Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Chair, as outlined in the description, we don’t necessarily have it in the capital plan at this point, but we are discussing it through the Early Childhood Development Framework and whether it is the next year or the following year. As Member Yakeleya also alluded to the interest and the need in his region, we need to identify what is required in all the regions and what is existing right now, and we will be providing that to Members. At this point, when we look at capital infrastructure, we don’t have a set of capital infrastructure pertaining to the daycare. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission Annual Report 2012. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. We need to gather the latest update on that. It’s really fine print right now, but what we need to do is work with the college, Aurora College Board of Governors, to see if there’s a need for that. I’m sure the leadership has addressed that with the Board of Governors, if that’s the case. We need to address it with them and have them identify it as a priority and then it will be addressed to my attention as Minister responsible so I can put it through the capital infrastructure process. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

To deal with the bullying in schools, it is very important to us. We need to eliminate the bullying in schools. As the Minister responsible for Education, it is very important to me.

With respect to the media, how we are going to correspond and the communications plan for education awareness, we are moving forward on those action plans. We need to develop communication tools so we can work with the DECs, MACA, the Justice department, Health and Social Services and other departments that are responsible for their part in this as well. We are doing what we can to deal with the bullying in our...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. With any planning studies, we need to identify areas of the project itself, and once we do an analysis and scope of work, then we need to identify, through the capital planning process, what is required if there is going to be a new school built.

I believe that is what Ms. Allison was referring to, but I can get Ms. Allison to elaborate and make more clarification on that subject. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since there was a request by the standing committee of this Legislative Assembly, we’ve initiated our own research and conducted various analyses, and I’ll say engaged the general public, as well, and also the standing committee went out to seek information and input from the general public. The legislation and Safe Schools Plan have been developed through this process. It is an area that pertains to my Education portfolio, where we’re going to be amending our Education Act.

When we talk about territorial-wide, it’s beyond my mandate. What we’re focusing on is the Education...

With any schools, we have to work closely, depending on the population of the students. We have to work with MACA if the school enrollment is under 150 students and also the community to find space availability for a gymnasium. For some schools, we build schools without a gymnasium because there’s a gymnasium in the community. So those are some of the reasons based on enrollment. If it’s lower than 150, then we have to work with Municipal and Community Affairs and also with community leadership to find a solution. So those are just some of the processes we have to go through within our ECE...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I believe there are upwards of 400 different projects on an annual basis with a $75 million budget. Obviously, there will be a lot of infrastructure on hold, but there are also red-flag projects and Sissons is one of them we will continue to push. We know it’s a high priority for Members and it is a high priority for my department too. ECE is working closely with Public Works and Services and Education District No. 1, as well, to complete a planning study and to advance the renovation of Ecole J.H. Sissons through government infrastructure planning process. So this is indeed...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Again, we do go through a process. Members alluded to various projects in the riding and also other ridings. All of those have been submitted. At the end of the day, we get some projects earmarked or approved as we move forward on this particular planning process. We have to, like all the departments, follow through the guidelines that are set before us.

I will get Ms. Allison to just give us a detailed process because she’s actively involved with all the projects that are going through our department along with the process itself. If I can allow Ms. Allison to elaborate...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. With this particular project and other projects that are identified as part of the planning process, we will be going through the capital planning on an annual basis, of course, and the funding has been identified particularly for Trout Lake. Once that scope of work has been identified, we can put it into the system. Then the decision would have to be made from there. This will give us a tool to push that even further than where we are at now. Mahsi.