Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister just suggested that all the students at the Thebacha Campus are from out of town, but the information that we were provided was that if you look at the number of units occupied -- and this is business plan information -- at that time 162 were occupied. The largest community represented in that occupancy was Fort Smith with 22. Clearly that doesn't seem to be the case, Mr. Chairman. I am just going to make the point that I can't even imagine how this came to the top of the capital priorities for not only presumably the college, but the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I assume these college priorities have to compete with other Department of Education priorities, unless we just randomly decide to allocate $20 million a year to the college regardless of their needs and how they fit into the rest of the departmental needs. I can't imagine that's the case. This to me, Mr. Chairman, doesn't make sense. This is why we talked about needing to see some transparency in this capital planning process. If you really want to put your finger on something that causes Members' concerns, it's this kind of thing. We can't see how the scoring of something like the student housing, this old housing and the replacement of that scores against a definite need for housing in other communities for college housing where there is absolutely none. It's just inconceivable that it could get ahead of that. I understand that we have to protect assets, but there aren't safety concerns here. It's simply old. What are the plans for these 15 houses after we are going to replace them with an apartment building? Are we going to wreck these houses because they are old? There is no way, Mr. Chairman, we are not. I am sure we are not. Somebody else will be moving them. Maybe you could speak to that.
Brendan Bell on Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
In the Legislative Assembly on February 26th, 2003. See this statement in context.
department Of Education, Culture And Employment
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 25th, 2003
Page 359
See context to find out what was said next.