Evidence of meeting #3 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I remain puzzled, because under our review process the proponent is supposed to pay the costs of the review. Why would Transport Canada be paying the costs of a proponent to propose a project to be reviewed under the federal assessment process?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
We don't pay the proponent. These are employees that we have. We have to pay their salaries to do the work and any travel that's required for them to conduct the review elements that are under Transport Canada's responsibility.
NDP
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
It's not travel, though. Much of it is salary dollars. There is some travel, but—
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
It's existing staff, but the funding expires every...it's a renewable program. It's one whose duration is usually for three years. We fund their salaries, we fund their benefits, we fund the accommodations for them and some travel, and sometimes legal support as well, because we have to look at the applicability of the law to the proposals.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'd appreciate any details you can send to us outlining what those projects might be and for whom precisely you would be using that $2.9 million.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
Sure.
Liberal
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
I have one, and if we're not going to go into another round, I'd appreciate being able to ask it.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
I note that in the supplementary estimates (C), under transfers to other organizations.... I'd like to ask about the transfer from Transport to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for policing of the Confederation Bridge.
Why is that money being transferred from Transport Canada to the RCMP, and why is Transport Canada and not Public Safety responsible for policing that bridge?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
Transport Canada is the owner of the Confederation Bridge that connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. As part of the bridge operator—a private entity operates the bridge for us—we need to have policing services in case there is any accident or anything in which the police would need to be involved, such as regular traffic policing and response to traffic events. The RCMP is the police force on Prince Edward Island. They don't have a local police force.
This agreement is actually between us, the Province of Prince Edward Island, and the RCMP. We are compensating the RCMP because it is a federal asset, not a provincial asset, but the agreement is with them.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Let me ask one follow-up to that.
Recognizing that these are supplementary estimates (C), can you tell me what the total cost is of policing the bridge?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
That is the total cost.
Conservative
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
It is the total cost, an annual cost.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Thank you. This is on the previous question. I didn't quite get clarity on it.
Just going back to removing the tolls on the bridge, I understand that the tolls were to cover the estimated design and construction cost, which was going to be between $3 billion and $5 billion.
I heard you saying, did I, that the cost is $4 billion?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
We have made these numbers public. I'll give you the number. It's $3.9773 billion.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Okay.
The government is going to take on the risk concerning the ability to pay that back, because they have removed that. What is the time frame? If it is for construction and estimated design, it would seem to me that the private sector partner would want those dollars as the project comes to completion.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
The project is more than the design. It's the design, the construction, and the operations and the maintenance of the bridge. It's a 30-year concession period for operations and a total of four years of construction. The construction payments will be made within the four years the project is constructed, and that total amount is about $2.2 billion for the construction.
For the operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation it's $754 million over the 30-year period. There's also a financing cost that we have to, I'll say, compensate the private sector. They will be putting the money toward the construction part as well, because the bridge costs more than what the federal government is paying, and that is $954 million.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
That would be within that four-year...the financing?
