Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Bill 19, Donation of Food Act, be read for the third time.

I’m sorry, Mr. Chair; perhaps you could repeat that. It’s very hard to hear back here.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do have some opening comments.

I’m very pleased to provide comments on Bill 19, Donation of Food Act. Bill 19 is a new act that will ensure protection for donors of food and distributors of donated food from liability for their actions.

In all of our communities perfectly good food often goes to waste due to policies and standards established by food businesses and restaurants. Food is often wasted because we have too much food and too few attendees at social functions. Some concerned and committed individuals have started to rescue this food and pass it on to needy...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to make a number of comments relative to this motion.

Unlike other Members, I do feel that we’ve received adequate substantiation for this project. From what I hear periodically, this project has been around for quite some time, although it hasn’t been in place as a capital project. But there’s been a need for office space in Inuvik for longer than the last year and a half, from what I’m given to understand.

One of the strong factors for me is that if we build the building ourselves, we will save, give or take, $38 million over the 20 year life of this particular...

I understand the difficulty in giving me a time frame. Can I get a rough idea of whether it’s between three months and three years, or three months and one year? I won’t hold you to it, but an estimate would be helpful.

I guess I just have one last question. Mr. Bromley sort of alluded to the fact that there’s a bit of a discrepancy here, and I’m having the same difficulty. In the capital budget for ’08–09 we approved $800,000 for this current year, and it earmarked $15 million for this project in ’09–10. Now that $15 million is gone, and there is nothing for that particular school project in the ’09–10 budget. I’m having difficulty understanding how — I think it was February we passed the capital budget — in February of this year we expected, I would presume, construction with a $15 million tag to start in...

Thank you for the answer. I guess that leads nicely into my next question. How long does it generally take to develop an education program, and when was this one first started?

I don’t know how to rephrase that question. I guess my last question would be relative to…. Well, it kind of has to do with planning, but if money were available, could construction start in the summer or fall of ’09?

Thanks for the explanation. To the time required to develop and design.... So we have an educational program at the end of this year. We know what the technical upgrades and requirements are. What is the time period to get to a working design that can be used for determining construction?

Okay. Thanks for that answer. We approved $800,000 for this particular project in the ’08–09 capital budget; February, I think, we approved it. My understanding was that was planning money. So if we’re going to have an educational program done at the end of this month — I think that’s what the Minister said — I wonder when planning for renovations can take place. If the educational program is there, we know what’s required in terms of the technical requirements, building envelope, upgrades and so on. When do we expect that planning is going to start to develop some sort of drawings for this...