Thank you, Madam Chair. Would the Minister be able to give me an update on the planning or the long-term planning of moving Aurora College out into a stand-alone building? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We just recently had a 10-year facilities plan completed in Yellowknife in the past few months. That plan did recommend that we take a look at options for housing the college. Just recently, within the last two weeks, we have started the ongoing planning committee that the report recommended. Membership on that includes a representative from the college. That is one of the issues that they will be addressing. I would expect that we will be able to look at, within the next year or two, working at some kind of change to the campus here into our capital plan. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that the Minister pointed out that the facilities committee will be looking at something like that. As a strong

supporter of us having a stand-alone college, it was my understanding that we had some type of discussion early on about the college building; a strategic plan to move in that direction. Like I say, it was my understanding that we were moving in that direction. That shouldn't be neglected or overlooked because we now have a facilities committee. Was there a strategic plan done, or proposed, to look at and evaluate the needs of having a stand-alone college? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I had a discussion with the previous chair of the college board of governors about a college campus in Yellowknife. I know that he was quite supportive of the recommendations that came out of our 10-year facilities plan. The college itself is in the process of developing its own corporate plan. I don't know where that will go, but we are unlikely to be in a position to look at anything before 2012 in Yellowknife because of the lease at the present site. This isn't something that we need to be moving on immediately. We do have some time, so I am hoping that the committee will have a chance to do some of its work, make some recommendations to me. There were some options for locations that were proposed in the 10-year facility plan. This committee will now have some time to have a look at those options and then make some recommendations. That will give us some time to then work something into our capital planning process over the next couple of years.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, to be clear, as a very big supporter of a stand-alone college, if we could only set aside a facilities planning committee just for a moment, where is the Department of Education's position on a stand-alone facility for Aurora College? Noting those dates of 2012, it is six years away. A facility that would be appropriate needs ample planning. Six years is one of those nice windows. It is not tomorrow, but it is not forever. So that is a good window to do some solid planning. Where is the Department of Education's position, again, outside of the facility planning committee? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd agree that we have a good window. Now is the time to start looking at it, but, given the recommendations that came out of that facilities plan, I think the department has to follow it. We will be looking to the committee to make a recommendation as to site, size and scope of the project and working from that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Recognizing the facilities committee, the educational committee, I guess taking into perspective of if they feel the college is not necessary, I would like to hear the Minister's position from the Department of Education point of view. What is the department's point of view of supporting this idea? I do know that the facilities plan does look in the direction of a college, but where is the department's position on this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am not sure that the department would have a position. As Minister, I could say I have a position that I would agree that we need to deal with space problems. The facilities report that came out showed that the college's current campus only meets 50 percent of the current demands, so they are already leasing an awful lot of space outside of the current campus in order to meet the program needs. I would agree that it is something that we need to work on. I will be looking forward to the recommendations from the committee.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that is all I will do on this subject. I will pass it on to another Member and come back if I feel necessary. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. General comments. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have questions on the Minister's opening statement about the performance of schools. But before I go to that, I want to just follow up on the discussions about the separate campus for Aurora College. Madam Chair, the educational facilities review that the Minister is referring to made a number of recommendations including the one about the new school that was in the books that was recommended to be taken out. The Minister has taken that step to do that. Now that school is out. That facility report also recommended that there be renovations at Sissons in Yellowknife, as well as St. Joseph's School, and the Minister has put that into action. It is in the books, so, obviously, the department and the Minister have taken steps of actions on those areas without a problem, even though the catholic school is 97 percent full and there is no conclusion, action or plan as to what to do about the Catholic School Board or what to do with the other renovation needs of YK 1. The Minister saw no problem in acting on those but, in the same report, there was a very strong assessment about the fact that Aurora College in Yellowknife is completely overcrowded. It is completely inadequate and it needs extra facilities. The Minister is saying now that nothing is going to be done on it until 2012. How is that justified? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The reasoning for that is that there is no way for us to have a new campus completed in time for the time we would have to look at renewing the lease for the current site, which is, I believe, 2007. Given that, it is unlikely that we will get anything less than a five-year renewal, so we are expecting that 2012 would be the day to which we could be looking at possibly a new site.

The report that the Member refers to, that I have been talking about, also suggests that there are three different options for locating the campus here. That is one of the things that I am hoping that we will see from the

committee in their first report, because it is my goal to come forward and see if we can't find a way to work the new campus into the capital plan or into our business plan for the next year.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That might be construed as a convenient kind of justification on lack of action on Aurora College, but I don't think I would be prepared to accept that. Madam Chair, the Minister has almost every section in his department under study or review, or everything is on a 10-year plan. It is either task avoidance or exercise in dithering, or it is a masterful plan to build his legacy. There would be something left for 10 year increments of everything, whether it is income security or Labour Standards Board. Everything is in the works, so I am very surprised that he has no 10-year plan with respect to Aurora College. We know that a campus like that will take a lot of work and building up. Everything he is telling me now says basically he's not going to take any action on that part of the recommendation that he has conveniently chosen to accept with respect to the other sides with YK 1 and YK 2 issue. We know that the lease is up in 2007, I guess, as the Minister has already stated, that he would renew that for another five years.

I know it would be welcome news for those who are very interested in hearing that news, but six years is just the kind of time frame where the Minister has to put something in the works. I would like to know if there has been any direction, because I know he has also appointed a 10-year committee for the facilities review plan. I would like to know what kind of work he is doing to put this on the move, this Aurora College issue, because it has been outstanding for many years. Any college, separate campus or anything like that in the place like Yellowknife would take many years to see it come to fruition, whether any kind of feasibility study or getting it on the books or figuring out where it should go, how much it would cost, what would the needs be, the master plan for Aurora College as to what they want to do with the Yellowknife campus as opposed to Fort Smith and Inuvik campuses. I don't think that I am prepared to sit here and accept that, because the lease doesn't run out until 2012, he is just going to shelf that. I would like to hear a clearer indication from the Minister that he and his department support that aspect of the report. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.