Wendy Bisaro

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...

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?

Can I get an explanation as to why this project has been delayed? I don’t remember what year it was scheduled for previously, but I believe it has been put back several years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for the answer. I think I heard the Minister say he’s going to look for input from Regular Members. I guess I would like to have him formally commit to or to formalize his answer that, yes, he will ask for input from Regular Members in terms of this particular policy for P3 projects.

I thank the Premier for that answer. I was going to ask him where we were at, but he’s already answered my question — and good for him.

I guess I would just like him to confirm that currently we do not have a document in place that outlines the process that would be followed for a P3. It sounds to me as though it is in the works, so I’d like him just to confirm that.