Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Erasmus. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The utilization was much higher, given the space before and when the project did get started, the building was ... I don't have the exact figure with me right now, but it was over 80 per cent in use when the project was started. As I said, ongoing projects were given the first priority in the capital budget

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. O'Brien, I would like to recognize you, but you have to sit in your own seat. Mr. O'Brien.

Mr. Minister, we're referring to the Keewatin region, again. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This budget shows planning dollars for the school in Arviat in this current year, with design in 1997-98 and construction in 1998-99. That's our current five-year plan.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. O'Brien.

No further questions. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, do I understand from the Minister that he's building, over two years, a $5 million school in Rankin Inlet when their present school is 71 per cent to 80 per cent occupied, and my community has to live in a condemned building?

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have committed to the Member to look into his allegation that the building is condemned in Tuk. I am of the understanding that, in fact, the building is not condemned but I will have to ask Public Works to confirm that for me. As I indicated yesterday, in the capital planning process, we carried on with those projects that were well under way in the capital plan as a first priority. The new buildings that got into the plan this year were then ranked by the priorities that I listed yesterday. The first priority being safety and health, the second being a space shortfall, and then, the third, getting into technical reasons for upgrading the schools.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Perhaps I should rephrase my question or my statement: The building, as I explained to the Minister earlier, was, in fact, condemned by DPW. The community took the initiative, with some help from the Department of Education, to renovate the building for the present time to answer the shortage of space for grade 11 and 12 in that community. It was a condemned building. The government did spend X number of dollars towards renovating it. The point is, it was supposed to be an interim solution because we did not have any place to put grade 11 and 12.

Now I understand that even though the school requirement is not met, use or capacity requirements are not met in Rankin Inlet, $5 million is being identified for that place and yet they're not answering the shortage in my community. I would agree with the Minister that DPW did go back in there and renovate the building, they did put money in it to bring it up to what they call safety standards, but it's still a temporary solution as far as we're concerned. As a matter of fact, Madam Chair, I invite the Minister, rather than send DPW down there to have another look, to go and have a look himself to see what we have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In the course of the next year, I'd be happy to accompany the Member on a tour of the facilities in his constituency and we'll endeavour to do that. Madam Chair, when the process of developing the capital plan was under way, as I said, when we looked at how much was going to be cut from the capital plan, we ranked projects that were ongoing as being the first priority. This was a project that had been approved and a negotiated contract had been approved for it. In making changes at that time, you wouldn't have the capacity, necessarily, to do the design work and move a school ahead into this fiscal year. It was felt that the best

May 8, 1996

approach was to carry on with some of those projects that were slated for construction in 1996-97 and then take a look at ranking, by priority, new projects and how they got into the budget from this point in time. There may not have been an opportunity to provide a new school somewhere else by making any kind of change to this program. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Erasmus. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As I indicated to the Member for Arviat, we show dollars for the planning phase in this budget, 1996-97, design in 1997-98, and construction in 1998-99.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Erasmus.