Charles Dent

Sorry, Madam Chair. Could I get the question repeated, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was a change that I had wanted to see made for some time and we had some evidence that students, in spite of being warned that there was a requirement for 75 percent success, or success in 75 percent of a full course load, that they weren’t all aware of it. So the transition from first and second year to subsequent years was not going as well for some students as had been hoped. In order to make it more likely that students would be successful, I directed the department to come forward with this change. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t have that information. The Minister may have that information. It’s not a question of whether or not this was known for awhile, it was. But the negotiations on what portion CATSA would pay went right up until the committee was advised that this was going to be an urgent expenditure. So it wasn’t a situation where there wasn’t some knowledge about the project having to go ahead, but there wasn’t a clear knowledge of what this government was going to have to pay. As I understand it, the department was negotiating to try to get an even larger portion paid for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I think it’s important to remember that this special warrant was approved on August 22nd. On August 22nd the FMBS had absolutely no idea that a landlord or potential landlord would be willing to pay for part of the tenant improvements, whether that’s a small part or a big part. So that didn’t factor into the decision at any time. The expectation was that the tenant, that being the Government of the Northwest Territories on behalf of the Legal Services Board, would have to pay for the entire cost of the tenant improvements, and that’s typically what has...

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I think it’s important to remember that the $6.6 million is over 10 years. So it’s about $660,000 a year. I don’t believe the Minister has a final plan yet for how that money would be raised, whether it’s from landing fees or an airport improvement fee. Mr. Braden suggested we have a small number of users. In fact, a couple of years ago there were 300,000 plus passengers through that air terminal building. So even if it was a couple dollars a head, you would pretty much raise that amount in an airport improvement fee. But perhaps we can ask Mr. McLeod what...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of that position, I guess I should be cautious. I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that there is one support position directly for the judge that is tied to that. I suspect that the position is already in Hay River, but I would have to confirm that for the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Actually, if I look at Friday’s, what I was talking about was the amount per square metre, which I believe is proprietary information in a lease and that is not normally released. Earlier today Ms. Lee quoted a number. I was careful not to use that number, I believe, myself, but did say that the amount that we had signed for was within a few dollars of what the estimate had been per square metre that it would cost. When I look at Friday’s Hansard, it appears to me that Ms. Lee is the one again that used the number. Mr. Roland didn’t appear to. All I can say, Mr...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this amount of money was approved by special warrant before Public Works and Services went out with the RFP. It would not be appropriate for Public Works and Services to advertise for somebody to supply space if we didn’t have the money to actually take it. So this estimate was done this summer, well before there was any knowledge of who or what space would be used. That is the normal process for making sure that we have a budget before the government advertises for somebody to provide us with a service or a space. We have to have the budget in place...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In terms of when this was initially started, the Minister already said today that we were advised, and he believes in December of 2003, of the necessity to add the equipment. I suspect that the department, over a period of months, developed a more detailed plan when they came to understand just how much space that equipment was going to take up in the existing building. The deadline to have it in operation, or else all airplanes leaving Yellowknife may not land at another national airport, is the beginning of January 2006. So we have just over a year before flights...

I am pleased to announce today the latest appointment and reappointments to the Status of Women Council of the NWT.

Patricia Lamouelle of Rae-Edzo has been appointed for a term of three years and Lynn Brooks of Yellowknife, Lorayne Menicoche-Moses of Fort Simpson, and Geraldine Sharpe-Staples of Inuvik have been reappointed for terms of three years.

These women will join Betty Tsetso of Deline and Therese Dolly Lafferty of Fort Resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of departing board member Natasha McCagg.

I want to take this time to thank all of these...