Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a society we need to cultivate and promote our strong northern candidates for positions of leadership in education. Through its Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, ECE is placing top priority on improving the academic performance of Aboriginal students, and rightly so. Grade standings, competencies, and graduation rates among Aboriginal students remain unacceptably low in comparison with non-Aboriginal students across the NWT. Here in Yellowknife 50 percent of our students are Aboriginal.

Regional consultations note that strong teaching and program...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 9-16(6), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2011-2012, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 9-16(6) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Mahsi.

Just a couple more quick ones and then I want to follow the Minister’s comments up, which I appreciate, by asking for his assurance that he will be referencing the committee reports today and the Auditor General’s comments and principles on P3 partnerships, and making sure that those are well referenced in the model that we finally adopt, and that in fact we will not be going out to private partners and adopting their advice on a model to be followed by this government.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to ask a couple of questions on this project, as well. The $4.2 million being proposed here for this payout brings a total, as I understand it, to about $17.4 million for the Taltson project. These, of course, are all public funds that are going towards an unregulated power project with a partner that has no funds to contribute. Although I believe they did bring some modest, or were instrumental in helping the government bring in some federal dollars, modest though they might have been.

Where are we at in terms of paying those dollars back? Is the project still...

Is the budget for this particular item $1.2 million or $991,000?

Thank you, committee. We will do that. First we’ll take a break.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us, committee, three tabled documents: Tabled Documents 7-16(6), 8-16(6) and 9-16(6). What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

I’m certain that nobody here is a stranger to that 30 minute trip into Edmonton from the International Airport. Many of us have probably experienced the fog conditions, the snowstorm conditions, this sort of thing. Can the Minister say whether the report he’s had on this takes into account the impact of those sorts of conditions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the Edmonton Municipal Airport closure. I have questions of detail regarding the closure and the routing medevac flights through the International. I have been informed that the original deeding of airport lands to the municipality was made with a caveat that the lands could not be used other than as an airport. Since the issue of the municipality’s discretion to make this change is fundamental to this issue, will the Minister direct staff to confirm whether in fact this was the case? Mahsi.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to say that I think that’s a sound investment following up on this item. A five-year payback sounds very reasonable to me and that’s not even mentioning the gains in greenhouse gas reductions. I’m wondering if the Minister would know what the payback period is for the Elizabeth Mackenzie School wood pellet boiler. Thank you.