .
The bidding event is listed as closed and bids are under review, the site says.
Four companies submitted bids: NWT Construction Ltd. for $5,904,300.50, Tlicho Engineering & Environmental for $3,498,996.20, CJ Contracting Ltd. for $3,469,767.30 and RTL-Robinson Enterprises Ltd. for $3,417,784.10.
In her message on Thursday, Cochrane added that there are other projects planned for the T艂谋台ch谦 region that will provide contracting opportunities for T艂谋台ch谦 businesses and the government will keep working with the T艂谋台ch谦 Government to help maximize opportunities for T艂谋台ch谦 people.
