Wendy Bisaro

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...

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.

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 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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I noted more than once that the minimum wage in the NWT has remained stagnant since 2003. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment or whichever Minister is appropriate, because I’m not absolutely positive, why there’s been no adjustment to the minimum wage in the NWT in the last five years.

That’s good. Thank you.

Thanks for the explanation. It’s kind of what I expected. I would just like to commend the YK1 education board for keeping their schools in very good shape even though they may be aging.

I would like to ask a question with regard to another project that doesn’t show up and which was in last year’s capital plan, and that’s phase 2 of the expansion — I think it’s expansion — of École Allain St-Cyr. Could I get an explanation as to why this project is not in this year’s budget and, again, when it might reappear?