Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to return to a discussion of the delayed, deferred school project in Hay River. I’d like to follow up on some of Mr. Bromley’s questions that he listed and a few of my own.

I know this project’s been delayed. I have heard that the education program — or lack of one or the need to plan for one — is the reason for delay, but is that the only reason that this project was delayed two years?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to reference the statement made by the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment yesterday in regard to apprenticeship and occupational certification and the review that was done. I’m very pleased to hear that a review was done. From my understanding of people who are involved in apprenticeship certification, it was a review that was well overdue.

The Minister stated yesterday that some of the changes that have been implemented are “streamlining activities, making the system more efficient for employers and trades people. There is evidence of results, with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I’d like to suggest that cancellation of scheduled programs has a huge impact on both the employer and the employee in this instance. We are concerned why we’re losing people to the South, and cancellation of apprenticeship programs is one possibility. I’ve heard of one instance where that’s happened. People plan their lives around scheduled programs, classes and courses, and when there’s a cancellation on short notice, it creates large problems for any number of people.

I’d like to ask the Minister whether or not there are any guidelines as to the amount of...

Thank you, Minister. I don’t actually need a list of those programs, although it might be interesting to have a look at it.

I’m wondering if the Minister can advise on how thoroughly these programs are subscribed to. Basically, I’m wanting to know whether these programs are full all the time. If we have a listing of, say, 20 apprenticeship programs in Fort Smith, do they run all 20 every year? Do they run all 20 every semester? If we have 20 programs, how thoroughly are they subscribed to?

It’s my understanding that it does happen that programs are scheduled and they are then cancelled. I wonder if the Minister could advise under what circumstances apprenticeship programs are cancelled.

Thanks for the explanation. I guess I’m just wondering whether or not this particular project is associated with a possible lawsuit from the French school board, which I believe has entered into some sort of court case with GNWT — lobbying, fighting, for extra space in their school.

Okay. I presume it was another school that was leapfrogged ahead of Sissons’ renos. But can the Minister advise why Sissons is in such good shape and can be left for two or three years and what project it was that got moved up?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions with regard to the projects that are on page 7-8, but I believe they apply to the numbers we’re talking about.

In the capital plan for 2008–2009 there was a project listed for the Sissons School. I don’t see that in the capital plan for ’09–10. I wonder if I could get an explanation from the Minister as to why it is no longer part of the capital plan as we go forward and if and when it will eventually reappear.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would appreciate this opportunity to actually ask a question that my brain remembered shortly after I sat down.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment this question. I’d like to say that I appreciate that there are funding implications to raising the minimum wage. I do want to say, though, that I think there are likely very few people who are currently working at minimum wage in our territory. If it was a large percentage, I’d be very surprised. People simply can’t survive on that amount of money.

My guess is that even an increase of $1.75 per...

I appreciate the Minister’s answer and that it does require a certain amount of time, but I don’t know how anybody, let alone myself or the Minister, can expect anybody to live on $8.25 an hour when they’re working. There’s absolutely no way anybody can survive on that. I appreciate that it does take time, but I think time is of the essence here, and it behoves the Minister to try and push this along.

I realize he can’t give me a specific date, but we have business plans coming forward in another month. I think that if it was the will of the department to put it forward, we could see it in...