Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Defeated
Committee, we are on 8-7, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, education and culture, infrastructure investment summary, infrastructure investments, $2.986 million. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask a question at this point. It comes from comments that were made earlier with regards to a planning study and what happens after a planning study is completed.
I look at this year’s budget and it indicates two planning studies, one for Colville Lake School and one for Trout Lake school. I am not quite sure if I understood correctly, but as I listened to the response earlier, I thought I heard them say that if in 2014-15 a planning study is completed for, say, the Colville Lake School, that there would not be construction money for at least another year, but probably if there was a planning study in ‘14-15, construction money would come in ‘16-17. I would like to get that clarified. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. With any planning studies, we need to identify areas of the project itself, and once we do an analysis and scope of work, then we need to identify, through the capital planning process, what is required if there is going to be a new school built.
I believe that is what Ms. Allison was referring to, but I can get Ms. Allison to elaborate and make more clarification on that subject. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Allison.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Basically, if the planning study was completed in 2014-15, you could still then flag it for capital funding in 2015-16, as long as you complete the work before our capital planning process starts, which is generally in February. Does that answer your question? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Allison. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, it answers the question. It is a definite maybe, I think is what I heard. I guess it concerns me that again we have projects in this capital budget which really are suggesting that we are going to have school additions or renovations, not in 2014-15 but maybe the year after, but it doesn’t sound like that is very feasible. With the amount of work that is required to do once the planning study is done, unless it is done early on in the fiscal year, there is no way that the project is going to get through the capital plan. It also has to be a high priority in the capital plan, and we have seen from five different schools across the territory that you can be in the ECE priority plan but that doesn’t mean that you are going to get into the total capital plan. I just wanted to clarify that and I am still quite concerned that we are not going to get any schools worked on for at least another two or three years at least at this point. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Yes, that is part of the process that we have to go through, as with any other capital infrastructure process. The two school projects that have been identified as a planning process have been earmarked as a priority by this department and also have been identified as a priority by Cabinet too. It’s a process we have to go through, Mr. Chair.
We will do what we can as a department to push through all those projects that are before us. Some red flagged projects are pushed forward, so hopefully they will be approved at a later time. We want to do this planning process as soon as possible, so we can at least meet the next capital planning process, Mr. Chair. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Bisaro.
That’s fine. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Committee, I just want to remind everybody here that we are on 8-7, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, education and culture, infrastructure investment summary, infrastructure investments, $2.986 million. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a few really quick comments here. I know that Cabinet is familiar with the Beaufort-Delta Regional Council leadership meetings and there was a motion passed last year in terms of getting some adult learning centres up in the communities of Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. There was some response made in terms of renovating some space or creating a new learning centre in either one of those communities and I just wanted to ask the Minister what were his thoughts and plans on the resolution brought forth from the Beaufort-Delta Regional Council specifically to those learning centres. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. We need to gather the latest update on that. It’s really fine print right now, but what we need to do is work with the college, Aurora College Board of Governors, to see if there’s a need for that. I’m sure the leadership has addressed that with the Board of Governors, if that’s the case. We need to address it with them and have them identify it as a priority and then it will be addressed to my attention as Minister responsible so I can put it through the capital infrastructure process. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
I look forward to the update. Just one other question with regard to infrastructure and that’s dealing with the E3 School. I brought it up in general comments at the beginning of this budget and it’s dealing with the dental therapist’s office. This would be something that would probably fall under renovations even though it is affecting our operations budget. We do have an individual there hired full time that’s not able to practice any type of oral care, which is a big issue within our youth and our children. I just want to know if there’s going to be any structural renovations within the dental office within the E3 School in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We are fully aware of the situation in the E3 School. There’s been discussion between the school itself, administration, the BDEC, Health and Social Services and Public Works to deal with this ongoing issue and to have some resolution for a dental therapy suite. So the program support teacher office has been temporarily allocated for the dental therapist at this point, temporarily. Students are going to Inuvik Hospital for dental therapy appointments. We are fully aware of it and are working towards resolving that issue immediately. Mahsi.
With the response to that question, the room that they put it in, does that follow the right guidelines in terms of dental therapists’ practice, going into the program support teacher’s classroom now? Are those regulations now met or are we contravening some of those regulations by moving the dental therapist and not doing the safety of both the therapist themselves and the students?
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Ms. Allison.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There would be required renovations to the dental suite itself mainly to do with ventilation. So the space that they’ve allocated right now, which is an office space, is purely temporary. The dental office suite that was designed for them still requires upgrades based on what Health requires. There’s going to need to be some money put towards it and some renovation work. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Allison. Mr. Moses.
Yes, in the room they are temporarily in now, I know obviously it’s not going to be up to standards, but are we contravening any type of regulations or legislation by not having the dental therapist practice in a room that is not adequate or was not prepared for dentistry?
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister Lafferty.
We are working very closely with Public Works and Services and Health and Social Services because dental would fall under Health and Social Services laws. So we have to meet the standards when we start renovating that area, so we have to make sure that it does meet the standards the Member is referring to. That’s a good point, so we will definitely take that into consideration. The Minister of Health is here as well. Mahsi.
Just one final comment with the construction and all the work that was done on E3 School. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it and it’s been in the news on some occasions. It has to deal with the parking and the way parking was structured in terms of how the school was built and the congestion that it has in the morning and at lunch and how it’s become a safety issue within the school. Has the department looked at that and looked at any possible alternatives to try to get that fixed? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
That’s an area where we are working closely with Public Works and Services and also BDEC, the administration. It’s been identified and the public has been commenting on some concerns in that respect. So we are moving forward on this and so we will keep Members up to speed if there are any changes coming. Mahsi.
Committee, just before we leave this activity summary, I just want to do some general housekeeping before we do. In the oral exchange between Ms. Allison and Mr. Bromley, there was a quote, “I would have to dig into that information.” This was regarding the pellet boiler program at the Prince of Wales. If I could get a firm commitment from the department that they will actually commit to that. Mr. Lafferty.
Yes, Mr. Chair. We will provide that additional detailed information. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. With that, committee, I will now rise and report progress.
Can I have the report from Committee of the Whole, please, Mr. Dolynny.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 107-17(4), NWT Capital Estimates 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Do I have a seconder? Mr. Ramsay.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, orders of the day for Tuesday, October 22, 2013, 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bill 3, Wildlife Act
Bill 13, An Act to Repeal the Curfew Act
Bill 14, An Act to Repeal the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act
Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act
Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Justices of the Peace Act
Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act
Bill 18, Apology Act
Bill 19, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2013
Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Dental Profession Act
Bill 22, Territorial Emblems and Honours Act
Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act
Tabled Document 70-17(4), Electoral Boundaries Commission, Final Report, May 2013
Tabled Document 107-17(4), NWT Capital Estimates, 2014-2015
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Tuesday, October 22nd, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 6:04 p.m.
