Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Roland, Mr. Michael McLeod, Mr. Robert McLeod, Mr. Bob McLeod.
The results of the recorded vote on the motion are eight in favour, two opposed, and seven abstentions. The motion is carried.
Committee motion carried.
We are on page 7-7. Education, Culture and Employment, Activity Summary, Education and Culture, Infrastructure Investment Summary, Total Infrastructure Investment Summary: $74.794 million.
Education, Culture and Employment, Activity Summary, Education and Culture, Infrastructure Investment Summary, Total Infrastructure Investment Summary: $74.794 million, approved.
We can return to page 7-2. Education, Culture, and Employment, Department Summary, Infrastructure Investment Summary…. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wish to report progress.
We require a motion to report progress.
Interjection.
Mr. Hawkins made a request; he didn’t make a motion. We need a motion in order to report progress. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I move that we take a break?
We don’t take motions to take a break. Does the committee wish to take a short, five minute break? Agreed?
Agreed.
We’ll take a five minute break.
The Committee of the Whole took a short recess.
Thank you, committee. We have a quorum, so we’ll reconvene Committee of the Whole. We’re on page 7-2, Education, Culture and Employment, Department Summary, Infrastructure Investment Summary. Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I seek unanimous consent to go back to page 7-7.
Unanimous consent granted.
We’re on page 7-7. Mr. Jacobson.
Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee strongly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment take urgent action to examine the feasibility of including an extension to Mangilaluk School in the five-year capital plan; and further, this committee recommends that the department report back to the Social Programs Committee by January 2009.
Thank you. A motion is on the floor and is being distributed now. The motion has been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Last week in my Member’s statement I was speaking regarding how important it is to get an extension onto Mangilaluk School due to the conditions that the students and staff are under. I really feel that this would be a good thing for the government to do for the small communities, especially in the community of Tuk, where the students have to be taught their Inuvialuktun in the staff room and teachers have to share a bathroom and eat their lunches in the hallway. For myself and for the students of Mangilaluk School, they’ve been fighting for this for years. I can remember that when I was a councillor and then mayor, we were trying to push this forward but had never been successful. Now I’m in a position to try to make this motion to make it a reality for my constituents of Tuk and for the students and staff.
I really ask my colleagues for their support. This is an important issue for myself and my constituents. I’d ask for a recorded vote.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. To the motion, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to be supporting this motion, because I support Mr. Jacobson, because I support the Nunakput riding, because I support fairness in the distribution of our capital projects and I support putting a priority on the education of our children and not useless office buildings.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.
Mr. Jacobson, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Ramsay, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Hawkins, Ms. Bisaro.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.
Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Roland, Mr. Michael McLeod, Mr. Robert McLeod, Mr. Bob McLeod.
The results of the recorded vote on the motion are nine in favour, zero opposed, seven abstentions. The motion is carried.
Committee motion carried.
We’re on page 7-7, Education, Culture and Employment, Activity Summary, Education and Culture, Infrastructure Investment Summary, Total Infrastructure Investment Summary: $74.794 million. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to ask the Minister with regard to the contract for the Inuvik school…. I know there are some outstanding issues. When do you expect to resolve those outstanding issues? I believe one of the issues is bonding.
Also with regard to the contract itself, can the Minister give us any idea of exactly when you expect to have a final conclusion to the negotiated contract in regard to the outstanding issues?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to sort out any of the outstanding issues with respect to this contract within the next two weeks.
Mr. Chair, I’d like to thank the Minister of Public Works for the information that was provided, but I think it’s important to pass on that message to the affected parties. I know the president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council hung around here for a couple of hours the other day hoping to get a meeting with the Premier, but he wasn’t able to. I’d like to ask if you have contacted the other organizations that are concerned about this particular contract, especially those political organizations that are affected by this contract.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you. I’ll refer that question to Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d have to ask the Member to repeat the question since I didn’t hear what it was.
There was some correspondence received this morning from the Minister of Public Works in regard to subcontracts regarding a particular contract for the school project in Inuvik. I know there were concerns out there regarding who the subs were. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could provide that information to the affected parties.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you. I’ll refer that question to Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have had discussions with the proponent who’s been providing us with the estimates on this project. We’ve also conferred with him about the release of the potential subcontractors that he is working with, and he has no problem with us making that information public. We have to remember that there was some reluctance to bring these forward as there is no contract yet, and there is no agreement with any of the subs. But we’d be glad to table the information that is required.
Mr. Chair, I find it kind of odd that these are your subcontractors, but they won’t notify your subcontractors that they are your subcontractors. So I’d like to know: when will the subcontractors know that they are the subcontractors?
Mr. Chairman, those subcontractors would be working for the general contractor. They are not our subcontractors. I’d like to ask Minister McLeod if he’d like to add further.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Michael McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, the process would be that once this budget is passed in this House, we would move forward to signing an agreement with the general contractor, and he would also sign agreements with subcontractors. That information would then be solidified, and we could speak with confidence as to who the actual subcontractors are going to be. As of yet there is no agreement with these subcontractors, and there won’t be until there is a contract in place.
Mr. Chair, there has been a lot of money expended in previous years. I’m not too sure of the numbers, but the information I’m looking at is just a draft for 2009–2010, Infrastructure Acquisition: $20 million. What has $20 million been expended on already while we haven’t even constructed the school?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The total spending to date on this school, as I said earlier, is about $3.7 million. This has been mostly for the design of the project and some initial site development work. We are hoping to be able to spend in the neighbourhood of about $10 million or so on construction for the rest of the fiscal year. As the Member may be aware, we did give up about $7 million in the negative supp to go into ’09–10, so our spending to date is about $3.7 million, hopefully with another $10 million or so, for a total expenditure up until ’09–10 of about $14.3 million.
This information that we’re going on was provided to committee, and I think that it’s good that we can get updated information — information that is accurate in regard to dollars that have been lapsed and carried forward. It’d be good if we can keep track of these expenditures, if they are not being expended that they’re carried forward. I’d just like to ask if we can get the most current information in regard to this project and also have a way of tracking the expenditures of this specific project.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Miltenberger.
