Jane Groenewegen

I’d like to know how much the contract that has been signed and awarded is for.

This is probably the largest capital project built in the history of our government, barring the Deh Cho Bridge, which is a P3 and a little bit different but an actual project within the purview of this government. To my knowledge this is the largest capital project ever built. Could we get some rationalization for why it was a negotiated contract as opposed to a competitive process? Were other means of procuring this project considered, like breaking it up into smaller pieces? On a negotiated contract, when the process has been described previously as having to meet with the agreement of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is time we get the renovation on the Diamond Jenness Secondary School done. This school is long past its mid-life crises. We need to make this project happen so that the children of Hay River, the students — and a couple of them are right here in the Chamber today — our young people, can have a healthy and safe learning environment and our teachers can have a healthy and safe workplace.

Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I talked about how the capital plan has been pushed back. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education...

Did the letter of award subject to working out the details also include subject to the approval of this House, and did that letter of intent include a dollar value, and are we capped at that dollar value?

The details that the Minister and the deputy minister referred to that need to be worked out: are there dollar and value issues associated with those details?

Okay. So if this House does not approve this appropriation and this contract has already been awarded, what position does this government find itself in if we do not proceed with this contract that’s been awarded? If we do not agree to the appropriation for this project, what kind of exposure have we got?

So in fact, then, Mr. Chairman, the amount that was indicated in the contract that has been awarded, which is a very clear amount, has not been approved by this House.

It’s within the appropriation. This is really getting confusing. Earlier today Mr. Lafferty said the contract for the Inuvik school has been awarded. Mr. Miltenberger says a very clear price has been agreed to. I’m sure there was a very clear price agreed to when we approved the budget last year for this particular capital project. Was the amount agreed to in the award of the contract the same as what this House voted to approve? Yes or no? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First to the Minister’s opening remarks. Interest in large capital projects has shifted to the mining sector, which has reduced our influence in the construction market, and inflation has eaten away at our buying power. I think this is a classic case of throwing our hands up and not trying to think of different ways to do things to make our capital dollars go further.

I’d like to see proof, too, that capital project interests have shifted to the mining sector. You know, that’s an easy thing to say. Where is the proof? I’d like to know how much various contractors in the...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister: isn’t it true that the capital project for the Inuvik school is a negotiated contract in the neighbourhood of $140 million?