I wonder if the Minister could outline, please, the proposed renovations to the Aurora Campus in Inuvik.

Thank you. The honourable Minister.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I would like witnesses here, and, secondly the details of the project are not in yet. It's in future years. The planning is for this particular year.

Thank you. I take it Mr. Minister wants to bring in the witnesses. Do we have the concurrence of the committee?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you. Proceed, Mr. Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, bring in the witnesses.

Mr. Minister, please introduce the witnesses.

Thank you. On my right, Mr. Jim Kaulbach, and on my left, the deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Hal Gerein.

Thank you. Inuvik, total region, $150,000. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the money here is for planning, but I would just like to ask the Minister, the department must have some idea of the nature of this project that they're planning for. What are they planning for? Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Minister.

Let me, Mr. Chairman, read...Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The campus needs upgrading to meet expanding curriculum offerings, and the option to consider transfer into Grollier Hall appears to be viable. This decision is pending examination of student housing needs for the region. If the Grollier option is being considered, the future use of the utilidor has been raised as the town wants to remove it in its entirety. The unfortunate thing is Grollier Hall is one of the biggest users. At the present time, we're doing the consultation with the Baffin Divisional Board of Education for Arctic College on the student options and future use of Grollier Hall.

So the determination, even though the dollars are outlined, will determine the actual direction and also the expenditures.

Thank you. Culture and careers. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to make it clear that I have no hesitation or difficulties at all with seeing some $5.5 million, or I guess a total of $6 million forecast in future for renovations to the Aurora Campus.

As I recall, the Department of Education got this building for $1 from the military. It's an incredible facility, but old; very old. But still the replacement cost would be staggering to get that kind of square footage. So I'm really quite pleased to see this substantial expenditure envisioned as an investment in our human resources in that region.

What makes me curious, though, is that there's a similar ancient building inherited from the military in the Baffin region, namely the single student residence in Iqaluit, about which minor capital renovations I made such a fuss about last week. I guess what I would like to ask the Minister is, is the department thinking similarly that money should be budgeted to renovate the so called Federal Building in Baffin which includes, like the Aurora Campus, shops, residences, classroom space. I'm just curious why we don't see some planning money or some renovation money also in place for that building. It seems that it's very comparable to the old building in the Aurora Campus in Inuvik. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just so that the honourable Members here realize that new campus and classroom space was provided in Iqaluit. The issue that is being addressed here is program and administration needs.

That is why we are trying to address the actual needs with the review this particular year, because what we're finding is that we have more students that the original classrooms that were transferred. If the honourable Member has forgotten since his tenure as Minister, there are only basically three classrooms in the gymnasium area and, basically, I believe, about three classrooms in the administration building. Because of that, the unfortunate situation is that we cannot expand the programs. So what we're looking at is the renovation of those particular buildings to provide additional classroom space and the possibility of not building new space but, in fact, renovating and utilizing Grollier Hall as part of that expansion.

There are a number of considerations, and I think the honourable Member is correct in raising the issue on student housing. But that, in itself, is an additional issue that is going to be addressed once we've come to a conclusion on reviewing the plan that has been provided to us for student housing. So that's generally what is occurring right now.

On the other point that the honourable Member has raised, I have been made aware, as the Member knows, from my recent trip to Iqaluit. So we'll try to address the concerns that he's raised but, again, we have to do it, I think, on a collective basis, rather than just one campus versus another. This is a situation where we don't have enough program space for the students today.

Thank you. Culture and careers. Mr. Patterson.

That's well and good, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that response. Just one final question on this one, and I want to, perhaps, make it abundantly clear that I welcome these expenditures at Aurora Campus and I'm not trying to see any competition between one campus and another. But I think if it's good for one area, it should be good for a comparable facility elsewhere.

I would just like to ask the Minister if he could elaborate a little bit on the...He made mention of plans in place to improve program facilities at the Nunatta Campus. Could I have a little bit more detail on that? Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Minister.

Mr. Chairman, what I indicated was that I understand the issue of the need for improvements in Nunatta. But I am also being pressed, Mr. Chairman, for other facilities in other regions; in particular, one that is lacking very substantial services is Kitikmeot, for instance. There is some basic infrastructure that most regions require. In order for us to be responsive in every region, we have to pay attention to at least some basic requirements. I do understand the concern that the honourable Member has raised. He pointed it out to me when we travelled to Iqaluit together, and when I met and toured the community. It's probably the same situation with most Members on the Standing Committee on Finance. So we're aware of it, and what we're trying to do is ensure that the basic services are there.

I believe the other point that needs to be made is the way in which we're going to fund projects in future. The board for Nunavut college, Nunavut Arctic College, will be instrumental in determining the expenditures in future. I am hoping that the new formula arrangement, the formula financing will, in fact, rectify some of the inequities. But a lot of it may take a little longer than we would want it to. That's the only thing I would be cautious about, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Total region, Inuvik, $150,000. I have Mr. Dent and Mr. Gargan. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Do we have the committee's concurrence to go back to the Fort Smith region?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Mr. Dent.